Louis Delétraz Bio
Louis Charles Hubert Delétraz, born on 22 April 1997 in Geneva, Switzerland, is a Swiss racing driver who competes in international endurance and prototype racing. He is best known for winning the Formula Renault Northern European Cup in 2015 and for being a three-time champion in the European Le Mans Series. He is the son of former Formula One and 24 Hours of Le Mans driver Jean-Denis Delétraz.
Currently, Delétraz drives the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, while also representing AO by TF in the European Le Mans Series. In recognition of his achievements, the Swiss auto racing federation awarded him the 2023 Auto Sport Schweiz Award for special services to Swiss motorsport.
Early Life and Background
Delétraz was born in Geneva, Switzerland, and grew up in a family with deep ties to international motorsport. His father, Jean-Denis Delétraz, raced in Formula One and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which gave the younger Delétraz an early appreciation for the sport. The family connection sparked a passion for racing that would shape his entire career path.
His father, however, did not allow him to race karts competitively until he was ten years old. To nurture his interest in motorsport, Jean-Denis introduced Louis to soap box racing, and the two built soap box cars together at home. Delétraz began karting in his native Switzerland in 2008, winning the Vega Trofeo Super Mini class the following year. He added a third-place finish in the KF3 Bridgestone Cup Switzerland in 2010 and won the Vega Trofeo Junior championship in 2011, building a strong foundation for his move to single-seater racing.
Path to NASCAR
This driver is not associated with NASCAR competition and instead has built his career in open-wheel and sports car racing across Europe, North America, and the Middle East. His professional path progressed through Formula BMW, Formula Renault, GP2 and Formula 2, the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. Because of this, sections that would normally cover NASCAR ladders and national series have been omitted from this page.
Louis Delétraz Career
Early Career (2012-2015)
Delétraz began his single-seater career in September 2012, racing in the Grand Final of the Formula BMW Talent Cup at Motorsport Arena Oschersleben in Germany. He started all three races from pole position, won the second race, and was later excluded from the event following a pit lane incident in the finale. In 2013, he graduated to Formula Renault 2.0 with Josef Kaufmann Racing, finishing nineteenth in the NEC championship.
His development accelerated in 2014, when he won the opening NEC race at Monza and finished the year as runner-up to Ben Barnicoat. In 2015, Delétraz won the Formula Renault Northern European Cup and finished inside the top three in the Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0. That same year, he was selected for the BMW Motorsport Junior Programme, contesting three rounds of the VLN endurance series for the German manufacturer.
Formula Renault 3.5 and GP2 Breakthrough (2015-2016)
Delétraz debuted in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series at the Red Bull Ring in 2015 with Comtec Racing. He moved to Fortec for a full 2016 campaign and finished as series runner-up, establishing himself as one of the most promising single-seater talents in Europe. On 18 November 2016, he also made his GP2 Series debut with Carlin in the final round of the season, finishing twenty-sixth in the standings.
Formula 2 Career (2017-2020)
Delétraz signed with Racing Engineering for the 2017 FIA Formula 2 Championship, then switched mid-season to Rapax to replace Nyck de Vries. In 2018, he moved to Charouz Racing System alongside Antonio Fuoco, taking two second-place finishes in Monaco and Le Castellet sprint races to end the year tenth overall. He joined Carlin in 2019 and finished eighth in the championship, recording his best result of second in both the Monaco and Silverstone sprint races. For 2020, he returned to Charouz with Pedro Piquet and ended his final F2 season eighth overall, with five podium finishes.
Endurance and Sports Car Breakthrough (2020-2023)
Delétraz transitioned to endurance racing in 2020, winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual with Rebellion Williams eSports and finishing fourth at the real 24 Hours of Le Mans with Rebellion Racing in LMP1. In 2021, he joined Team WRT in the European Le Mans Series with Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye, winning the LMP2 title with three victories and a second-place finish. That year, he also led the 24 Hours of Le Mans with one lap to go before a throttle sensor failure retired the car.
In 2022, Delétraz defended his ELMS crown with Prema Racing alongside Ferdinand Habsburg, securing the LMP2 Drivers’ Championship with four wins. He finished fifth in the FIA WEC LMP2 class with Prema Orlen Team, took second at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and added two IMSA wins at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans with Tower Motorsports. In 2023, he became a WEC LMP2 champion with Team WRT alongside Kubica and Rui Andrade, winning the final ever LMP2 title in the WEC era after victories at Spa, Fuji, and Bahrain.
