The charm of Le Mans
There are races in the international motoring scene that stand out from the others for their charm, history and importance. One of these, without a doubt, is the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Formula 1 is considered by all drivers to be the 'pinnacle' of world motorsport, but at the same time there is no driver of the Circus, more or less established, who would not one day want to try his hand at the very French classic with the ambition of winning it.
In 2024 there will be those who will attempt this feat Jenson Buttonworld champion in 2009 with Brawn GP, who will drive the Porsche of the Hertz Team Jota team in an attempt to hit theF1 title and victory at Le Mans combined. The undertaking is fascinating but very difficult, given that in history only five pilots managed to complete it.
The first, in 1958, was the British Mike Hawthorn. F1 world champion in that year with Ferrari, Hawthorn had won the 24 hour race with Jaguar three years earlier, in 1955. He died tragically on January 22, 1959, at just 29 years old.
A club of chosen ones
After him, between the end of the 50s and the beginning of the 70s, came the American Phil Hillthe Austrian Jochen Rindt – posthumous F1 champion after the tragedy of the Monza accident in which he lost his life – and obviously the Briton Graham Hillwhich remains today the only driver in history to complete the Triple Crownwinning Le Mans, the Monaco GP (and also the Formula 1 title in his case) and the Indy 500.
In recent years, however, the last person to manage to repeat his open-wheel triumphs with those in endurance races was Fernando Alonso, who was also Button's teammate during his time at McLaren. The Asturian added to the two F1 titles won with Renault in 2005 and 2006 as many victories at Le Mans, in 2018 and 2019, with Toyota. Now it will be Button's turn to try to extend this streak motorsport legends capable of showing off their versatility.
#Hill #Alonso #champions #dream #Mans
