How many F1 drivers have won the Le Mans? Exploring winners and more

Le Mans 24 Hour Race tests endurance while F1 tests speed

The Le Mans 24 Hours and F1 are as distinct as it gets: one is a full-throttle sprint in cars created especially for events around the world, driven by lone drivers. The other is a single-day race, where the goal is to last as long as possible and cover as much ground as possible in cars like the ones you see on the road, driven by teams.

Despite these stark differences, several F1 drivers have been able to make the transition and have achieved success in both F1 and Le Mans.

Here are the F1 drivers who made it big in The Le Mans 24 Hours race:

Fernando Alonso

F1 Championship Titles: 2 (2005,2006)
Le Mans Titles: 2 (2018,2019)

Two-time F1 world champion, Fernando Alonso made his name in Le Mans by winning two titles in a row in 2018 and 2019. In his pursuit of the racing Triple Crown, which has eluded all drivers except Graham Hill, Alonso attempted Le Mans in 2018.

The Spaniard's first try, in which he raced with Sebastien Buemi and Kazuki Nakajima, brought Toyota its long-awaited victory.

In the F1 race track, Alonso is regarded as the oldest and the most experienced F1 driver. He has had a dream start to the 2023 season, landing five podiums out of the seven races.

Mike Hawthorn

1 Championship Titles: 1 (1958)
Le Mans Titles:1 (1955)

The first driver to claim victories in both Formula 1 and Le Mans was Mike Hawthorn, with his Le Mans victory coming first. However, what could've been a fantastic race, turned tragic in just over four hours when Mike's Mercedes met with a serious road traffic accident on the track.

Mike won his F1 title in 1958. He finished more races than his fellow countryman Stirling Moss, who finished with four victories to his one.

Phil Hill

1 Championship Titles: 1(1961)
Le Man Titles: 3 (1958, 1961, 1962)

Three times, Phil Hill and colleague Olivier Gendebien drove for Ferrari to victories at Le Mans. He is known for competing with renowned racing teams in Le Mans like Aston Martin Lagonda, Ford, Shelby-American, and Chaparral cars.

In F1, Phil also had success with the team Ferrari, taking home his maiden Grand Prix victory in 1960 in Monza, the home of the Italian team. The next year, he won his first championship, making him the only American-born person to do it.

Graham Hill

F1 Championship Titles: 2 (1962, 1968)
Le Mans Titles: 1 (1972)

Graham Hill is the only person to have achieved The Indianapolis 500, the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the Monaco Grand Prix to hold the motorsport's prestigious triple crown.

A year after winning the F1 world championship with BRM, he earned the first of the three victories necessary to claim the title at Monaco in 1963. Five victories were won in the principality by "Mr. Monaco," as he came to be called.

Hill had previously competed in the Le Mans 24 Hours nine times, with his best finish being a second-place finish in 1964 (almost five laps behind the winner).

Jochen Rindt

F1 Championship Titles: 1 (1970)
Le Mans Titles: 1 (1965)

While competing in the endurance race from 1964 through to 1967, Jochen Rindt entered Le Mans four times. With co-driver Masten Gregory in a Ferrari 250 LM, his second entry earned him his first and only Le Mans victory. They reached the finish line ahead of second and third by five and eight laps, respectively.

Even though his breakthrough victory in Formula One didn't occur until 1969, Rindt was also known as the "King of F2" and showed he could compete with and defeat the finest drivers in the world. The sad distinction of being the first and, hopefully, last Formula 1 world champion belongs to Rindt.

Edited by Sankalp Srivastava