This weekend, the 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place for the 94th time in history, with six 2025 graduates of junior single-seater series among the 186 drivers competing. Here are the names of the drivers that you don’t want to miss while watching one of the biggest races in the world.

By Hanne Scheepers

Victor Martins, #36 Alpine Endurance Team (Hypercar)

2025 series: F2

FIA driver rating: Gold

Grid position: P13 (overall); P13 (Hypercar)

Teammates: Jules Gounon, Frédéric Makowiecki

Victor Martins’ racing career has been heavily influenced by the Renault Group, which counts Alpine among its affiliate brands. After two stints under the French marque’s supervision in single-seaters, he has now moved to their flagship endurance racing team as he aims to help the programme bow out from the Hypercar class on a high.

Martins first joined the Renault Sport Academy in 2018 but lost his spot at the end of 2019. His 2020 Formula Renault Eurocup title win helped him rejoin the rebranded Alpine Academy in 2021, and as an Alpine junior, he received support while competing in four seasons of F3 and F2. After the 2024 season, he left the Alpine Academy again and joined the Williams Racing Driver Academy a few months later, participating in his first FP1 session at the Spanish Grand Prix in May alongside his final F2 season. He remains the team’s test and reserve driver for 2026.

While part of the F1 ecosystem, Martins became the 2022 Formula 3 champion as one of the category’s standout performers, claiming two wins and four further podiums on his way to the latter title. After that, he stepped up to F2 with ART Grand Prix and immediately impressed with his qualifying pace and podium-scoring, finishing as the highest-placed rookie in fifth place.

Martins stayed with ART for his next two seasons, but inconsistency and misfortune limited him to seventh and 11th respectively, with one win in each season.

The 24-year-old made the switch to endurance racing this year and now races in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine, partnering the experienced Jules Gounon and Frédéric Makowiecki, who won the race in 2022 in the GTE Pro class. The all-French trio finished 11th in both WEC races held so far this season.

Martins will take part in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, partnering his WEC teammates in the Hypercar class. Makowiecki and Gounon finished 10th in their class last year alongside Mick Schumacher, who now races in IndyCar.

Valerio Rinicella, #28 IDEC Sport (LMP2)

2025 series: Eurocup-3, Eurocup-3 SWC, FR Europe, Le Mans Cup, Asian Le Mans Series

FIA driver rating: Silver

Grid position: P19 (overall); P1 (LMP2)

Teammates: Paul Lafargue, Job van Uitert

Valerio Rinicella balanced endurance racing and single-seaters last year by winning the Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 title with Algarve Pro Racing before finishing second in Eurocup-3 with MP Motorsport. Having committed to endurance racing for 2026, Rinicella will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut this weekend.

Rinicella began his junior single-seater career in 2022, competing in multiple F4 championships. He made his debut in F4 UAE with MP Motorsport at the second Dubai round and finished the season with a best finish of 11th. He stayed with MP for his main campaign in Spanish F4 and finished the season in sixth place, one point off fifth place, with two podiums. Additionally, he joined AKM Motorsport for the final five rounds of Italian F4, in which his best finish of the season was a 14th place at Vallelunga.

In 2023, he started his year in F4 UAE again, claiming six podiums. In Spanish F4, he remained with MP Motorsport and delivered a strong season, taking his first two wins in the series along with ten further podium finishes. He finished third in the championship at the end of a consistent campaign.

Rinicella stepped up to FRegional Europe with MP in 2024 but only scored his first points in the final rounds of the season, finishing 20th in the standings. He also made a one-off appearance with the team at the Macau Grand Prix, finishing 11th. For his final year in feeder series, in 2025, he moved sideways to Eurocup-3 with MP and regularly ran at the front of the field, scoring points in all but one round. He went on to finish second in the standings, with one win at Assen and eight further podium finishes.

