Ferdinand Habsburg finishes 94th Le Mans classic in sixth place

Ferdinand Habsburg, 28, was the only Austrian to start in the premier Hypercar class. He shared the cockpit of the Alpine with António Félix da Costa from Portugal and the Frenchman Charles Milesi. The trio had started from the third row and finished the 24-hour race in sixth place overall. Habsburg thus missed out on a top placing but gained valuable experience in the leading field of the Endurance World Championship.

Clemens Schmid narrowly misses the podium

Another Austrian-linked sister car was also at the start: Clemens Schmid took part in the LMGT3 class, the slowest class in the field. Together with the Argentine José María López and the Romanian Răzvan Umbrărescu, he drove an Akkodis Lexus. Schmid fought for a podium spot in the final phase of the race, but in the end his team was 1.7 seconds short of the third-placed LMGT3 Aston Martin. Schmid thus finished fourth in his class.

Eduardo Barrichello, son of former Formula 1 driver Rubens Barrichello, secured third place in the LMGT3 class in the Aston Martin. The podium in the smaller class thus remained without Austrian participation. Overall, Austria did not achieve any podium places at this year's Le Mans classic, as reported by APA.

In the LMP2 category, the prototype class below Hypercar, another Austrian-linked trio competed: Horst Felbermayr Jr., his son Horst Felix Felbermayr, and Lorenzo Fluxá. The three drove a Proton-Oreca and finished the race 14th in their class.

Lietz falls back

Defending champion Richard Lietz experienced a difficult day. The Austrian started in the Manthey Porsche together with Italy's Riccardo Pera and Australia's Yasser Shahin, but fell far back during the race and ultimately finished 13th overall. Lietz had won the 93rd edition of the race the previous year.

The race at Le Mans is considered one of the toughest and most prestigious endurance races in the world. Over 24 hours, several drivers share a car and must, together with their teams, deliver top performances day and night. The 94th edition was held at the Circuit de la Sarthe, a combination of permanent racing track and public roads.

Toyota had last won the 24-hour race in 2022, before Ferrari triumphed in 2023, 2024, and 2025. With this year's success, the Japanese manufacturer made an impressive comeback. The lead of 10.9 seconds after 381 laps underscores the dominance of the winning team, which showed no weaknesses in race pace.

For the Austrian drivers, the weekend ended mixed. Habsburg's sixth place in the leading Hypercar field is nonetheless a respectable result, as the Alpine squad was up against factory-supported competitors from Japan, Germany, and the USA. Schmid narrowly missed the LMGT3 podium, while Lietz, finishing 13th, collected no points toward the title defense.