Phil Hanson calls it “the most effective mistake I ever made”. He’s speaking concerning the choice to start his automobile racing profession on this planet of endurance, slightly than stepping onto the single-seater ladder. 9 years later, he’s celebrating an total Le Mans 24 Hours victory on the wheel of a Ferrari.
He’s about proper when he calls his begin in motorsport “a loopy story.”
Loopy as a result of Hanson was a race winner and champion at worldwide degree in LMP3 within the Asian Le Mans Sequence inside a 12 months of his first race. And a driver, who at 25 has turn out to be the second youngest Brit to win the French enduro, sharing AF Corse’s satellite tv for pc Ferrari 499P Le Mans Hypercar with Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye, saved on profitable in LMP2.
European Le Mans Sequence and World Endurance Championship titles shortly adopted, in addition to one other in Asia. His tally of successes within the junior prototype ranks included a primary Le Mans victory in school, once more because the second youngest from Britain to take action, again in 2020.
And in addition slightly bit loopy as a result of his unconventional path to the highest of sportscar racing was form of chosen for him. Hanson was eased within the course of sportscars on the behest of Tockwith Motorsports, a group he’d linked up with after a brief however profitable karting profession.
“It was pure dumb luck, as a result of trying again it may need been a mistake for my improvement,” mentioned Hanson, who began out aged 16 with a title-winning marketing campaign within the Britcar Endurance Championship aboard an Audi R8 LMS GT3.
“However I discovered myself in endurance racing and was in a position to construct expertise. I’m now 25 and have accomplished Le Mans 9 instances and have two wins. How I received into it actually was a wierd flip of occasions.”
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson
Photograph by: Nikolaz Godet
The unlikely story began courtesy of the BKC Racing group with which Hanson gained the Tremendous One X30 junior British karting title in 2015: it had hyperlinks with Tockwith by way of one other of its alumni. The unusual story continued after Hanson cut up with the Yorkshire-based squad following his first Le Mans begin in 2017 – Tockwith had gained a P2 entry for the race following the championship success in Asia over the previous winter.
Hanson and Nigel Moore, a part of the household that runs Tockwith, had gained the 2016-17 Asian LMS P3 title driving a Ligier-Nissan JSP3 after which raced the French constructor’s JSP2 LMP2 within the ELMS and at Le Mans. It was whereas pondering the subsequent step after parting firm with Tockwith following yet another race post-Le Mans that Hanson was invited by Ligier to participate in some improvement testing.
“My dad sat down with Jacques [Nicolet, owner of the Ligier marque] and was informed they have been growing a brand new diff for the P2 automobile,” recalled Hanson. “They struck a deal whereby I might go and do some improvement stuff with them at Magny-Cours and Aragon.”
It was an vital second in Hanson’s journey.
“Earlier than, there had been little glimmers, however I wasn’t positive that I had correctly tailored to automobile racing,” he mentioned. “On the check at Magny-Cours all the pieces clicked. The stability of the automobile was nice and I bear in mind being on cloud 9.
“Filipe [Albuquerque] was Ligier’s improvement driver and I bear in mind being up on his time on the run I received on recent tyres. I used to be pondering, this is really easy, take a look at me now – after which spun at one of many hairpins!”
Hanson’s transfer to United Autosports for the subsequent stage of his endurance racing training was a direct results of that check. Albuquerque, with whom he would take the 2019-20 WEC P2 title and sophistication honours at Le Mans, was already on the books of the Anglo-American group. Again in 2017, United was firmly within the Ligier camp – in addition to working its P2 and P3 contender, it was a British importer for the marque.
#22 United Autosports – Oreca 07 – Gibson: Philip Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque, Paul Di Resta
Photograph by: Paul Foster
A marketing campaign within the ELMS plus begin quantity two at Le Mans kicked off a six-year affiliation with United, coincidentally additionally based mostly in Yorkshire. The successes began in 12 months one with a pair of victories within the European sequence with Hanson because the silver-rated driver alongside Albuquerque. A second Asian title adopted within the winter, sharing with Paul di Resta who had accomplished the line-up at Le Mans 2018. A change to the ORECA 07 forward of the beginning of the 2019-20 WEC yielded WEC and Le Mans silverware.
