Gabriel Aubry (racing driver)

Gabriel Aubry (born 3 April 1998) is a French racing driver who last competed in the World Endurance Championship for Vector Sport. He is a stalwart of the LMP2 category, having taken a runner-up spot for Jackie Chan DC Racing in the 2018–19 WEC season before competing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship and the European Le Mans Series.

Gabriel Aubry
Aubry in 2021
Nationality French
Born (1998-04-03) 3 April 1998 (age 26)
Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France
FIA World Endurance Championship
Racing licence FIA Gold
Former teamsJackie Chan DC Racing, Richard Mille Racing Team, Spirit of Race
Vector Sport
Starts29 (29 entries)
Wins3
Podiums11
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish2nd in 2018–19 (LMP2)
Previous series
2020
201921
2018
201617
2016
2015
IMSA - DPi
IMSA - LMP2
GP3 Series
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC
French F4 Championship

Early career

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Karting

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Born in Saint Germain-en-Laye, Aubry began karting in 2008 at the age of eleven, partaking in events across Europe. One of his karting achievements was the third place in the KFJ class of the Andrea Margutti Trophy, when he finished ahead of such drivers as Jehan Daruvala and Lando Norris.[1]

Formula 4

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In 2015, Aubry graduated to single-seaters. He competed in the French F4 Championship, where he won Hungaroring race and had another nine podium finishes. As a result, he finished in the top-three in the overall standings and as runner-up in the International F4 Championship standings.

Formula Renault 2.0

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In 2016, Aubry switched to Formula Renault 2.0 with Tech 1 Racing, joining his French F4 rival Sacha Fenestraz.[2] He had six point-scoring finishes and finished eleventh in the drivers' standings.[3] He also had a partial 2016 Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup campaign with the same team.[4]

Aubry continued with Tech 1 in 2017.[5] He won three races—two of them on Hungaroring and one at Spa—and had finished another five races on the podium position.[6][7] He ended the season fifth.[8] He again competed in the Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup, ending the season fifth as well.[9]

GP3 Series

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Aubry joined Arden International to compete in the GP3 Series in 2018.[10] It proved to be a difficult rookie season, as the French driver scored just two points finishes on his way to 18th in the standings.

Sportscar career

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FIA World Endurance Championship

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After making his sportscar debut with two races in the LMP3 class of the 2017–18 Asian Le Mans Series, which included a win at Sepang, Aubry progressed to LMP2 machinery for the WEC's "Super Season", driving alongside Ho-Pin Tung and Stephane Richelmi at Jackie Chan DC Racing.[11][12] Following a second place at the season-opening Spa round, Aubry made his 24 Hours of Le Mans debut, finishing sixth in class.[13] Thereafter, he and his teammates took three podiums, which included wins at Silverstone and Shanghai, with Aubry being entrusted with the final stint at the latter event.[14][15] Though the team celebrated two further podium appearances towards the end of the campaign, culminating in a runner-up finihsh at Le Mans, Aubry and his stablemates ended up second in the standings, only behind the Le Mans-winning Signatech Alpine crew.[16] During 2019, the Frenchman partook in the endurance rounds of the IMSA SportsCar Championship with PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports, winning the 6 Hours of The Glen and helping Matt McMurry to the title.[17][18]

For the 2019–20 WEC season, Aubry returned to Jackie Chan DC, with him and Tung being joined by Will Stevens. Until the commencement of the COVID-19 pandemic, Aubry and the team were firmly in the title race, having finished on the podium on five occasions.[19] Aubry missed the postponed Spa event due to a positive COVID-19-test, which he had contracted as a result of his dealings in the ELMS driving for Algarve Pro Racing, leaving him unable to be part of the championship picture.[20] A piece of redemption arrived in the final race at Bahrain, where Aubry charged past António Félix da Costa to take the team's final win in the category.[21]

The 2021 campaign saw Aubry join gentleman driver John Farano at Starworks-run Tower Motorsport for the entire IMSA season.[22] In a season where only three teams competed in all rounds, a pair of retirements became the duo's undoing, as they finished third in the standings despite winning the season-ending Petit Le Mans event.[23]

