Louis Delétraz Bio
Louis Charles Hubert Delétraz, born on 22 April 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland, is a Swiss professional racing driver who competes at the top level of international sports car racing. As of 2025, he drives the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R for Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship while simultaneously contesting the European Le Mans Series for AO by TF. A record-setting four-time European Le Mans Series champion, Delétraz has built a reputation as one of the most successful prototype racers of his generation. He is the son of former Formula One and Le Mans class winner Jean-Denis Delétraz, a family heritage that helped shape his path to motorsport.
Early Life and Background
Louis Delétraz grew up in Geneva with motorsport woven into daily life. His father, Jean-Denis, had raced in Formula One and won his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, so Louis was exposed to racing workshops and paddocks from a young age. Before he was allowed to race karts competitively, Jean-Denis insisted he wait until age ten, a rule that pushed young Louis toward soap box racing. Father and son built the gravity-powered cars together, sparking a hands-on mechanical curiosity that would later influence his technical approach behind the wheel.
Once he reached the minimum age, Delétraz began karting in Switzerland in 2008. He won the Vega Trofeo Super Mini class the following year and added more trophies in 2010 and 2011, including the Vega Trofeo Junior title. These early results caught the attention of talent scouts and set the foundation for a smooth transition from karting into single-seater racing.
Path to NASCAR
Delétraz did not follow the traditional NASCAR ladder. Instead, his career arc moved from European karting into single-seater Formula Renault, then up through GP2 and FIA Formula 2. In 2012 he debuted in the Formula BMW Talent Cup, winning a race at Oschersleben and earning a reputation as a fast, polarizing talent. His junior open-wheel resume includes the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup championship in 2015 and a near-title in the Formula V8 3.5 Series in 2016. While he later served as a simulator and development driver for Haas F1 Team, his professional future ultimately took shape in endurance sports car racing rather than stock car competition.
Louis Delétraz Career
Early Career (2012–2016)
Delétraz opened his single-seater career in the 2012 Formula BMW Talent Cup with Josef Kaufmann Racing. He then moved into Formula Renault 2.0, where he gradually improved over three seasons. After finishing 19th in the NEC championship in 2013, he surged to runner-up in 2014, and in 2015 he captured the Formula Renault NEC title while narrowly missing the Eurocup crown to Jack Aitken. He was also named to the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme in 2015.
In 2016, Delétraz stepped up to the Formula V8 3.5 Series with Fortec Motorsports and was mentored by Formula One driver Romain Grosjean. He won the season opener at Aragón and added a second victory at Le Castellet, engaging in a season-long title fight with Tom Dillmann that ended with Delétraz finishing seven points behind in the standings. Later that year he made his GP2 debut with Carlin and was confirmed as part of Renault Sport’s young driver program.
FIA Formula 2 Championship Breakthrough (2017–2020)
Delétraz raced full-time in FIA Formula 2 from 2017 to 2020. He debuted with Racing Engineering alongside Gustav Malja, switched mid-season to Rapax, and finished 17th overall. In 2018 he moved to Charouz Racing System and ended the year tenth in the standings with podium finishes at Monaco and Le Castellet. His 2019 campaign with Carlin yielded an eighth-place finish, highlighted by a second-place result in the Monaco sprint race.
In 2020, Delétraz returned to Charouz with Pedro Piquet. He scored five podiums and ended his final single-seater season eighth overall. The same year he joined the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Rebellion Racing in LMP1, finishing fourth after a late brush with the wall, signaling his growing commitment to endurance racing.
Sportscar Era and ELMS Dominance (2021–2023)
Delétraz’s sportscar breakthrough arrived in 2021 with Team WRT in the European Le Mans Series. Sharing the LMP2 Oreca with Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye, he scored three wins and clinched the ELMS LMP2 championship. The following year he defended the title with Prema Racing alongside Ferdinand Habsburg, recording four wins and a runner-up finish in class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He also raced for Tower Motorsports in IMSA, winning at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans to deliver the LMP2 drivers’ title for teammate John Farano.
In 2023, Delétraz expanded into the GTP era with Wayne Taylor Racing in IMSA and joined Team WRT in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The WEC season culminated in the final LMP2 title of the era, secured with Kubica and Rui Andrade through victories at Spa, Fuji, and Bahrain. He also defended his ELMS Pro-Am crown with Racing Team Turkey, though the team narrowly missed the overall title. At year’s end, the Swiss motorsport federation honored him with the 2023 Auto Sport Schweiz Award.
Wayne Taylor Racing Era (2024–Present)
Remaining with Wayne Taylor Racing in 2024, Delétraz ran a full GTP campaign with Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta on the endurance rounds. A dramatic late move on Sébastien Bourdais delivered victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring, WTR’s first GTP-era win. He added a pole at Watkins Glen and several top-five finishes, ending the year fifth in the GTP standings. In parallel, he and Robert Kubica, joined by Jonny Edgar at AO by TF, captured a third ELMS LMP2 title in Portimão, making Delétraz the first driver to win three ELMS LMP2 crowns.
