How many British drivers are racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
In the illustrious history of Le Mans, 34 Brits have been part of the winning crew. They have racked up 45 victories between them, which makes Britain the most successful nation in the history of the illustrious race. Since the 1960s, however, few British drivers have won Le Mans, and even fewer have won multiple times at the Circuit de la Sarthe. Which British drivers are participating in the 92nd running of Le Mans, and how many Brits make up the field?
How many British drivers are on the grid?
A total of 25 drivers hailing from the United Kingdom will be participating in the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours. These drivers are part of all three classes. Hypercar, LMP2 and GT3.
Brits to watch at Le Mans
Worcestershire-born James Calado won last year's Le Mans 24 Hours alongside former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi in the Ferrari 499P. 2015 winner Nick Tandy is on the grid with Porsche Penske for 2024. Mike Conway, who won the day-night day race with Toyota Gazoo Racing in 2021, was unfortunately sidelined from the race after a cycling accident. 2009 F1 world champion Jenson Button is back at Le Mans. This year, he drives for the ambitious Hertz Team JOTA in a privateer Porsche 963. In 2023, Button drove alongside NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson and German Mike Rockenfeller in the infamous Garage 56 NASCAR. Button is partnered with Callum Ilott, the former F2 and IndyCar driver, who had an unfortunate practice incident. The #12 team managed to fix the car, which was damaged heavily, in just 24 hours. A shakedown run on a nearby airfield confirmed their place on the grid for the 2024 event.
Former Force India driver Paul Di Resta is driving for Peugeot and will be hoping to guide the French marque to their first victory since 2009. Ex-Formula E driver Alex Lynn will pilot a Cadillac in the hypercar class. Former Williams reserve driver Jack Aitken is also driving a Cadillac for Action Express Racing. He's partnered with 2022 F2 champion Felipe Drugovich. The Brazilian is yet to have been granted a Formula 1 chance. Phil Hanson and Will Stevens are also members of the UK-based Hertz Team JOTA. The latter had a short F1 career in 2014-15 with Caterham and Marussia but has since established himself as an elite sportscar racer. 40-year-old James Cottingham will drive a McLaren 720s in the GT3 class with United Autosports, a team chaired by McLaren CEO Zak Brown.
Drama is guaranteed in this historic race. Will there be a 35th British winner come Sunday afternoon?