24h Le Mans
Today, International Women’s Rights Day (8 March) is the right time to train the spotlight on the women taking part in the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year, the driver line-up includes five women, adding to the 65 others who have taken part in the race since it began in 1923.
Triple W series champion Jamie Chadwick boasts an illustrious single-seater career. She won the MRF Challenge Formula 2000 in 2019, and has achieved two podium places, including one win, in the United States Indy NXT last year.
Chadwick, 26, from Bath, UK is just at ease at the wheel of a sportscar. She triumphed in the British G4 championship in 2015 with Ross Gunn, now an Aston Martin factory driver and won her class at the 2019 24 Hours of Nürburgring.
The Briton has recently joined the Genesis hypercar project, the luxury brand from Hyundai is preparing a FIA World Endurance Championship campaign to begin in 2026. Chadwick will be laying the foundations by competing in the European Le Mans Series this year, with 2019 winners IDEC Sport. She will share the wheel of the LMP2 #18 Oreca 07-Gibson with Mathys Joubert and three-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer.
“I think we can be proud of how far our sport has come. But there’s still a long way to go. I’m looking forward to sharing the track with other talented women and to work with the women on our team. Bring on the new season!”
The first woman to win an FIA World Endurance Championship race — the 2023 TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps — Lilou Wadoux continues her route to stardom as Ferrari factory driver. At Le Mans, the French woman will be one to watch in the LMGT3 class, at the wheel of the Richard Mille AF Corse #150 Ferrari 296.
The Iron Dames pursue their participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This year they have the backing of Manthey Racing,
one of the most successful Porsche customer teams. In 2023, the Iron Dames claimed victory with the German brand at the Bapco 8 Hours of Bahrain. They are back at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with refuelled ambitions and a team that combines experience with emerging talent. The #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 will be in the hands of Célia Martin, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting. They will be aiming to top the LMGT3 tables.
“I’m overjoyed to be one of the women drivers on the 2025 FIA WEC grid. I can’t wait to take part in my first 24 Hours of Le Mans. It’s going to be wild, especially the French crowd,” warns Célia Martin.
“With twenty years driving behind me, I’m really glad to see more and more women taking up this male-dominated sport. My advice is to stay true to yourself and make your own way. There’s no stopping us!" enthuses Rahel Frey.
“I’m more than proud to be on the grid of the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans for the seventh time in succession. Being one of the Iron Dames makes it even more incredible,” says Michelle Gatting.
To date, 65 women have competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The 1935 race boasted ten women competitors. Odette Siko’s fourth place overall in 1932 still resonates today.
It is rare in the sporting world to see men and women compete on an equal footing. Today, like Siko, Jamie Chadwick, Lilou Wadoux, Célia Martin, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting do just that, fully at home on the grid of the world’s greatest endurance race.