After his successful campaign in Eurocup-3, the 19-year-old switched full-time to endurance racing in 2026 and joined IDEC Sport in the LMP2 category of the European Le Mans Series, partnering Jamie Chadwick and Laurents Hörr. They finished fourth in both races held so far this season. For his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Italian will be driving the #28 IDEC Sport car in the LMP2 class. He’ll be alongside nine- and seven-time Le Mans starters Paul Lafargue and Job van Uitert.

Esteban Masson, #29 Forestier Racing by Panis (LMP2)

2025 series: Super Formula Lights, European Le Mans Series, Asian Le Mans Series, WEC, Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie

FIA driver rating: Gold

Grid position: P20 (overall); P2 (LMP2)

Teammates: Oliver Gray, Louis Rousset

Esteban Masson has already made a full-time switch to endurance racing after his 2023 Eurocup-3 title win. Having returned to Super Formula Lights last year upon being picked up by the Toyota Gazoo Racing Driver Challenge programme, he has resumed racing in sports cars at Toyota’s sister marque Lexus alongside an LMP2 programme.

Before becoming Eurocup-3 champion, Masson took his first title in French F4. He made his debut in the series in 2019 at the season finale at Le Castellet as a guest driver and returned in the same capacity in 2020, but it was only in 2021 that he finally got to score points. In his first full season in single-seaters, he claimed six race victories and an additional four podiums and secured the title after a closely fought battle with Macéo Capietto that was ultimately decided at the final round at Magny-Cours in controversial fashion.

Following his title-winning season, Masson stepped up to FR Europe in 2022 with FA Racing before switching to ART Grand Prix for the last four rounds. He finished 24th in the standings, with one points finish at the Hungaroring. He remained in the category for selected appearances in 2023 and claimed one podium at his home race at Le Castellet.

For his main campaign, he competed in the inaugural Eurocup-3 season with Campos Racing. He emerged as one of the leading drivers throughout the season, taking eight race victories, including double wins at Aragón, Zandvoort and the season finale in Barcelona. He entered the final round leading the standings by a single point over Mari Boya before winning both races to secure the championship.

Rather than move further up the ladder, the Frenchman made the transition to endurance racing for 2024, joining Akkodis ASP Team for a full-season campaign in the LMGT3 category in WEC alongside José María López and Takeshi Kimura that yielded one points finish. He also competed in ELMS with Kessel Racing, sharing a Ferrari 296 GT3 with Kimura and Daniel Serra. During the ELMS season, the trio secured victories at Spa and Mugello and remained in contention for the LMGT3 title until the final round. Masson ultimately finished as runner-up in the LMGT3 championship in his first full season of international sports car racing and was selected by Toyota Gazoo Racing for the post-season WEC Rookie Test in Bahrain.

For 2025, Masson decided to combine endurance racing and single-seater racing in Super Formula Lights as a Toyota junior. He stayed in ELMS, making the switch to VDS Panis Racing in the LMP2 category alongside Oliver Gray and Charles Milesi. They claimed three race victories during the season, while the Canadian-born French driver also claimed his first pole position in the series at Silverstone. The trio remained in contention for the championship throughout the year and ultimately secured it at the final round, which earned them an automatic invitation to the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.

This year, the 21-year-old focuses solely on his endurance racing career, combining programmes in WEC and ELMS. In WEC, he joined Akkodis ASP Team’s LMGT3 line-up as one of the team’s professional drivers, returning to the Lexus fold after previously racing with the squad in 2024. Alongside his WEC commitments, Masson returned to ELMS to defend his LMP2 title. Racing for Forestier Racing by Panis alongside Oliver Gray and Louis Rousset, he began the season by winning the opening round at Barcelona.

The 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans will be Masson’s third time at the most prestigious endurance race in the world. In 2024, he finished 10th in the LMGT3 class, and in 2025, he finished second in the LMP2 class. He will be driving the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis car in the LMP2 class alongside his ELMS teammates.