In 2025, Delétraz continues with WTR as the team transitioned to the Cadillac V-Series.R, sharing the No. 40 with Jordan Taylor and endurance teammates including Kamui Kobayashi. In ELMS, he pairs with P. J. Hyett and Dane Cameron at AO by TF, where he added a Pro-Am class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and clinched his record fourth ELMS title in Portimão, extending an unprecedented streak of four championships in five seasons.
Driving Style and Strengths
Delétraz is known for an aggressive, opportunistic overtaking style that thrives under pressure. His bold passes on Neel Jani at the 2023 Barcelona ELMS round and on Sébastien Bourdais at the 2024 Sebring 12 Hours illustrate his confidence in decisive moments. Wayne Taylor has publicly praised his maturity, noting that Delétraz combines raw race craft with the discipline to manage tires, fuel, and traffic, a balance that has made him especially effective in long-distance endurance formats.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature venues in Delétraz’s career include Spa-Francorchamps, the Sebring 12 Hours, the 24 Hours of Daytona, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Milestone wins span the 2021 ELMS title, the 2022 ELMS defense, the 2023 WEC LMP2 championship, the 2024 Sebring victory, and the record fourth ELMS crown in 2025. His pole at Road Atlanta in 2023 marked his first endurance racing pole, and his Pro-Am class win at Le Mans in 2025 added a new chapter to his family’s deep history at the race.
Louis Delétraz Career Wins
Louis Delétraz has accumulated a deep and varied trophy collection spanning single-seaters and endurance prototypes. His most prestigious achievements are concentrated in the European Le Mans Series, where he has won the LMP2 championship four times, and in the FIA World Endurance Championship, where he captured the final LMP2 title in 2023. He has also added major IMSA wins with Wayne Taylor Racing and significant victories in Formula Renault and Formula V8 3.5.
European Le Mans Series Highlights
Delétraz is the most decorated driver in modern ELMS history, with four LMP2 titles in 2021, 2022, 2024, and 2025, plus a Pro-Am championship in 2023. His first ELMS crown came in 2021 with Team WRT alongside Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye, sealed by three race wins. The 2022 title followed with Prema Racing and Ferdinand Habsburg on the strength of four wins. In 2024, he and Kubica, joined by Jonny Edgar at AO by TF, recovered from an early setback to clinch the championship in Portimão. The 2025 season ended with another Portimão title run alongside P. J. Hyett and Dane Cameron, capped by a Pro-Am class win at Le Mans earlier in the year.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond ELMS, Delétraz won the 2015 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup with Josef Kaufmann Racing and the final LMP2 title in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023. In IMSA, he delivered victories at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans in 2022 with Tower Motorsports and at the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024 with Wayne Taylor Racing. He also won the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual with Rebellion Williams eSports and added the LMP2 Pro-Am class win at Le Mans in 2025.
Louis Delétraz Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
The Delétraz family carries a deep motorsport heritage. Louis’s father, Jean-Denis Delétraz, raced in Formula One during the 1990s and won his class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, achievements that shaped Louis’s earliest memories of racing. Jean-Denis guided his son’s first steps in motorsport, building soap box cars together and setting a strict rule that Louis could not race karts competitively until age ten, a decision that Louis has credited with grounding his early development.
Personal Life
Louis Delétraz was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, and continues to represent his home country in international competition. He maintains an active presence on social media, where he shares updates from the racing calendar. His career has taken him across Europe, North America, and the Middle East, balancing dual commitments in IMSA and the European Le Mans Series each season.
2025 Season Performance
The 2025 season marks a new chapter for Louis Delétraz as Wayne Taylor Racing transitions to the Cadillac V-Series.R GTP car. Sharing the No. 40 with Jordan Taylor and endurance teammates including Kamui Kobayashi, Delétraz has battled through an uneven campaign that included a crash at Daytona and another setback at Sebring, but rebounded with consistent top-ten results and a runner-up finish at Watkins Glen. The team currently sits ninth in the GTP teams’ standings, working to refine the new Cadillac package ahead of the final rounds.
In parallel, Delétraz has dominated the European Le Mans Series with AO by TF in the LMP2 Pro-Am class alongside P. J. Hyett and Dane Cameron. After an opening-round mechanical disappointment at Barcelona, the trio charged back with a Pro-Am win at Le Mans, a class victory at Imola, and a hard-fought second in class at Spa. The campaign peaked at Portimão, where Delétraz clinched his unprecedented fourth ELMS title, extending a streak of four championships in just five seasons.
Looking ahead, Delétraz remains focused on climbing the IMSA standings while protecting his ELMS crown. With the Cadillac program still maturing and the AO by TF lineup gelling, his dual campaign offers both a chance at more prototype silverware and another shot at major endurance classics, including a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2026.