Le Mans is seen as one of the ultimate challenges in motorsport, with drivers across motorsport all wishing they could add it to their list of wins.
There have been several F1 driver successes in the race over the years, with two of the current 20 F1 drivers on the grid having won the race outright; Nico Hulkenberg and Fernando Alonso.
Alonso’s victories came during his F1 sabbatical years following a disastrous period with McLaren, while Hulkenberg was still racing in F1 with Force India when he won for Porsche in 2015.
In a recent interview with The Mirror, current F1 world champion Max Verstappen has claimed that he would like to take on Le Mans at some stage during his career but caveated it by saying he would need to find the right driver partnership.
“The only thing is, for Le Mans, there’s no minimum weight for the driver. I’m quite a heavy competitor, so I would have to find light teammates to compensate. Fernando is quite light so that would be very good for us, but we would need to find another one,” said Verstappen.
Le Mans teams typically require at least three drivers to fulfil the regulations on time spent in the car during the 24 hours. With that in mind, F1 Oversteer has taken a look at three drivers who would form the perfect team alongside Verstappen and Alonso if they were to take on an assault at Le Mans.
Charles Leclerc
Charles Leclerc has previously expressed interest in competing in Le Mans, having attended the race to support Ferrari during the the 2023 running of the race.
Ferrari won the centenary edition of Le Mans with their 499P Hypercar, while also claiming their 10th outright win and first since 1965.
Leclerc appeared to get the Le Mans bug while he was out there, claiming to Eurosport: “I would love to, it’s an incredible event. For sure, one day in my life I want to tick that box. When will it be I don’t know.”
An F1 superteam with him, Alonso and Verstappen would be a nice mix of talent across all areas including racecraft, one-lap pace, and outright race performance.
Alex Palou
Alex Palou has been one of the most impressive racing drivers outside of F1 in the last few years, having dominated the highly competitive IndyCar series in the US.
Palou was on the F1 ladder having raced in GP3 and even won a race during his rookie season, but his mix of results failed to impress those scouting talent in the championship.
Palou was also reportedly among the Audi F1 drive contenders, which could turn into Cadillac when they make their F1 debut. A switch to IndyCar brought better opportunities, and he also had the chance to compete in the Daytona 24 Hours with Cadillac in 2022.
Having now graduated to Cadillac’s hypercar programme last year in the World Endurance Championship, Palou has the right amount of experience and recent championship success to be considered in the same leagues as Alonso and Verstappen.
Nico Hulkenberg
Hulkenberg’s prior success in Le Mans makes him a viable candidate for this, as it was his night stint in the Porsche that made a massive difference to their victory chances in 2015.
It was a remarkable victory for Hulkenberg considering he never raced in sportscars in his career prior to his Le Mans outing, and would prove to be a one-off when he eventually joined Renault in 2017.
His mix of experience with Alonso would make him an ideal candidate for the job, while Hulkenberg was praised for his ability to adapt to the car in such a short period to get the win for Porsche.
Hulkenberg demonstrated similar skills in F1 when he acted as a super sub for Racing Point and Aston Martin, which ultimately earned his spot back on the grid with Haas in 2023.
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