24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 – Mike Conway and Alex Brundle among Brits competing… so what can we expect?
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Updated 10/06/2022 at 16:47 GMT
Le Mans and British drivers have a historic relationship, dating back to five-time winner Derek Bell. There are British drivers looking to repeat the illustrious achievements of drivers gone by. Such as Alex Brundle, the son of former Formula 1 driver and broadcaster Martin Brundle. You can watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans across Eurosport, the Eurosport app and discovery+.
Alex Brundle celebrates after winning the pole position for the Sahlen's Six Hours Of The Glen at Watkins Glen International on June 28, 2014 in Watkins Glen, New York
Image credit: Eurosport
The 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place at the Circuit de la Sarthe this week.
The world’s most famous automobile endurance race will welcome a full crowd again after being held behind closed doors in 2020 and then with a restricted attendance last year due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The race, which takes place over a 24-hour period, welcomes some of the most talented drivers from across the globe. But how have British drivers fared at Le Mans?
Which British drivers have won Le Mans?
The most prominent British driver to have won Le Mans is Derek Bell. He won Le Mans five times between 1975 and 1987.
Bell also drove in Formula 1 for Tecno and Surtees before deciding to compete in automobile endurance events like the 24 Hours of Daytona.
British drivers have a memorable history with Le Mans and boast over 30 champions through the years, including six multiple-time winners: Bell, Woolf Barnato, Allan McNish, Tim Birkin, Ivor Bueb and Ron Flockhart.
These British drivers are also unique as they have all won Le Mans at least two times each.
Who are the British drivers at Le Mans 2022?
Alex Brundle, 31, currently competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship. He is the son of former Formula 1 driver and broadcaster, Martin Brundle.
Brundle has experience across multiple racing competitions such as FIA Formula Two, British Formula Three and Formula E.
His best result at the 24 Hours of Le Mans came when he finished second in 2013 in the LMP3 class. He won the European Le Mans Series in 2016 when racing for United Autosports and driving in the LMP3 class.
This year, Brundle will be competing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Inter Europol Competition, alongside Esteban Gutierrez and Jakub Smiechowski.
Mike Conway arrives at Le Mans as defending champion with Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Conway made his debut in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2013 where he drove for G-Drive Racing. He has achieved 16 wins and 18 poles in that time.
Jack Aitken is another name that may ring a bell for many British motorsport fans. He is the current Williams reserve driver and is set to compete Le Mans with Racing Team Turkey.
Aitken, 26, has plenty of Formula Two experienc, having competed in it since 2018.
Over the course of his Formula Two career he has achieved 11 podiums and four wins while racing for teams including ART Grand Prix, Campos Racing and HWA Racelab,
He also had a Formula 1 outing where he drove for Williams Racing in the 2020 Sakhir GP instead of George Russell after his compatriot stepped in for the unwell Lewis Hamilton.
Philip Hanson, 22, is the youngest ever driver to finish in the top 10 at Le Mans.
In 2020, Hanson won the FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class, the European Le Mans Series and the Le Mans 24 Hours in LMP2.
While driving for United Autosports in 2018, he drove alongside two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso and current McLaren driver Lando Norris.
Hanson will be competing at Le Mans with United Autosports alongside Filipe Albuquerque, Will Owen, Oliver Jarvis, Alex Lynn and Josh Pierson.
Ben Hanley, 37, was part of Renault’s development programme from 2006 to 2008.
He will be competing as part of the Nielsen Racing team alongside Rodrigo Sales and Matt Bell.
Richard Bradley, 30, will be competing with Duqueine Engineering alongside Guillermo Rojas and Reshad de Gerus.
He finished first in the LMP2 class, which was his best performance at Le Mans in his career.
When is qualifying for 24 hours of Le Mans? And how does it work?
Ahead of the start of the race on Saturday June 11 at 15:00, there are four free practice sessions, a qualifying session and Hyperpole. They are structured as such:
Wednesday, June 8
- 13:00 to 16:00 – Free practice 1
- 18:00 to 19:00 – Qualifying session
- 21:00 to 23:00 – Free practice 2
Thursday, June 9
- 14:00 to 17:00 – Free practice 3
- 19:00 to 19:30 – Hyperpole
- 21:00 to 23:00 – Free practice 4
In qualifying, drivers set out to record the fastest lap, and most starting positions for the race are determined during this session. However, with up to 62 cars on the track in qualifying, laying down a flying lap is difficult. Therefore, the six fastest drivers in each class from the qualifying session will qualify for Hyperpole, and the top six from that session will determine the top six places in each class for the race.
The practice sessions allow teams to refine their settings and specifications.
How can I watch 24 Hours of Le Mans?
You can watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans across Eurosport, the Eurosport app and discovery+.
Enjoy the action ad-free on the Eurosport app and via eurosport.co.uk. Download the Eurosport app now for iOS and Android. You can sign up for discovery+ for just £6.99 per month or £59.99 annually.
We will also have rolling coverage on the Eurosport.co.uk website and our social channels.
Live coverage starts on Wednesday afternoon with practice sessions and qualifying for Hyperpole. There will be more live action on Thursday evening followed by continuous coverage of the main race, which starts at 2pm BST on Saturday, June 11.
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