Good news: there will be five women on the starting grid for the 93rd edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours this Saturday, compared to just three last year.
It’s fair to say that endurance racing is the motorsport discipline that highlights female participation the most. That said, this is far from a record, as there were 10 women in 1935.
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Of the 65 women who have taken part in the Le Mans 24 Hours, Marguerite Mareuse and Odette Siko were the pioneers, debuting in 1931. Fourth overall in 1932, Siko still holds the best overall result ever achieved by a woman.
Driving a Chevron B23, Christine Beckers won her class (Sport 2.0) in 1974, as did the all-female crew of Christine Dacremont, Michèle Mouton, and Marianne Hoepfner (Moynet LM75) the following year.
With no women entered in the Hypercar class this week, we’ll be talking about class victories, already a significant achievement in itself. So, is there a chance one of them could make it onto the podium, or even the top step?
Jamie Chadwick
The three-time W Series champion’s Indy NXT move failed to translate into an IndyCar seat, with just two podiums (albeit one of them a Road America race win) over two years.
She therefore welcomed the opportunity to join Genesis Magma Racing, which is preparing to enter Hypercar in 2026. The Hyundai Group’s premium brand has added the 27-year-old Briton to its Trajectory Programme - giving her a season in an ORECA 07 LMP2 car this season as preparation for a Hypercar future.
Frenchman Mathys Jaubert, 20 years old and Chadwick’s team-mate, is also part of the programme. Paired with Daniel Juncadella in the European Le Mans Series, Jaubert and Chadwick won the first two rounds of the LMP2 season. In doing so, Chadwick became the first woman to win a race outright in the ELMS.
This makes them legitimate LMP2 favourites for this weekend’s race, despite both making their Le Mans 24 Hours debut. However, they can rely on the experience of three-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer. The German replaces Juncadella, who is competing in the World Endurance Championship in the #33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R.
Yesterday, however, Lotterer could only manage 16th in qualifying. So we won’t be seeing the #18 Genesis Magma Racing ORECA 07 in Hyperpole tonight. Still, at Le Mans, grid position doesn't matter so much.
Is a podium finish possible? Absolutely, especially considering that IDEC Sport, which provides technical support for the Genesis ORECA 07 and is fielding a second car under its own name, finished third last year.
Rahel Frey/Sarah Bovy/Célia Martin
Iron Dames, does that name ring a bell? It’s a pioneering project dedicated to promoting and empowering women to compete on equal terms with men in mixed-gender fields, and to serving as a beacon of inspiration for women around the world. The project includes commitments to both motorsport and equestrianism.
Since 2019, Iron Dames has fielded an all-female line up at the Le Mans 24 Hours. Fourth in their class in 2023 and fifth in 2024, the podium still eludes them. This year, by partnering with Manthey Racing, defending LMGT3 class winner and reigning world champion, they’ve clearly given themselves the means to achieve their ambitions.
But things went awry last Sunday during the test day. During a pitstop, the team accidentally dropped the #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R on Michelle Gatting’s foot. A member of the Porsche family and one of the few women to be rated Gold by the FIA, the Danish racer suffered a double fracture and was forced to withdraw.
Iron Dames called on Sarah Bovy to step in. Though the Belgian is undoubtedly talented, she is rated Silver by the FIA. As a result, the #85 Porsche is one of only two cars in LMGT3 without a Gold- or Platinum-rated driver - clearly a disadvantage.
Bovy is in great form. Thanks in part to a victory at Barcelona, she currently leads the ELMS LMGT3 standings alongside Martin and Gatting. However, Martin - only 18th in yesterday’s qualifying session - has never competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Under those circumstances, a top-five finish would already be a major achievement.
Lilou Wadoux
Official Ferrari driver Lilou Wadoux returns to La Sarthe after a one-year absence. In 2023, at Spa-Francorchamps, the young Frenchwoman became the first woman to win a WEC race in any category. A few months later, in Bahrain, she surprised many during the rookie test at the wheel of the 499P hypercar, finishing just 0.9 seconds behind Robert Shwartzman.
Since then, Lilou has gone to Japan to gain experience in the ultra-competitive Super GT series, while also claiming victory in the IMSA Watkins Glen 6 Hours in the LMP2 class.
Her potential remains high, considering she only began racing in 2018. She arrived at Le Mans full of confidence after winning GT3 in the second ELMS round, but things haven’t gone exactly to plan.
Yesterday, during the qualifying session, her team-mate Custodio Toledo went off track, causing a red flag that prematurely ended the session. Fortunately, the #150 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 was able to complete 15 laps during the second free practice session yesterday night.
Finishing in the top eight seems like a realistic goal; a top-five finish would be nothing short of a miracle.
