ELMS 2025 Season : record-breaking number of cars and manufacturers
The grid for the 2025 European Le Mans Series will expand to 44 entries with no less than ten manufacturers, with Mercedes-AMG, McLaren and Corvette joining Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin on the LMGT3 entry. Oreca, Ligier Automotive and Duqueine Automotive will once again compete in the three Le Mans Prototype classes, with 2015 championship winning manufacturer Ginetta joining the expanded list of constructors in the ELMS next season.
LMP2: 14 Cars
There will be 21 entries in LMP2 and LMP2 Pro/Am with 14 cars competing in the top class for professional drivers.
With 2024 champions AO by TF switching to LMP2 Pro/Am in 2025, the race will be on to see who will lift the magnificent LMP2 Teams Trophy that was first unveiled at the season finale in Portimão.
Former ELMS champions Algarve Pro Racing, United Autosports will both enter a single car in LMP2 alongside another entry in LMP2 Pro/Am.
2019 Champions IDEC Sport will run two cars in the top class for the first time, with three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick named as the first driver in the no18 Oreca-Gibson for the French team.
LMP2 race winners COOL Racing become CLX Motorsport this season. The Swiss team will field two cars in LMP2 with the no37 CLX Pure Rxcing Oreca being run for current FIA WEC LMGT3 Team Champions and World Endurance Driver’s Champion Aliaksandr Malykhin, with the second car, the no47 Oreca, for Portuguese LMP3 race winner Manuel Espirito Santo.
2023 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winners Inter Europol Competition return with a two-car line up, while 2024 ELMS Championship contenders Panis Racing return with a single car running under the VDS Panis Racing banner.
2024 ELMS race winners Iron Lynx – Proton return for another season in LMP2 with a single car entry, as do Duqueine Team, DKR Engineering, Nielsen Racing, and Vector Sport.
LMP2 Pro/Am: 7 Cars
2023 and 2024 LMP2 Pro/Am Champions AF Corse return with an unchanged driver line up and will be looking to make it three in a row in 2025.
LMP2 Champions AO by TF join the LMP2 Pro/Am grid. Algarve Pro Racing, United Autosports and Nielsen Racing will all run a single Pro/Am entry alongside their LMP2 cars.
2024 championship contenders TDS Racing return with Rodrigo Sales, with 4 Hours of Portimão winners Proton Competition also returning with five-time pole sitter and former LMGTE Champion Giorgio Roda as the lead driver.
LMP3: 10 Cars
The LMP3 grid will feature 10 cars next season with reigning champions RLR MSport returning to defend the hard-won title they secured at the end of the 4 Hours of Portimão. The British team will enter a single car with title winner Michael Jensen in the no15 Ligier.
2024 championship contender and former champions Eurointernational will enter a single Ligier JS P325-Toyota, as will French teams Ultimate and M Racing.
Former champions COOL Racing will enter a single Ligier under the new CLX Motorsport branding, with Team Virage, Racing Spirit of Léman, and Inter Europol Competition joining the grid also with the new Ligier JS P325-Toyota.
2021 LMP3 Champions DKR Engineering is switching from Duqueine to a Ginetta G61-LT-P325-Evo-Toyota and WTM by Rinaldi Racing will race the new Duqueine D09-Toyota for 2025.
LMGT3: 13 Cars
The LMGT3 grid for 2025 will expand from 11 to 13 cars, with Corvette, McLaren, and Mercedes-AMG joining the ELMS next season.
Reigning champions Iron Lynx will switch from Lamborghini to Mercedes-AMG to defend their title, with 2016 FIA WEC LMP2 Champion and Hypercar driver Gustavo Menezes joining the Italian team. This will be the first time Mercedes-AMG has been seen on the ELMS grid.
ELMS race winners Iron Dames will be back for another attempt at the title in 2025, the team retaining the Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3. Former LMGTE Team Champions Proton Competition will run a second Porsche 911 under their own banner once again.
Former LMP2 and LMP3 Champions United Autosports will compete in the ELMS LMGT3 class for the first time in 2025, the British team racing the McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo, with the manufacturer also making its car debut in ELMS.
AF Corse will run two Ferrari 296 LMGT3s, with the no50 running under the Richard Mille AF Corse banner. The Italian team will also run the no55 Spirit of Race Ferrari for race winner Duncan Cameron.
TF Sport will bring the Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R to the ELMS in 2025, the British team having a successful end to their first FIA WEC season with the Corvette with a double podium in Bahrain. The single car entry will be led by Japanese driver Hiroshi Koizumi.
Kessel Racing will field two Ferrari 296 LMGT3s, with race winner Takeshi Kimura in the no57 entry and Andrew Gilbert the lead driver in the no74 Ferrari. British team GR Racing and JMW Motorsport also return and will each run a Ferrari 296 LMGT3 on the 2025 grid.
Former MLMC Champions and 2024 ELMS Championship contenders Racing Spirit of Léman will run a single Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 and will complete the LMGT3 grid for the 2025 European Le Mans Series.
Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest: “The ELMS boasts a record 44-car grid for 2025, the maximum capacity. Next year’s championship is wide open and promises to be hotly disputed, especially with drivers like Jamie Chadwick, Charles Milesi and Fabio Scherer in the mix. Europe’s most awe-inspiring circuits form the backdrop to the season, with the Silverstone round a highlight to look forward to. See you in Barcelona in April for the kick-off.”
Frédéric Lequien, Chief Executive Le Mans Endurance Management: “The 2025 European Le Mans Series grid will be the largest entry for many years. We are extremely pleased to see this important championship continue to grow and attract the best teams and drivers from around the world.
2025 will also see the ELMS debut for Mercedes-AMG, with McLaren returning to the ELMS for the first time since 2014, with a Corvette also being seen on the grid for the first time in eight years. With six manufacturers in LMGT3 2025 is going to be a good year for the ELMS.
Once again, the LMP2 category stands out with a formidable lineup of 21 cars, including 7 Pro/Am entries. The LMP3 category, with the new Toyota-powered cars from Ligier, Duqueine, and Ginetta making their debut, continues to provide a great introduction to Le Mans Prototype multiclass racing for new and established drivers alike.
We’d like to extend a warm welcome to both the teams and drivers who are returning to the ELMS and to those making their ELMS debut in Barcelona. We’re looking forward to the first race in Spain in April and yet another season of action-packed racing.”
The six-round 2025 European Le Mans Series will start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the 6th April, with visits to Le Castellet, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, and Silverstone before concluding in Portimão in October.