Will Stevens Bio
Will Stevens is a British racing driver currently competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota in the Hypercar class. Born in Rochford, Essex, Stevens began his single-seater career in Formula Renault before progressing through Formula Renault 3.5 and reaching Formula One in 2014. He is best known for his two-season stint in Formula One with Caterham and Manor Marussia, followed by a successful transition into endurance and GT racing that included a class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship title in LMP2 with Jota.
Throughout his career Stevens has raced across a wide spectrum of motorsport, from junior open-wheel categories to LMP2 and GT3 machinery, as well as serving as a simulator and development driver for McLaren. His adaptability across prototype, GT, and single-seater platforms has marked him as a versatile endurance and sports car competitor.
Early Life and Background
William Jonathan Richard Stevens was born on 28 June 1991 in Rochford, Essex, England. Growing up in southeast England, Stevens was introduced to motorsport at an early age and began competing in karts in 2003 at twelve years old. He spent his first year in the National Cadet championship before moving into the Rotax Mini Max category, gaining valuable experience against older and more experienced drivers.
After competing across multiple karting championships in Britain and abroad, Stevens finished seventh in the Rotax class of the Super One series, a result that convinced him and his family that a switch to single-seater racing was the natural next step. That karting foundation in tightly contested national championships helped build the race craft that carried him into the junior formulas.
Path to NASCAR
Will Stevens does not have a documented path into NASCAR. His career has been rooted in European and international open-wheel and endurance racing, including Formula Renault, Formula Renault 3.5, Formula One, the Blancpain GT Series, the European Le Mans Series, and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Based on available verified information, sections covering NASCAR ladder series or stock car competition are not applicable for this driver.
Will Stevens Career
Early Career (2009-2011)
Stevens made his car-racing debut in the 2009 Formula Renault 2.0 UK championship, finishing seventh in his rookie season. He returned to the series in 2010 and improved to fourth overall, a result that attracted attention from teams running in the Formula Renault Eurocup. The progression through the UK series established Stevens as a consistent points scorer capable of fighting inside the top ten week in and week out.
In 2011, he stepped up to the Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup, where he immediately adapted to the international calendar and finished fourth in the standings. The move confirmed his reputation as a quick, technically sound driver ready to graduate to the more demanding Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
Formula Renault 3.5 Breakthrough (2012-2014)
Stevens moved into the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2012, finishing twelfth overall in his first season while learning the powerful Dallara chassis. The following year he broke through with five podium finishes across seventeen races, ending the 2013 championship in fourth place and confirming his place among the series front-runners.
In 2014, he recorded two wins and four podiums to finish sixth in points, performances that caught the eye of Formula One teams looking for paying talent. That same year he was named a reserve driver at Marussia F1 and made his grand prix debut with Caterham at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, finishing seventeenth on a one-lap-down result.
Formula One Career (2014-2015)
Stevens completed his only Formula One start for Caterham at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, finishing seventeenth and one lap down. He paid a reported five hundred thousand pounds for the drive. The appearance gave him a proper taste of grand prix racing, and earlier in the season he had been confirmed as a reserve driver for Marussia F1 for the remainder of 2014.
In February 2015, Manor Marussia announced Stevens as a race driver for the 2015 season alongside Roberto Merhi, with both bringing significant funding to the team. Stevens raced a partial campaign with the squad, with his first classified finish coming at the Chinese Grand Prix in fifteenth place. He traded results with Merhi through the early flyaway races, finishing ahead of his teammate in Bahrain and Spain. Mechanical problems prevented him from starting the Australian Grand Prix and from competing in qualifying or the race in Malaysia, while in Monaco he finished sixteenth. The most dramatic moment came at the Canadian Grand Prix, where contact from Romain Grosjean cost Stevens several positions, although he still ended the race seventeenth. By the end of the year he had been outpaced by replacement driver Alexander Rossi in three of the final four rounds, and Stevens left Formula One at the end of 2015.