Wayne Taylor Racing Era (2023-Present)
Delétraz joined Wayne Taylor Racing in 2023 as a third driver in the Acura ARX-06 GTP entry for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, finishing second at the 24 Hours of Daytona and scoring his first endurance pole at Road Atlanta. In 2024, he was promoted to a full-season GTP drive alongside Jordan Taylor and Colton Herta for the endurance rounds. The pair scored WTR’s first GTP-era victory at the 12 Hours of Sebring with a late move on Sébastien Bourdais, then battled through penalties and incidents to finish fifth in the GTP drivers’ standings.
As WTR moved to the Cadillac V-Series.R chassis for 2025, Delétraz and Taylor remained with the No. 40 crew, joined by Kamui Kobayashi for the 24 Hours of Daytona. In Europe, he continues to partner Kubica at AO by TF, claiming pole at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2024 and helping the team secure a third ELMS LMP2 title at Portimão. That championship made Delétraz the first driver in series history to win three ELMS LMP2 crowns.
Driving Style and Strengths
Delétraz has built a reputation for late-race pace, cool tire management in stints, and opportunistic overtakes in the closing laps of endurance events. His partnership with engineer-led teams like WRT and AO has produced consistent podium results across WEC, ELMS, and IMSA competition, while his comfort in multi-class traffic has made him a steady endurance co-driver.
Notable Races and Milestones
Signature moments include winning the 2015 Formula Renault NEC, the 2021 ELMS title, the 2022 ELMS title defense, the final LMP2 WEC crown in 2023, the 2024 Twelve Hours of Sebring GTP win, the 2024 Le Mans pole, and the 2024 ELMS title that made him a three-time champion. He has also added the 2023 Auto Sport Schweiz Award to his trophy cabinet.
Louis Delétraz Career Wins
Across open-wheel, prototype, and endurance racing, Louis Delétraz has built a versatile record that includes championships in Formula Renault, ELMS, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. His win list combines single-seater success with sports car titles, highlighted by three ELMS LMP2 crowns and a WEC LMP2 championship.
ELMS Highlights
Delétraz is a three-time European Le Mans Series LMP2 champion, winning the title in 2021 with Team WRT, defending it in 2022 with Prema Racing, and claiming a third crown in 2024 with AO by TF. He also took the LMP2 Pro-Am class win at the 2023 ELMS season-opener in Barcelona and scored pole at the 4 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 2024 on his way to a class victory.
Other Wins and Performances
Beyond his ELMS titles, Delétraz won the 2023 FIA WEC LMP2 championship with Team WRT alongside Kubica and Andrade. He also won the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual in LMP and took class wins in IMSA at Laguna Seca and Petit Le Mans in 2022 with Tower Motorsports, plus the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2024 with Wayne Taylor Racing.
| Series | Wins | Top Tens | Poles |
|---|---|---|---|
| European Le Mans Series (LMP2) | Multiple | Multiple | Multiple |
| FIA World Endurance Championship (LMP2) | 3 | Multiple | Multiple |
| IMSA SportsCar Championship (GTP) | 1 | Multiple | Multiple |
Louis Delétraz Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Delétraz comes from one of Switzerland’s most recognized motorsport families. His father, Jean-Denis Delétraz, raced in Formula One and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and he introduced Louis to motorsport through soap box racing before allowing him to compete in karts. That family background helped shape Louis’s path toward open-wheel and endurance racing at the highest levels.
Personal Life
Delétraz was born and raised in Geneva, Switzerland, and continues to be closely associated with his home country, as reflected by his 2023 Auto Sport Schweiz Award. Public information about his marital status, spouse, and children has not been disclosed in verified sources.
2025 Season Performance
Delétraz entered 2025 as a full-time driver of the No. 40 Cadillac V-Series.R for Wayne Taylor Racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship GTP class, alongside Jordan Taylor. Their endurance co-driver for the 24 Hours of Daytona was Kamui Kobayashi, whose pace briefly pushed the Cadillac into the lead before an eighth-hour spin by Delétraz into the turn two barrier dropped the car out of contention.
At the 12 Hours of Sebring, another WTR result was undone when a one-off teammate, Brendon Hartley, triggered a crash that took the No. 40 out of winning contention. The early-season results left Delétraz and Taylor with work to do to keep their GTP championship hopes alive across the remaining endurance rounds and sprint events.
Outside IMSA, Delétraz continues his long-running partnership with Robert Kubica at AO by TF in the European Le Mans Series, hunting a fourth LMP2 title in five years. With Cadillac factory support and a settled team environment at WTR, the Swiss driver remains one of the strongest endurance prototypes in the GTP era heading into the heart of the 2025 calendar.