Lilou Wadoux

Lilou Chloé Perrine Wadoux-Ducellier (born 10 April 2001) is a French professional racing driver for Ferrari. She is the first woman to ever win an FIA World Endurance Championship race, the first woman to drive a Le Mans Hypercar, and an IMSA champion. Before signing for Ferrari as a factory driver in 2023, Wadoux raced in the WEC for Richard Mille's LMP2 team, starred in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup and competed in TCR Europe.

Career

Early career Though her father Cédric was briefly a rally driver, Wadoux spent her youth competing in tennis. She only started karting, mostly for fun, at the late age of 14. Aided by fellow Amiens racing drivers Julien and Florian Briché, she made the jump to competitive circuit racing two years later, in 2017. Starting out in the French lower-division one-make saloon car championships, Wadoux encountered success from early on, with an eighth place (runner-up in the junior class) in the Peugeot 208 Racing Cup followed by 3rd overall the following year. Her 2018 season also included four top-ten finishes from four guest starts in the superior Peugeot 308 Racing Cup, as well as an appearance in a two-day test organised by the FIA Women in Motorsport Commission in Navarra for 15 female racers.

2019 would see Wadoux make the step up to the TCR Europe Touring Car Series with a Peugeot 308 TCR from Briché's JSB Compétition team. However, her season was cut short due to a crash in the third round of the season at Spa-Francorchamps. She was hit by Qatari driver Abdulla Al-Khelaifi, who had lost control of his Cupra León TCR after an off at turn 16, and her car rolled several times before it finally came to a stop. She was unharmed, but the financial difficulties following the crash meant she was not able to return to the championship. She returned to racing in October that year, with a one-off appearance in the Clio Cup France at Circuit Paul Ricard that yielded a podium finish.

Alpine Elf Europa Cup In 2020, Wadoux switched to the one-make Alpine Elf Europa Cup, driving an Alpine A110 for Autosport GP. She had a consistent debut season, finishing all ten races in the top-ten with eight junior podiums, but had to settle for seventh in the overall standings.

2021 would prove to be Wadoux's breakthrough year. Continuing in the Alpine Elf Europa Cup with Autosport GP, she finished eight of the 12 races on the overall podium and was part of a three-way title fight with reigning champion Jean-Baptiste Mela and single-seater graduate Ugo de Wilde that went down to the wire. She won one race at the season finale in Portimão and eventually finished third overall, second in the junior standings.

A highlight of Wadoux's 2021 season came at the Circuit de la Sarthe in August. Racing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans-supporting round of the Porsche Sprint Challenge France, in a car and circuit she was new to, Wadoux set pole position by a full three seconds and dominated the race from lights to flag.

Endurance racing LMP2 debut (2022)

In November 2021, Wadoux, as well as W Series drivers Jamie Chadwick and Alice Powell, was invited by the all-female LMP2 Richard Mille Racing Team to take part in the post-season FIA World Endurance Championship rookie test at Bahrain. She was hired for the 2022 season as part of the team's switch to a mixed lineup, alongside ELMS champion Charles Milesi and eight-time World Rally Champion Sébastien Ogier. The trio completed the opening three rounds of the season together, ending with sixth place at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, before experienced LMP2 racer Paul-Loup Chatin took over from Ogier – Chatin serving as a mentor for Wadoux. At the fourth round in Monza, the trio were running in third place with just over two hours to go when Chatin and Robert Kubica collided at the first corner, sending Chatin into a spin and damaging the gearbox. After eighth place in the final two events at Fuji and Bahrain, Wadoux and Milesi finished 12th in the standings with 30 points.

In late 2022, Wadoux was named as one of four drivers to be invited by the WEC to take part in the post-season rookie test at Bahrain. She drove Toyota's title-winning Hypercar and thus became the first woman to drive a top-class prototype since Vanina Ickx in 2011.

Ferrari (2023–present)

2023 Wadoux's historic 2023 Spa 6 Hours win was the first for a woman in WEC. In 2023, Wadoux signed as Ferrari's first-ever female factory driver, competing for AF Corse in the GTE Am category alongside bronze-rated Luis Pérez Companc and fellow factory driver Alessio Rovera. The campaign started out in disappointing fashion, as teammate Companc crashed spectacularly in the opening laps of the 1000 Miles of Sebring, forcing the team to retire. The team bounced back to finish a close second at the 2023 6 Hours of Portimão, before winning the following race at Spa-Francorchamps – Wadoux becoming the first female race winner in the WEC in any class. The trio eventually finished eighth in the standings after a run of bad fortune in the final few races.

In November, Wadoux featured at the Bahrain test again, this time driving Ferrari's Le Mans-winning 499P Hypercar. She placed third out of the 18 drivers, only behind Robert Shwartzman and Jota's Norman Nato.

2024 Wadoux made her IMSA debut in 2023 at Watkins Glen. One year later at the same venue, she achieved her first LMP2 win.

Wadoux embarked on a new challenge in 2024 as she moved to the Japanese Super GT series. Racing with the GAINER-run PONOS Racing squad, she shared a Ferrari 296 GT3 in the GT300 class with veteran Kei Cozzolino, and secured second place at a wet Sportsland Sugo race – the first female podium in the series since 1995. In parallel, Wadoux competed in the endurance rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship in LMP2 with AF Corse, partnering Pérez Companc and Nicklas Nielsen. After two races where the team encountered trouble, Wadoux contributed towards her first win in the category at Watkins Glen, taking the car from third place to the lead during her stint and being praised by Le Mans winner Nielsen for her pace.