Going into 2022, Aubry transitioned to GT racing, joining Spirit of Race as their pro-ranked driver in the LMGTE Am class of the WEC.[24] The team struggled to achieve results, retiring from two of the opening three races before taking a season-best finish of fifth at Monza, one that left SoR 13th and last of all outfits in the teams' standings. The year also yielded no success in LMP2, as Aubry and bronze-rated Rob Hodes finished seventh and last in the Pro-Am subclass of the ELMS with Team Virage.[25]

Vector Sport became Aubry's new home in 2023, as he moved back to LMP2 on a full-time basis in the WEC.[26] Despite driving alongside two silvers in the form of Matthias Kaiser and Ryan Cullen, the French driver was able to showcase his pace, notably by qualifying second at Portimão, merely 0.001 seconds off polesitter Mirko Bortolotti.[27] He helped the team to finish seventh at Le Mans but got unlucky with a number of technical issues throughout the season, leaving him and Vector tenth overall.

Initially announced as one of Vector Sport's drivers for the 2024 European Le Mans Series campaign, Aubry was released via a phone call one week before pre-season testing to make way for Felipe Drugovich, in a decision the Frenchman described as having shocked him.[28]

Racing record

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2015 French F4 Championship Auto Sport Academy 21 1 1 4 10 227 3rd
2016 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Tech 1 Racing 15 0 0 0 0 35 12th
Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 9 0 0 0 0 76 18th
2017 Formula Renault Eurocup Tech 1 Racing 23 3 2 1 8 232 5th
Formula Renault NEC 9 3 2 1 4 115 5th
2017–18 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3 Jackie Chan DC Racing X Jota 2 1 0 0 1 37 6th
2018 GP3 Series Arden International 18 0 0 0 0 5 18th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Jackie Chan DC Racing 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 6th
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 IDEC Sport 2 0 0 0 0 14 16th
2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Jackie Chan DC Racing 8 3 3 0 6 166 2nd
2019 IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 4 2 2 3 3 130 4th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 Jackie Chan DC Racing 1 0 0 0 1 N/A 2nd
2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Jackie Chan DC Racing 7 1 1 0 5 128 7th
2020 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing 5 0 0 0 0 19.5 12th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - DPi JDC-Miller MotorSports 2 0 0 0 0 46 22nd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports 1 0 1 0 1 0 NC†
2021 IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 Tower Motorsport By Starworks 7 1 0 2 5 2012 3rd
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Panis Racing 1 0 0 0 1 18.5 20th
IDEC Sport 1 0 0 0 0
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 PR1 Motorsports 1 0 0 0 0 0 NC‡
Richard Mille Racing Team 1 0 0 0 0 8 23rd
FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar Alpine Elf Matmut Reserve driver
2022 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am Spirit of Race 6 0 0 0 0 16 22nd
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am 1 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Team Virage 6 0 0 0 0 0 26th
2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Vector Sport 7 0 0 0 0 29 16th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 7th
2024 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Nielsen Racing 1 0 0 0 0 0 25th

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
As Aubry was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.

Complete French F4 Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 Pos Points
2015 LÉD
1

4
LÉD
2

3
LÉD
3

6
LMS
1

16
LMS
2

16
LMS
3

14†
PAU
1

3
PAU
2

4
PAU
3

3
HUN
1

10
HUN
2

1
HUN
3

2
MAG
1

3
MAG
2

Ret
MAG
3

2
NAV
1

3
NAV
2

5
NAV
3

3
LEC
1

3
LEC
2

7
LEC
3

4
3rd 227

Complete Formula Renault Eurocup results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 Pos Points
2016 Tech 1 Racing ALC
1

