THE iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans race commences this weekend, with a stunning list of motorsport icons and ex-Formula One stars set to take part.
One of the iconic Triple Crown, alongside the Monaco Grand Prix and Indianapolis 500, winning the endurance event is one of the most sought after prizes in all of motorsport.
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F1 stars have a strong recent history in the event, with Sauber’s Nico Hulkenberg winning with Porsche in 2015 and two-time F1 champ Fernando Alonso won Le Mans in back-to-back years in 2018 and 2019 with Toyota.
This years event sees 62 cars take to the grid, made up of 21 Hypercars, 17 LMP2 prototypes, and 24 LMGT3s and six teams making up the reserve list.
Among them, as many as 19 former F1 drivers are gearing up to compete, including former world champions, ex-Sky Sports F1 pundits and the relatives of three F1 race winners.
Jenson Button – who won the F1 title in 2009 – headlines the ex-F1 contingent on the grid as he teams up with Sebastien Bourdais, who raced for Toro Rosso in 2008/09, in the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota.
F1 cult heroes including Kevin Magnussen, Antonio Giovinazzi, Robert Kubica, Kamui Kobayashi and Stoffel Vandoorne make up the grid, with Magnussen making his second appearance at the event and first since he was axed by Haas last season.
Paul di Resta is using his time wisely after being axed as a pundit by Sky Sports F1 in 2023 as he joins Jean-Eric Vergne in the 93 Peugeot Totalenergies.
Mick Schumacher and Eduardo Barrichello, sons of ex-Ferrari team-mates Michael Schumacher and Rubens Barrichello, make up the list of former F1 stars’ sons at the event.
Meanwhile, Pietro Fittipaldi, the grandson of two-time F1 champion Emerson Fittipaldi, is making his third appearance at the event.
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Stars who shone in F2 or F3 but struggled with the step up to F1 are also on the line-up.
These include the likes of Jack Aitken, Nyck de Vries and Will Stevens.
Former F1 star Felipe Nasr is teaming up with Pascal Wehrlein in the #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport, with the latter making his debut at the event.
Three ex-F1 stars are returning once again having won Le Mans multiple times.
Sebastien Buemi raced in F1 for two years but has gone on to win Le Mans a staggering four times to date, while both Brendon Hartley and Andre Lotterer have won the event three times.
An honourable mention for the event is MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who is making his second appearance at the event.
UK petrolheads can watch the race on TNT Sports or the Discovery+ App.
It starts at 4pm on Saturday.
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