Endurance and GT Racing Era (2016-Present)
Following his Formula One exit, Stevens reinvented himself as a sportscar and GT driver. In 2016 he joined former Manor colleagues John Booth and Graeme Lowdon at Manor Motorsport for a campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship alongside Tor Graves, while also contesting the Blancpain GT Series with W Racing Team in an Audi R8 LMS shared with René Rast. The dual programme showed his willingness to race multiple cars across a single weekend.
The 2017 season brought his biggest result to date when he co-drove a Ferrari 488 GTE-Am for JMW Motorsport at the 24 Hours of Le Mans alongside Dries Vanthoor and Rob Smith. The trio led the GTE-Am class for long stretches and crossed the line two laps clear of their nearest rivals to win the category. Stevens also finished second in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup that year, taking his first GT3 victory at Zolder with Markus Winkelhock. JMW then invited him to contest the final two rounds of the European Le Mans Series, helping the team secure the GTE Teams standings.
In March 2018, Stevens joined Panis-Barthez LMP2 Team for the European Le Mans Series and another Le Mans appearance, further expanding his prototype credentials. Since 2018 he has also worked with McLaren as a test and development driver, primarily carrying out simulator work. In July 2022, McLaren announced that Stevens would drive the McLaren MCL35 2021 car at a private test at Portimao circuit. The role has allowed him to remain connected to the upper reaches of the sport while racing in the World Endurance Championship.
Driving Style and Strengths
Stevens has shown particular strength in endurance and GT racing, where consistency, mechanical sympathy, and stint management matter as much as outright pace. His race-winning form at Le Mans and across the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup highlights his ability to deliver clean, fast stints under pressure. The long-running partnership with Jota and his ongoing role as a McLaren development driver underline the trust teams place in his technical feedback and simulator performance.
Notable Races and Milestones
The defining moment of Stevens’ career remains the 2017 GTE-Am class victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with JMW Motorsport, where he, Vanthoor, and Smith built a two-lap margin of victory. His runner-up finish in the 2017 Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup, the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 title with Jota, and his Formula One debut at the 2014 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix stand as the headline milestones of his career to date.
Will Stevens Career Wins
Will Stevens has accumulated victories across single-seaters, GT3 machinery, and prototype racing, with his most celebrated results coming in endurance and GT competition. His major titles and wins include the 2022 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 class with Jota, the 2017 GTE-Am class win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with JMW Motorsport, and two victories in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series.
Endurance and Prototype Highlights
Stevens is a 2022 FIA World Endurance Champion in the LMP2 class with Jota, a crown jewel of the endurance racing calendar. He also won the GTE-Am class at the 2017 24 Hours of Le Mans, a result he supplemented by helping JMW Motorsport secure the GTE Teams standings in the European Le Mans Series. Across the WEC, European Le Mans Series, and Blancpain GT Series he has built a reputation as a reliable endurance competitor capable of winning on the sport’s biggest stages.
Other Wins and Performances
Away from prototypes, Stevens claimed his first GT3 victory at Zolder in the Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup in 2017 on his way to a runner-up finish in the standings. Earlier in his career he scored two wins in the 2014 Formula Renault 3.5 Series and added five podium finishes across the 2013 Formula Renault 3.5 campaign to finish fourth overall.
Will Stevens Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Verified information about Will Stevens’ immediate family is limited. There are no confirmed public details about parents, siblings, or a wider racing lineage within his household based on the verified sources available.
Personal Life
Public details about Stevens’ personal life are not widely documented in verified sources. He is known publicly by his racing name, Will Stevens, and maintains an active presence on social media, where fans can follow his endurance racing activities.
2025 Season Performance
In the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, Will Stevens continues to race in the Hypercar class with Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, building on his long-standing relationship with the Jota organisation. His programme reflects the natural progression from his 2022 LMP2 championship success into the premier Hypercar category.
Stevens’ focus for the season is on contributing to Cadillac Hertz Team Jota’s Hypercar effort through consistent driving, clean stints, and detailed technical feedback. His prior experience as a McLaren test and development driver adds value to a programme that depends heavily on simulator work and integration with manufacturer partners.
Looking ahead, the combination of a factory-backed Hypercar seat, his endurance pedigree, and his established chemistry with Jota places Stevens in a strong position to fight for podiums and, potentially, overall race wins across the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season.