Ret
ALC
2

10
ALC
3

11
MON
1

7
MNZ
1

Ret
MNZ
2

Ret
MNZ
1

5
RBR
1

14
RBR
2

12
LEC
1

15
LEC
2

4
SPA
1

6
SPA
2

Ret
EST
1

Ret
EST
2

15
12th 35
2017 Tech 1 Racing MNZ
1

3
MNZ
2

Ret
SIL
1

8
SIL
2

Ret
PAU
1

3
PAU
2

7
MON
1

7
MON
2

7
HUN
1

4
HUN
2

1
HUN
3

1
NÜR
1

9
NÜR
2

4
RBR
1

5
RBR
2

3
LEC
1

15
LEC
2

3
SPA
1

6
SPA
2

1
SPA
3

4
CAT
1

3
CAT
2

Ret
CAT
3

6
5th 232

Complete GP3 Series results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Pos Points
2018 Arden International CAT
FEA

12
CAT
SPR

Ret
LEC
FEA

15
LEC
SPR

Ret
RBR
FEA

16
RBR
SPR

Ret
SIL
FEA

Ret
SIL
SPR

Ret
HUN
FEA

10
HUN
SPR

13
SPA
FEA

13
SPA
SPR

11
MNZ
FEA

Ret
MNZ
SPR

Ret
SOC
FEA

11
SOC
SPR

6
YMC
FEA

15
YMC
SPR

14
18th 5

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Rank Points
2018–19 Jackie Chan DC Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SPA
1
LMS
4
SIL
1
FUJ
2
SHA
1
SEB
6
SPA
3
LMS
2
2nd 166
2019–20 Jackie Chan DC Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SIL
4
FUJ
2
SHA
2
BHR
3
COA
2
SPA
WD
LMS
DSQ
BHR
1
7th 128
2021 Richard Mille Racing Team LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SPA ALG MNZ LMS BHR
6
BHR 23rd 8
2022 Spirit of Race LMGTE Am Ferrari 488 GTE Evo Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 SEB
Ret
SPA
12
LMS
Ret
MNZ
5
FUJ
7
BHR
13
22nd 16
2023 Vector Sport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEB
9
ALG
11
SPA
Ret
LMS
5
MNZ
Ret
FUJ
7
BHR
NC
16th 29

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

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Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps Pos. Class
Pos.
2018   Jackie Chan DC Racing   Ho-Pin Tung
  Stéphane Richelmi
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 356 10th 6th
2019   Jackie Chan DC Racing   Ho-Pin Tung
  Stéphane Richelmi
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 367 7th 2nd
2020   Jackie Chan DC Racing   Ho-Pin Tung
  Will Stevens
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 141 DSQ DSQ
2021   PR1 Motorsports   Patrick Kelly
  Simon Trummer
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2
Pro-Am
261 DNF DNF
2022   Spirit of Race   Franck Dezoteux
  Pierre Ragues
Ferrari 488 GTE Evo GTE
Am
127 DNF DNF
2023   Vector Sport   Ryan Cullen
  Matthias Kaiser
Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 325 15th 7th

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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Year Entrant Class Chassis Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Rank Points
2018 IDEC Sport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC MNZ RBR SIL SPA
4‡
ALG
6
16th 14
2020 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC
10
SPA
9
LEC
5
MNZ
11
ALG
8
12th 19.5
2021 Panis Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT
2
RBR 20th 18.5
IDEC Sport LEC
15
MNZ SPA ALG
2022 Team Virage LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 LEC
15
IMO
Ret
MNZ
15
CAT
14
SPA
14
ALG
Ret
26th 0
Pro-Am Cup 5 Ret 6 6 6 NC 7th 34
2024 Nielsen Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT LEC IMO SPA MUG ALG
11
25th 0

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Entrant Class Make Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Rank Points
2019 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
4
SEB
2
MDO WGL
1
MOS ELK LGA PET
1
4th 130
2020 PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
2†
SEB ELK ATL
NC† 0†
JDC-Miller MotorSports DPi Cadillac DPi-V.R Cadillac 5.5 L V8 DAY MDO
8
PET
8
LGA SEB 22nd 46
2021 Tower Motorsport by Starworks LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 DAY
2†
SEB
3
WGL
4
WGL
3
ELK
2
LGA
2
PET
1
3rd 2012

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.

