“It’s horrible”: when midges disturb drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

As every year, at 24H of Le Mans, the drivers involved have to deal with the weather, changing conditions and a changing track, night driving, traffic, various hazards... But, in 2025, an unexpected problem arises: the very large number of midges on the circuit.

In the paddock, many drivers claim to be surprised, regardless of the category. They are making it a real cause for concern. Some even believe that these small insects could have an impact on the Le Mans race. It might penalize us a little during the race. I think it will have a big impact during the relays and therefore a little complicated to manage.", admits Sébastien Baud, pilot on the McLaren No. 59 entered in LMGT3.

Same story from Kevin Estre. "It's horrible this year, especially in certain parts of the day, like at sunset. Honestly, after three or four laps you can't see anything.", assures the pilot of the Porsche Penske No. 6. "Visibility, of course, isn't good. It's hard to see all the details, the braking points, the rope, it's really a problem."

"I've never seen anything like it. You leave the pits, you arrive at the Mulsanne Speedway, and you can't see through your windshield. It even reduces the visibility of the headlights. It gets crazy in the late afternoon, reaching a peak around 20:30 p.m. or 21 p.m.", abounds, for his part, Sébastien Buemi, who will be at the wheel of the Toyota No. 8 during the test.

When it comes to midges, windshield wipers are “not the right solution”

In addition, Paul-Loup Chatin, pilot of theAlpine No. 35, believes that this will accentuate the difficulties and indirectly the risks."At Le Mans, concentration must be optimal at all times. But because of the midges, it might take even more effort to reach that level." 

However, the four men agree that it will be necessary " Sadly " do with it and that "It's the same for everyone". "The only time we'll be able to control it will be during pit stops to clean the windshield. Otherwise, we won't have control over it during the stints.", says Sébastien Baud.

"We don't have a product for that. For approval, we didn't put that in the car, I don't know about other LMDh or LMH. We only have the windshield wiper and that's not the right solution.", smiles Kévin Estre, who clearly has no lack of humor: “You have to keep your eyes open and try to avoid the midges (Laughter). It's really misery."

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