This weekend, the first major motorsport event takes place over at the Daytona International Speedway's infield road course and features several familiar names to the world of Formula 1.
The 2025 IMSA Daytona 24 Hours, officially known as the Rolex 24, is part of the endurance racing version of the 'Triple Crown' which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
In total, 13 former F1 drivers are targeting victory over in the United States this weekend, an event which has been won by 35 ex-F1 drivers in the past.
The Rolex 24 features four different classes: Grand Touring Prototype (GTP), Le Mans Prototype 2 (LMP2), GT Daytona Pro (GTD Pro) and GT Daytona (GTD).
Of the 13 former F1 drivers competing this weekend, nine of them are in the top GTP category, whilst the other four will be racing in the LMP2 class.
On that note, let's meet the 13 former F1 drivers competing this weekend!
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Former F1 drivers in the GTP class
Kamui Kobayashi
Kamui Kobayashi spent four full season in F1, but made his competitive debut for Toyota in the penultimate round of the 2009 campaign.
The bulk of his F1 career was spent with Sauber, who he finished on the rostrum for at the 2012 Japanese Grand Prix – his home race.
Since leaving F1, Kobayashi has enjoyed a very successful endurance career and is both a Le Mans and two-time Daytona 24 Hours winner.
This weekend, he will be racing in the GTP class in the #40 Cadillac, in what is his first appearance at Daytona since 2022. Kobayashi will be sharing the car with Louis Delétraz, Alex Lynn and Jordan Taylor.
Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat
Racing as team-mates in GTP class are Romain Grosjean and Daniil Kvyat, who will be in the #63 Lamborghini. Edoardo Mortara and Mirko Bortolotti are also in the team.
It is Grosjean's third appearance in the Rolex 24 for Lamborghini, with the Frenchman having never finished higher than fourth.
He spent a total of nine-and-a-half seasons competing in F1 from 2009-2020, collecting nine podiums.
Of course, he survived a horrifying fireball crash in the opening lap of the 2020 Bahrain Grand Prix.
Kvyat's F1 career was much more disjointed, having been demoted by Red Bull to its sister team after just four races in 2015. He spent a total of six seasons in F1, claiming three podiums.
Since departing F1 at the end of 2020, he has also turned to mainly endurance racing, although this weekend marks his Daytona 24 Hours debut.
Will Stevens and Brendon Hartley
Former F1 drivers Will Stevens and Brendon Hartley are also team-mates in the GTP class, and will be sharing the #10 Cadillac. Filipe Albuquerque and Ricky Taylor are also in the same car.
Both Stevens and Hartley spent minimal time in F1, mainly at the back of the grid. Stevens competed in the 2014 season finale for Caterham, before completing the entire 2015 season with Manor Marussia.
His best result was 13th in the 2014 British Grand Prix, but like several other former F1 drivers, has gone on to enjoy a successful career in endurance racing.
Stevens is a two-time Le Mans class winner and won the 2022 World Endurance Championship (WEC) LMP2 class title. This weekend marks his second Daytona appearance, having finished on the podium on debut in 2022.
As for Hartley, he spent the final four rounds of the 2017 season and the whole 2018 campaign with Toro Rosso, securing three top 10 finishes. His best result was ninth in the 2018 US Grand Prix.
Hartley is another driver to have found considerable success in WEC, and is a three-time Le Mans winner and four-time WEC champion. He is set for his seventh Daytona 24 Hours, in which he is targeting his first win.
(First image is Stevens, the second is Hartley.)
Felipe Nasr
Felipe Nasr spent two seasons in the pinnacle of motorsport with Sauber in 2015 and 2016, claiming seven top 10 finishes across 40 starts.
The Brazilian is another who failed to deliver in F1, but has achieved great success in endurance. Nasr has claimed victory twice at Daytona, once overall and the other in-class.
He enters this weekend's event targeting back-to-back overall victories but has different team-mates.
Joining Nasr in the #7 Porsche are Nick Tandy and Laurens Vanthoor, two drivers with impressive records. Nasr is also part of the reigning IMSA champions Porsche Penske crew.