References

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  1. ^ "Andrea Margutti Trophy - KFJ 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  2. ^ Allen, Peter (16 December 2015). "Fenestraz and Aubry sign with Tech 1 for Formula Renault 2.0". PaddockScout.com. Retrieved 16 December 2015.
  3. ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup 2016 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  4. ^ "FIRST 2016 ENTRIES CONFIRMED FOR THE FORMULA RENAULT 2.0 NORTHERN EUROPEAN CUP". Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup. Renault Sport. 22 December 2015. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  5. ^ "Tech 1 Racing announces its four drivers for 2017". 6 December 2016. Archived from the original on 20 December 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2016.
  6. ^ Allen, Peter (2 July 2017). "Aubry takes second Hungaroring win after Fenestraz is penalised". Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  7. ^ Allen, Peter (23 September 2017). "Aubry beats Fenestraz to win second Eurocup Spa race". formulascout.com. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  8. ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 Eurocup 2017 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  9. ^ "Formula Renault 2.0 NEC 2017 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Databse. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  10. ^ Gruz, David (24 January 2018). "Arden signs Aubry for maiden GP3 campaign". Motorsport.com. Motorsport Network. Retrieved 24 January 2018.
  11. ^ "6 Hours of Buriram - Asian Le Mans Series 2017-2018 - Final results Qualifying" (PDF). Automobile Club de l'Ouest. 12 January 2018. Retrieved 12 January 2018.
  12. ^ Watkins, Gary (23 March 2018). "Le Mans class winner DC Racing to field all-Malaysian WEC line-up". autosport. Retrieved 23 March 2018.
  13. ^ "Fernando Alonso wins on WEC debut as Toyota takes 1-2 at Spa". crash.net. Crash Media Group. 5 May 2018. Retrieved 5 May 2018. Jackie Chan DC Racing was left to settle for second in LMP2 with its #38 Oreca, shared by Ho-Pin Tung, Gabriel Aubry and Stephane Richelmi, while Signatech Alpine Matmut rounded out the podium with Andre Negrao, Nicolas Lapierre and Pierre Thiriet in the #36 Alpine A470 Gibson.
  14. ^ "#8 Toyota Wins Third Race In A Row After Late Drama For #7 At Silverstone". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  15. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (2018-11-18). "Toyota Takes Shanghai Win; Aston Breaks Through in GTE – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  16. ^ "Le Mans 24 Hours: Wrapping Up LMP2, Full House For Signatech Alpine". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  17. ^ Dagys, John (December 19, 2018). "PR1/Mathiasen Confirms McMurry, Aubry for Oreca LMP2". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved December 19, 2018.
  18. ^ "#55 Mazda Makes History With Win At The Glen". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  19. ^ Dagys, John (2020-02-24). "COTA Post-Race Notebook – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  20. ^ "Algarve Pro & Gabriel Aubry To Miss 6 Hours of Spa Francorchamps". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  21. ^ "#7 Toyota & #95 Aston Martin Crews Secure FIA World Drivers Championships". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  22. ^ Dagys, John (January 12, 2021). "Starworks Set for Full Season Return". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved January 12, 2021.
  23. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (2021-11-14). "Aubry, Jensen Describe Tense Ending to Close LMP2 Race – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  24. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (31 January 2022). "Aubry to Make GT Debut in Spirit of Race Ferrari". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
  25. ^ Goodwin, Graham (18 February 2022). "Team Virage Confirm Gabriel Aubry and Jazeman Jaafar For 2022 ELMS LMP2 Effort". Dailysportscar. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  26. ^ Lloyd, Daniel (23 February 2023). "Aubry, Kaiser Join Vector Sport". sportscar365.com. John Dagys Media. Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  27. ^ Euwema, Davey (2023-04-15). "Toyota Locks Out Front Row in Portimao Qualifying – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-06-25.
  28. ^ GLO, Valentin (2024-03-18). "Gabriel Aubry évincé de Vector Sport : « Je suis choqué »". AutoHebdo (in French). Retrieved 2024-03-18.
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