Edward Pearson, #24 Nielsen Racing (LMP2)

2025 series: Euroformula Open

FIA driver rating: Silver

Grid position: P21 (overall); P3 (LMP2)

Teammates: Jack Doohan, David Heinemeier Hansson

Edward Pearson has followed a steady progression through multiple European categories, building experience step by step from national F4-level competition into regional-tier junior formulae. He now makes the biggest leap yet of his career into the top endurance race in the world.

His first full season in junior single-seaters was in British F4 in 2022 after graduating from karting and Ginetta Juniors. In his rookie year, he consistently scored points and finished 12th in the standings with a best finish of fifth.

For 2023, Pearson moved up to GB3 with Fortec Motorsports and scored podiums in the first and final rounds of the season to finish 19th in the standings. The English driver remained with Fortec for the 2024 GB3 season but experienced a more challenging campaign than the previous one, winding up 20th in the standings with a best finish of eighth. He missed the final two rounds at Donington Park and Brands Hatch.

Instead, he joined Team Motopark to race in the Spielberg and Monza rounds of Euroformula Open and claimed three podium finishes in two rounds, ending his 2024 on a high. These impressive drives helped him earn a full-time seat in Euroformula Open with Nielsen Racing in 2025. He quickly adapted to the new team and won the opening race of the season at Portimão, and after that, he scored another win at Barcelona and three further podiums. He ended the season, and his junior single-seater career, with fifth place in the standings.

For the 2026 season, Pearson stays with Nielsen Racing but makes the switch to endurance racing. He now races in the LMP2 class of the European Le Mans Series alongside former F1 driver Jack Doohan and ex-F2 driver Roy Nissany. The trio finished seventh at the opening round in Barcelona and 10th in the second round at Le Castellet.

The 19-year-old will take part in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans this year, driving the #24 Nielsen Racing car in the LMP2 class alongside teammate and Le Mans rookie Doohan and David Heinemeier Hansson, who won the race in the GTE Am class in 2014.

Doriane Pin, #30 Duqueine Team (LMP2)

2025 series: F1 Academy, FR Europe, FR Middle East

FIA driver rating: Silver

Grid position: P24 (overall); P6 (LMP2)

Teammates: Julien Andlauer, Richard Verschoor

Doriane Pin is one of the two female drivers competing in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Rather than following the traditional formula ladder immediately after graduating from karts, Pin initially focused on endurance racing. She stepped up to sportscars part-time in 2020, and from 2021, she raced in the Ferrari Challenge Europe for two seasons, claiming the title with one round remaining in her second year in the series.

That same year, she joined Iron Lynx’s ELMS LMGTE team for the final rounds. The team’s all-female line-up finished third in the final standings with a podium and a win in the final two rounds.

In 2023, she stepped up to WEC with Prema Racing, competing in the LMP2 class alongside Mirko Bortolotti and Daniil Kvyat, and quickly established herself as one of the category’s most promising newcomers. On her championship debut at Sebring, she became the first woman to stand on an LMP2 podium in WEC history, and at the following round in Portimão she became the first woman to start from LMP2 pole position.

Elsewhere, Pin also competed in three out of four Endurance Cup races in the IMSA SportsCar Challenge with the Iron Dames project and made her 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in the LMP2 category with Prema Racing. Though she showed promising pace, her race ended in retirement during the night.  

At the end of the year, Pin transitioned from endurance racing to junior single-seater racing full-time with backing from the Mercedes F1 Team. She finished as the F4 SEA runner-up in 2023 and won a race in F4 UAE in 2024 before her debut F1 Academy season with Prema Racing. Pin rapidly established herself as a championship contender and ultimately finished second in the standings, taking three wins and five further podiums. She also finished 27th in the FR Europe standings with the Prema-backed Iron Dames squad, with a best result of 13th at her home race at Le Castellet.