Hanson credited a disappointing season in 2022, his second marketing campaign after he was moved as much as gold standing, within the WEC and ELMS as a turning level in his profession.
“A little bit of a nightmare” is how he described that 12 months. “We actually struggled with the brand new rules for the automobiles.”
“It might have regarded just like the step got here in 2023,” he mentioned of a season through which he took three race wins within the ELMS and one within the WEC en path to second and third within the respective championships. “Sometimes the step doesn’t come if you end up getting the outcomes. You’re taking the step when issues aren’t going your approach.”
The ambition for Hanson to maneuver as much as the highest class of the WEC was hatched after his 2020 triumph at Le Mans. His thought was “I’ve gained in school so the objective now must be to win it total”, although he factors out that P2 was extra aggressive than the highest class again then – there have been simply 5 LMP1 automobiles that 12 months.
The 2023 season opened the door to Hypercar ranks to which he graduated final 12 months in one of many British Jota group’s buyer Porsche 963 LMDsh. He contested the WEC at the side of a programme within the JDC-Miller MotorSports group’s 963 within the 5 endurance rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship in North America.
#38 Hertz Group Jota Porsche 963: Jenson Button, Philip Hanson, Oliver Rasmussen
Photograph by: Andreas Beil
“I used to be lucky as a result of Jota was nonetheless working one automobile in LMP2 in ’23 [alongside its first 963],” defined Hanson. “The conversations began fairly early on in a 12 months I used to be performing strongly in P2.”
What Hanson is saying is that Jota, who approached him, had a deal with on what he was reaching within the final 12 months for P2 as a full-time class within the WEC.
A full season in Hypercar in ’24 alongside Jenson Button and Oliver Rasmussen within the second Jota entry allowed Hanson “to point out what I might do” on the highest degree. He made his mark, specifically, at Le Mans on the best way to ninth and was among the many quickest Porsche drivers: his quickest race lap was solely bested by Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor within the fourth-placed Penske manufacturing unit automobile, whereas on common race tempo he was proper there.
“That made me very engaging for different groups,” mentioned Hanson.
A change to Ferrari’s so-called buyer entry adopted on Jota’s ascent to manufacturing unit standing with Cadillac and an inflow of manufacturing unit drivers from the Common Motors model. It has resulted in a second one-year deal in a row for Hanson and the objective now could be to put down some roots in Hypercar.
“What I’m in search of in my profession now could be a longer-term deal,” mentioned Hanson, who needs to realize the holy grail of full-factory driver standing. “We’re having conversations with a number of groups, however I’m not positive the place I need to be. The Ferrari is clearly an extremely aggressive automobile. I’m not leaving any choices off the desk.”
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, Philip Hanson
Photograph by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photograph
Within the shorter time period, there’s additionally the not so little matter of the 2025 WEC title. Victory at Le Mans has propelled Hanson, Kubica and Ye into rivalry for the crown that Ferrari so covets. They now lie 16 factors behind the drivers of the #51 manufacturing unit 499P, James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi on the prime.
However extra instantly there’s one other precedence for Hanson. To have fun a Le Mans victory correctly. Again in 2020 he didn’t get the possibility. That was the 12 months Le Mans was delayed till September on account of the COVID pandemic, which meant masks on the rostrum and no probability to color the city purple on his arrival again house.
“Proper now the precedence within the brief time period is to benefit from the win and within the slighter long term to concentrate on the championship and making an attempt to win it,” Hanson concluded.
“Medium time period the objective is to attempt to place myself in the most effective state of affairs to give you the chance replicate that with dedication from a producer.”
Or to place it one other approach, for the Phil Hanson story to turn out to be rather less loopy.
Photographs from 24 Hours of Le Mans – Race
Learn Additionally:
We would like your opinion!
What would you prefer to see on Motorsport.com?
– The Motorsport.com Group
