Loïc Duval awarded the Action of the Year 2025 prize

Seven months after a spectacular overtaking maneuver reminiscent of Mika Häkkinen's against Michael Schumacher during the 2000 Belgian Grand Prix, Loïc duval was awarded the FIA ​​Action of the Year prize at the event held on December 12 in Tashkent (Uzbekistan).

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The French driver of the team Peugeot TotalEnergies in the Hypercar category achieved a gesture as audacious as it was unforgettable on the Kemmel straight at Spa-Francorchamps, at over 300 km/h.

The award ceremony pitted three key moments from the World Endurance Championship season against each other. Besides Duval, the finalists were Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche), for his exemplary defense against the Classic Ferrari for sale of Robert Kubica and Antonio Giovinazzi in the fast turn of Indianapolis at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, and Marco Sørensen, who skillfully snuck his Aston Martin Valkyrie between theAlpine Frédéric Makowiecki's A424 and the pit wall at Interlagos three weeks later.

Ultimately, it was Duval who was rewarded. The 2013 World Endurance Champion and winner of the 24 Hours of Le Mans the same year skillfully slid between Giovinazzi's Ferrari and Robin Frijns' BMW, taking advantage of the slipstream and every meter of the straight to execute a perfectly timed and flawlessly executed overtake.

« It was a calculated move, but you can never be 100% sure. explains the 43-year-old pilot. Exiting La Source towards La Raidillon, there was an LMGT3 ahead of us, but I tried to maintain a good gap to the other Hypercars and optimize my corner exit. I saw I had a bit more speed than them, and on the uphill section, I slipped into the Ferrari's slipstream. At the last moment, I adjusted my line to cut through the middle, and it worked perfectly. »

« I remember Mika Häkkinen and Michael Schumacher, and pulling off an overtake like that is a real pleasure. The other drivers also need to be fair, and it worked perfectly. I loved it, and I hope I can do things like that again next year! »

The 2026 season of WEC will begin with the 1812 km of Qatar, on March 28.