After her FR Europe campaign, Pin started her 2025 season by racing in two rounds of FR Middle East, claiming a best finish of 16th. She then returned to F1 Academy for a second season with Prema and Mercedes support and consistently fought at the front of the field. This time around, with four wins and four further podiums, she claimed the title in the final race at Las Vegas. 

Following her F1 Academy title win, Pin embarked on a new chapter for 2026. The French driver was named a development driver for the Mercedes F1 Team and returned to endurance racing with Duqueine Team in ELMS’ LMP2 Pro/Am category. She also completed her first F1 test with Mercedes at Silverstone, marking another significant milestone in her rapidly developing career.

After missing the 2024 event because of injury, the 22-year-old returns to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2026 for her second appearance at the world’s most prestigious endurance race. Driving for Duqueine Team in the LMP2 class, she’ll share the #30 Oreca 07-Gibson with Porsche factory driver Julien Andlauer and F2’s most experienced driver ever, Richard Verschoor.

Richard Verschoor, #30 Duqueine Team (LMP2)

2025 series: F2

FIA driver rating: Gold

Grid position: P24 (overall); P6 (LMP2)

Teammates: Julien Andlauer, Doriane Pin

Richard Verschoor has established himself as one of the most well-known drivers on the F2 grid in recent years as well as its most tenured in history, racing from 2021 to 2025. Having spent the past decade in single-seaters, the 25-year-old made the switch to endurance racing this year.

The Dutchman made his debut in F2 with MP Motorsport in 2021 and scored his maiden victory in the sprint race at Silverstone. Despite showing strong pace throughout the season, Verschoor faced financial difficulties that forced him to miss one round before he returned with Charouz Racing System for the season finale. He ended up finishing 11th in the final standings, with the one win at Silverstone.

In 2022, Verschoor returned for a full F2 campaign with Trident and immediately made an impact by winning the opening sprint race of the season at Bahrain. Throughout the year, he regularly demonstrated front-running pace and added three further podiums to his tally but finished the season only 12th. A similar season in 2023 with Van Amersfoort Racing yielded ninth in the standings, with his first feature race win and two further podiums.

Verschoor returned to Trident for 2024 and enjoyed one of the strongest campaigns of his career. The Dutch driver consistently fought at the front of the field, claiming his maiden pole position in the series at Monaco and securing a memorable feature race victory at Baku. He finished eighth in the final standings, with five further podiums added to his win.

For his final season in the series in 2025, the Dutch driver returned to MP Motorsport, with whom he ended 2024, and quickly emerged as one of the championship’s leading contenders. Building on the experience gained from four earlier seasons in the series and buoyed by greater financial stability, Verschoor finished third in the standings behind Leonardo Fornaroli and Jak Crawford, claiming a total of four wins and two further podiums.

After five consecutive seasons in F2, the 25-year-old made the switch to endurance racing in 2026, joining Duqueine Team in ELMS’ LMP2 Pro/Am category. Alongside Doriane Pin and Giorgio Roda, he finished third in both races held so far this season.

Verschoor will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut this year, partnering Pin and Andlauer in the LMP2 class. Pin returns to Le Mans two years after her last participation, while Andlauer is a highly experienced Le Mans driver with eight prior starts, including a GTE Am class win on debut in 2018.

Honourable mentions: Theodor Jensen, #37 CLX Motorsport (LMP2); Bijoy Garg, #343 Inter Europol Competition (LMP2)

Two silver-categorised drivers competing in the race made one-off single-seater entries in 2025. Both had raced in the discipline earlier in the decade but have found considerably more success in endurance racing.

Theodor Jensen began his junior single-seater career in 2022, making the move to his home series, Danish F4, without a karting background. He claimed his first victory at Padborg Park and finished seventh in the final standings while also gaining international experience by participating in the final three rounds of Spanish F4. In 2023, he won four Danish F4 races in a partial season while focussing on F4 UAE and Spanish F4 campaigns with Saintéloc, neither of which yielded points.