2025

Initially poised to remain in Super GT in 2025, Wadoux parted ways with PONOS just days before the start of the season to focus on a dual ELMS and IMSA campaign with AF Corse. She secured a home win in only her second European Le Mans Series start, charging from fifth to first in a fuel-efficient drive at Le Castellet. Another recovery drive under heavy rain at Silverstone yielded a second victory – helping Wadoux, Riccardo Agostini and Custodio Toledo finish runner-up in LMGT3. Wadoux saw more success stateside, dominating Petit Le Mans in GTD and winning the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title alongside Simon Mann and Alessandro Pier Guidi – she became the first female IMSA champion since Christina Nielsen in 2017. After the season, Wadoux was shortlisted by Dailysportscar for its annual GT Driver of the Year award.

In November, Wadoux had her third taste of Hypercar machinery at WEC's Bahrain rookie test. She was third-fastest behind Alpine's António Félix da Costa and Peugeot's Nick Cassidy, outpacing the sister 499Ps of Ollie Gray and Alessio Rovera by over six tenths.

2026 In early 2026, Wadoux signed a multi-year contract extension with Ferrari. She returned to the European Le Mans Series and the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, as well as driving a full season of the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup in the Pro Cup. Wadoux called the chance to race in three championships simultaneously "a privilege", stating that she felt close to being ready for a Ferrari Hypercar seat. At the 12 Hours of Sebring, Wadoux, Mann and Antonio Fuoco achieved the first major win for the Evo-spec Ferrari 296, as Fuoco recovered from three drive-through penalties to make a last-lap overtake for the lead on Tom Gamble, having closed up to the pack with a late safety car. At the 24 Hours of Spa, Wadoux finished fifth overall with teammates Arthur Leclerc and Sean Gelael. Wadoux then took pole position on her return to IMSA at Road America – the first for a woman since 2018.

Formula E Wadoux was set to take part in the Formula E women's test at the Circuito del Jarama in Madrid ahead of the 2024–25 season, driving for Jaguar TCS Racing. However, issues with the seat insert prevented her participation.

Personal life In her early teenage years before taking up racing, Wadoux competed in tennis. She says her idols are tennis player Rafael Nadal and Formula One world champion Ayrton Senna, who her father, an amateur rally driver, admired in the 90s.

Racing record

Racing career summary Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position 2017 Peugeot 208 Racing Cup N/A ? ? ? ? ? ? 8th 2018 Peugeot 208 Racing Cup N/A ? ? ? ? ? ? 3rd Peugeot 308 Racing Cup JSB Compétition 4 0 0 0 0 0 NC† 2019 TCR Europe Touring Car Series JSB Compétition 5 0 0 0 0 0 44th Clio Cup France GPA Racing 2 0 0 0 1 0 NC† 2020 Alpine Elf Europa Cup Autosport GP 10 0 0 1 0 65 7th 2021 Alpine Elf Europa Cup Patrick Roger Autosport GP 12 1 0 1 8 156 3rd Porsche Sprint Challenge Le Mans CLRT 1 1 1 1 1 N/A 1st 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Richard Mille Racing Team 6 0 0 0 0 30 12th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 9th 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Richard Mille AF Corse 7 1 0 0 2 56 8th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 0 DNF IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 AF Corse1000025030th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver100011517th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Bronze10000828th Gulf 12 Hours - GT3 Am 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 4th GT World Challenge America - Pro Conquest Racing100000NC 2024 Super GT - GT300 PONOS Racing 8 0 0 0 1 22 12th IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 Richard Mille AF Corse 4 1 0 0 1 1059 25th GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Bronze Sky – Tempesta Racing 1 0 0 0 0 31 13th 2025 European Le Mans Series - LMGT3 Richard Mille AF Corse 6 2 0 0 2 70 2nd 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGT3 1 0 0 0 0 11th IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AF Corse 5 1 1 1 1 1163 24th Super GT - GT300 PONOS Racing 0 0 0 0 0 0 NC 2026 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup AF Corse IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD AF Corse USA 2 1 0 0 1 661 2nd* European Le Mans Series - LMGT3 Richard Mille AF Corse 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGT310000N/A8th † As Wadoux was a guest driver, she was ineligible to score points. Season still in progress.

Complete Alpine Elf Europa Cup results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Pos Points 2020 Autosport GP NOG1 NOG2 NOG3 MAG1 MAG2 LEC1 LEC2 LEC3 POR1 POR2 7th 65 2021 Patrick Roger Autosport GP NOG1 NOG2 MAG1 MAG2 SPA1 SPA2 CAT1 CAT2 LEC1 LEC2 POR1 POR2 3rd 156

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap) Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2022 Richard Mille Racing Team Charles Milesi Sébastien Ogier Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 366 13th 9th 2023 Richard Mille AF Corse Luis Pérez Companc Alessio Rovera Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTEAm 33 DNF DNF 2025 Richard Mille AF Corse Riccardo Agostini Custodio Toledo Ferrari 296 GT3 LMGT3 338 43rd 11th 2026 Richard Mille AF Corse Riccardo Agostini Custodio Toledo Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo LMGT3 334 40th 8thSources:

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete GT World Challenge Europe results GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)

Complete Super GT results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 DC Points 2024 Ponos Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 GT300 OKA FUJ SUZ FUJ SUG AUT MOT SUZ 12th 22 2025 Ponos Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 GT300 OKA FUJ SEP FS1 FS2 SUZ SUG AUT MOT NC 0

Complete European Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)