The Cadillac Le Mans rookie seeking to transfer virtual success to reality

Glance at this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours entry list, and the number of past overall race winners in the Hypercar ranks alone is pretty staggering.

Obviously, there is Ferrari’s triumphant trio from 2023 seeking to retain their crown. Then five of the six Toyota drivers enjoyed success during the period when the Japanese manufacturer faced limited opposition. Elsewhere, Porsche has the likes of Andre Lotterer and Nick Tandy in its line-ups, Chip Ganassi Cadillac boasts Earl Bamber, and even Peugeot has Loic Duval. And so the list goes on.

Aside from the obvious, there is also a Le Mans conqueror of a very different kind among the crew of the #311 Action Express Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh. Aston Martin Formula 1 reserve Felipe Drugovich has twice won the virtual version of the race, topping the 2022 and 2023 editions of the contest for Max Verstappen’s ace Redline squad in a computer-generated ORECA-Gibson 07.

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The most recent of those wins came alongside IndyCar star Felix Rosenqvist and sim racing aces Chris Lulham and Luke Bennett, while Formula E driver Oliver Rowland was among those in the line-up the previous year. But 2022 Formula 2 champion Drugovich’s desire to tackle the Circuit de la Sarthe for real long predates his Esports excellence.

“It was the other way round,” he states when asked whether his virtual victories fired his ambitions. “I always had the dream to race in real life – but, when I could, I did the virtual one.”

Now he has the chance to put that simulator success into practice and tame the 8.5-mile circuit for real. Drugovich readily admits to believing that the virtual world is far from a 100% accurate depiction of the real race, but still thinks his online experience will come in handy when he heads out on track.

“It helps a lot in tyre management and traffic management,” the 24-year-old reckons. “In a race with 60 cars, you’re always going to be passing people so you need to lose the least time, but you can’t take too many risks.”

Drugovich, who is linked to Aston Martin F1 and Maserati Formula E, is a two-time winner of the virtual Le Mans 24 Hours

Photo by: Simon Galloway / Motorsport Images

He therefore believes that you can learn a lot from the virtual race when it comes to choosing the best places to make those overtakes. And he also feels it has been very useful in introducing him to the mindset needed to succeed in a 24-hour marathon rather than a single-seater sprint.

“Endurance racing, especially a 24-hour race, it really takes a different mentality to win it,” Drugovich continues. “You need to take a bit of extra care than in other races – the mentality is similar in both real and virtual.”

And, just because he was essentially tackling the online races for fun, there was certainly no lack of preparation beforehand.

“I always had the dream to race [Le Mans] in real life – but, when I could, I did the virtual one” 
Felipe Drugovich.

“We did it in a very relaxed way but, at the same time, it took quite a good bit of preparation,” he explains. “These virtual races, we probably do a lot more laps in preparation than in real life. You prepare for two weeks or even a month before.”

Now Drugovich is getting ready for a different sort of challenge. And, although he may be a ‘real world’ Le Mans rookie, next weekend’s race will not be his first in real sportscars. The Brazilian has been competing in the European Le Mans Series this year with Vector Sport in its ORECA LMP2 machine alongside Ryan Cullen and Stephane Richelmi. He is relishing learning the new discipline, even if he is less enthused about the pair of 10th places the Vector crew has so far managed after encountering a few bumps along the way.

“I’ve really enjoyed these couple of races I did in ELMS,” Drugovich says. “They didn’t go well for us – we were struggling quite a lot as a team. It’s a different environment sharing a car in a team – it’s different but it’s also nice.”

As he continues to sit on the F1 sidelines, waiting for an opportunity to arise, the ELMS was a deliberate choice for Drugovich’s sportscar bow. Its short six-event schedule does not pose too many F1 clashes, which means it doesn’t interfere heavily with his Aston Martin duties.

Drugovich is keeping sharp in the ELMS with Vector Sport

Photo by: JEP

Le Mans was never part of that deal, but the legendary enduro was certainly in the back of Drugovich’s mind and he was optimistic that his move into sportscars could open a few doors. And, sure enough, Cadillac came calling when Tom Blomqvist’s now aborted IndyCar programme left him unable to pilot the #311 with team regulars Jack Aitken and Pipo Derani as planned. But, before finalising the agreement, the American marque wanted its next potential star to sample the V-Series.R, and so Drugovich completed a test at Laguna Seca.

“That was quite a hard test – it was also a test for them preparing for the Laguna race and I only had two runs on the whole day,” he states. “It was tough to get to know the car.”
But from his limited running, Drugovich was still able to get a flavour of the Cadillac.

“It’s actually one of the most difficult cars I’ve ever driven,” he continues, admitting that many people do not realise that the LMP2 machinery he has become used to actually boasts more downforce. “It’s very difficult to drive because it’s a very heavy car with a lot of horsepower and very low downforce compared to a P2 – it has a lot lower downforce. It’s very tricky to drive but it’s fun. The Cadillac with the V8 engine is very, very nice – the sound is amazing.”

Only around 30 laps were completed on that “tough” day, so Drugovich recognises he still has a lot of learning to do in the build-up to the 24 Hours, but he does not want that to hold him back.

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“It’s a long track and it takes a bit of time to understand it and how the tyres work as well,” he says. “It’s going to be hard to understand the car and the track together, but I’m very much looking forward to getting to grips with it and making the most out of it. In a race like this you just need to bring the car home in one piece. It’s going to be hard but I’m really aiming to be at the front.”

And Drugovich certainly believes he is part of a competitive entry, even if Cadillac has not exactly shone in the 2024 World Endurance Championship to date, given Aitken’s and Derani’s pace in the IMSA SportsCar Championship so far this year.

“They’ve been really fast – in the first four IMSA races, they were on pole in three of them and second in the other one,” he adds. “They had a messy Sebring [where Derani escaped injury after spectacularly crashing out of the lead, having clipped a GTD Ferrari] but they were fighting for the win in Daytona and very close in Long Beach and Laguna. I think they’re on for a win and hopefully it’s going to be at Le Mans. They’re good guys – it’s always fun to have a Brazilian in the team, and I’ve known Jack from when we raced in F2.”

Drugovich joins fellow Brazilian Derani and Aitken in the re-numbered #311 which has shown strong pace in IMSA

Photo by: IMSA

Clearly Drugovich is excited to be part of such a line-up and, although he repeatedly insists that F1 remains the ultimate goal, he still would like this outing to be more than just a one-off.

“It would be an alternative [to F1],” he says of a hypothetical future in sportscars with Cadillac. “Let’s wait and see how it’s going to be but I think it’s an amazing brand. GM is such a massive company and they’ve got a very good car, they’ve got a good team working for them and they’ve always been really fast. I would be very happy to keep driving with them and hearing that V8 noise!”

"GM is such a massive company and they’ve got a very good car, they’ve got a good team working for them and they’ve always been really fast. I would be very happy to keep driving with them and hearing that V8 noise!” 
Felipe Drugovich

But, above all else, he is just grateful for the chance to tackle Le Mans for real – and especially as part of a competitive top-tier Hypercar class as he battles that long list of past winners.

“I’m really thankful for Action Express Racing, Whelen and Cadillac for the opportunity,” he concludes. “It’s not all the time they put a driver who’s never been to Le Mans in the top category in a factory team, but I’m very thankful for the trust in me.”

His past virtual Le Mans success is just one of a wealth of factors behind that trust. Now Drugovich just needs to prove that he is the real Le Mans deal and replicate the skill behind his virtual victories on the most unforgiving of true-life stages.

Can Drugovich repeat his virtual success on the real-life circuit?

Photo by: Marc Fleury