Pascal Wehrlein
Pascal Wehrlein is another ex-F1 driver racing this weekend, in what is his Daytona 24 Hours debut.
The German driver is the youngest-ever DTM champion, a title he won at just 20 years old in 2015. He moved to F1 in 2016 at Manor, where he spent the season and scored two points in Monaco.
A move to Sauber happened for the 2017 season, although he was replaced at the end of the campaign by Charles Leclerc.
He has largely remained in single seaters in Formula E, where he is the reigning world champion. Wehrlein is partnering Bryce Aron, Gianmaria Bruni and Tijmen van der Helm in the #85 Porsche.
Jack Aitken and Felipe Drugovich
The term 'former F1 driver' is to be used loosely for Jack Aitken and Felipe Drugovich, who both never held a full-time seat.
Aitken made one appearance in the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix for Williams after George Russell replaced Lewis Hamilton, following the seven-time world champion being ruled out with COVID.
He finished 16th, before going onto compete in categories like DTM, IMSA and the European Le Mans Series.
This weekend is his third Daytona 24 Hours appearance, where he will partner current Aston Martin reserve driver Drugovich in the #31 Cadillac. The pair are joined by Earl Bamber and Frederik Vesti.
Drugovich is yet to start an F1 race but has represented Aston Martin in several tests and practice sessions, since winning the F2 title in 2022. His Daytona 24 Hours debut will also be made this weekend.
(First image is Aitken, the second is Drugovich.)
Former F1 drivers in the LMP2 class
Felipe Massa
Despite having 269 F1 grand prix starts and 11 victories to his name, this weekend is only Felipe Massa's second trip to Daytona.
The 43-year-old is best known for having raced for Ferrari from 2006-2013, although he also competed for both Sauber at the start of his career and Williams at the end of it.
In total, his career in F1 spanned 15 seasons and ended in 2017, with his time since then having been spent racing in the Brazilian stock car series.
This weekend, Massa is racing in the #74 Riley in the LMP2 category, where he will partner Josh Burdon, Felipe Fraga and Gar Robinson.
Sebastien Bourdais
Also in the LMP2 class is six-time IndyCar race winner Sebastien Bourdais, who spent a season-and-a-half in F1.
He competed in the full 2008 season for Toro Rosso, before being replaced mid-2009 by Jaime Alguersuari.
Since then, he has claimed six IndyCar wins, a Le Mans class victory and an overall victory in the Daytona 24 Hours back in 2014. He claimed a class win also in 2017.
This year, Bourdais is in the #8 Tower Motorsports, with his team-mates being Sebastián Álvarez, John Farano and Job van Uitert.
Paul di Resta
The penultimate former F1 driver racing in Daytona this weekend is Paul di Resta, who is part of the #22 United Autosports crew.
Di Resta spent three seasons in F1 with Force India, although stood in for an unwell Felipe Massa at Williams during the 2017 Hungarian Grand Prix.
He raced for Force India from 2011-2013, finishing in the points on 26 occasions. His best result was fourth on two occasions, in the 2012 Singapore Grand Prix and the 2013 Bahrain Grand Prix.
This weekend in his third Daytona appearance, he will share a car with James Allen, Dan Goldburg and Rasmus Lindh.
Di Resta is another driver who switched to endurance racing after F1, and won the LMP2 class at Le Mans in 2020.
Pietro Fittipaldi
The final former F1 driver racing in in the legendary event this weekend is Pietro Fittipaldi. Similar to Aitken and Drugovich, Fittipaldi has never been a full-time F1 driver.
He replaced an injured Grosjean at Haas in the final two rounds of the 2020 season, finishing 17th and 19th, respectively.
Fittipaldi is another who has spent considerable time in endurance racing, although spent last year racing in IndyCar.
This weekend is his third Daytona 24 Hours appearance, and will be driving the #73 Pratt Miller Motorsports with Chris Cumming, Callum Ilott and James Roe.
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