He fared better in Eurocup-3 with Palou Motorsport in 2024 and finished 14th in the championship with a best result of seventh at Portimão. Following his Eurocup-3 campaign, Jensen shifted his focus towards endurance racing. He did, however, make a one-off appearance in Eurocup-3 at the Portimão round last year, claiming a best finish of 15th.

Jensen will make his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut in 2026 with CLX Motorsport in the LMP2 category, having qualified for Le Mans after winning the LMP3 title in ELMS last year. The Danish driver will share the #37 with Adrien Closmenil and Ian Aguilera, with the trio forming the youngest driver line-up in the history of the race at an average age of 19.

Bijoy Garg began his junior single-seater career in 2019 and raced in F4 US and USF2000 in 2020 and 2021. The American raced in the first three rounds of the season and finished in the points three times. He returned to the series for selected rounds in 2021, showing significant progress with a podium finish at Mid-Ohio. His main campaign, however, was in USF2000, and he finished 27th in the standings with one top-10 finish.

In 2022, Garg fully focused on USF2000, securing two podium finishes ending the season in ninth place. He progressed to Indy Pro 2000 at the end of 2022 and continued in the category, now named USF Pro 2000, in 2023, claiming one podium in the latter season. By that year, however, he had begun focussing on sports cars, winning the LMP3 class title in the IMSA SportsCar Challenge. He has since raced in ELMS, IMSA SportsCar, and various GT World Challenge Europe categories.

The 23-year-old is no stranger to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as he won the race on his first attempt in the LMP2 category in 2024 alongside IndyCar driver Nolan Siegel and the experienced Oliver Jarvis. In 2026, he will be driving the #343 Inter Europol Competition car in the LMP2 class alongside Reshad de Gerus – his ELMS teammate – and Formula E driver Nico Müller. His Inter Europol connections also facilitated his brief return to single-seaters in 2025. On Le Mans weekend last year, he entered the FR Americas round at Indianapolis with Toney Driver Development, run by Inter Europol engineer Nathan Toney.

Family members of junior single-seater drivers

A number of junior single-seater competitors from 2025 or 2026 also have family members competing in the race. These familiar surnames from all over the world are spread throughout all three classes of the race.

The owner of USF Pro 2000 team Turn 3 Motorsport, Peter Dempsey, is also competing in the LMGT3 class of the race as part of the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF line-up.

Hypercar

• Ryō Hirakawa, #8 Toyota Racing: Brother of Mako Hirakawa (Kyojo Cup, 2025)

LMP2

• ⁠Jonas Ried, #9 Proton Competition: Brother of Lenny Ried (Eurocup-3, 2025)
• ⁠Kévin Estre, #14 TDS Racing: Brother of Dylan Estre (UCS Formula Cup, 2025)
• ⁠Pietro Fittipaldi, #26 Vector Sport: Brother of Enzo Fittipaldi (Indy NXT, 2026)
• Horst Felbermayr Jr and Horst Felix Felbermayr, #44 Proton Competition: Father and brother of Emma Felbermayr (F1 Academy, Italian F4 and UAE4, 2026)
• ⁠Lorenzo Fluxá, #44 Proton Competition: Brother of Lucas Fluxá (GB3, 2025) and Luna Fluxá (Spanish F4 and Eurocup-4, 2026)
• ⁠Dane Cameron, #99 AO by TF: Cousin of Christian Cameron (USF Pro 2000, 2026)

LMGT3

• ⁠Eduardo Barrichello, #23 Heart of Racing Team: Brother of Fernando Barrichello (F3, 2026)
• ⁠Benjamin Goethe, #58 Garage 59: Brother of Oliver Goethe (F2, 2026)
• ⁠Martin Berry, #61 Iron Lynx: Father of Josh Berry (F4 SEA, 2025)

Header photo credit: Daniel Coyle