Panis Racing announces its final driver for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Between Charles Milesi and Panis Racing, it's a rolling affair. The French driver completed his first season with Olivier Panis's team in 2024 in ELMS, and the marriage was rather happy with a victory at Imola. The romance continued at the end of the season, finishing in 4th place in the general classification, which convinced both parties to start a second year together. The season started well with a third place overall at the 4 Hours of Barcelona, ​​​​behind the AF Corse n°83 of Matthieu Vaxivière in particular, and the IDEC Sport n°18 of the young Mathys Jaubert (20 years old).

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The beautiful relationship between Panis Racing and Charles Milesi will however be on hold in June, during the 24 Hours of Le MansThe driver will leave his team and the LMP2 category to go and swim in the deep end of Hypercars with theAlpine A424. Milesi therefore leaves a vacancy to be filled within the team of the 1996 Monaco GP winner, who has announced that Franck Perera will team up with the usual holders of the position, Oliver Gray and Esteban Masson.

Milesi replaced by Perera

"We are very proud to be able to field such a complete squad, Olivier Panis rejoices. Franck Perera brings valuable experience, while Esteban Masson and Oliver Gray are driven by a strong desire to prove themselves."

At 40 years old, Franck Perera will clearly be the oldest of the trio. Having passed through the Formula 3 Euro Series and the Formula 2, the Montpellier resident has long specialized in the car, with also a (short) passage in IndyCarA Lamborghini driver since 2018, he discovered the 24 Hours of Le Mans last year in GT (8th in his category with Iron Lynx).

“The words that come to mind are joy, pride, gratitude and determination in the face of this unique opportunity to join the No. 48 vdS Panis Racing car for the 24 2025 Hours of Le Mans, rejoices Franck Perera. After having had the chance to experience this legendary GT race with Lamborghini last year, I am ready to take on the challenge in LMP2, where the level is extremely high. I can't wait to embark on this Le Mans adventure alongside my young and talented teammates Esteban and Oliver. A huge thank you to the entire vdS Panis Racing team and to TDS Racing for their trust."

Last year, Panis Racing finished four laps behind the LMP2 class leader. It's up to the trio to shine the spotlight on Olivier Panis and Marc van der Straten's team.