Francois Perrodo has been one of the fastest Bronze drivers in the field for quite a few years by now, no matter if it’s been in the FIA World Endurance Championship, the European Le Mans Series, or the Asian Le Mans Series.
The rapid French driver has been racing in the LMP2 Pro/Am category for the past few years, and that’s the category of choice too for the 2026 edition of Le Mans.
Racing24-7.net spoke with him during the scrutineering in Le Mans town centre, prior to the cars being on track for the first time..
This is your fourteenth consecutive Le Mans. What’s bringing you back to this race year after year?
“Well, it’s the myth, the legends, and yeah, you’re right. I mean, it’s like you could start telling yourself, you know what, there must be something else to do, but I’ve actually been lucky to do some other really long races, but Le Mans is so special. It’s the big one, it’s the one everybody wants to race. It’s in France, you know, so I’m French, and the public’s amazing. The track’s really cool, you know. It’s like, uh, as you know, it’s like an open-road track for most of the parts, so it’s just really special, and the novelty doesn’t wear out.”
Photo: JJ Media
And running an LMP2 Pro-Am again this year — you won the class two years ago. Do you think you’ve got a chance of a third class win in total this year?
“I think, yeah, you’re right, it would be a third class win after GTE Am and LMP2 Pro-Am. I think we do, but I also think that the field has never been stronger. So, I mean, it takes a lot to win Le Mans and, dare I say, even a little bit of luck. So we’ll see about this year, but, you know, we’ve got a good line-up. The car’s nice, the team’s amazing. I think everybody’s ready, so we’ll see, you know.”
And one of the challenges you always have is this year it’s Ben coming in for one race, but that constantly evolving line-up of people is different from the ELMS programme.
“Yeah, so on one hand, I see what you’re saying. You know, change — it’s always like change is a bit disruptive. But the good thing with Ben is that, first of all, he’s one of my best mates, he’s a great guy. We won Le Mans together two years ago, we won the ELMS championship as well. He knows Matthieu, they get along really well. That’s so important because the race is 24 hours, but the whole event is 10 days, so we literally live together for 10 days, 24/7. So it’s important to be with good teammates and, yeah, even though he only does a one-off this year for us, I feel very lucky and privileged to race with him because he’s a great guy.”
Photo: JJ Media
Is part of the Le Mans bug, also a love-hate relationship? I mean, there are so many highs and some years very low lows.
“Yeah, no, for sure. I mean, I think over the past fourteen years, I can say that I’ve had it all, you know. I’ve had some retirements, I’ve had some crashes, had some massive penalties, I’ve had some wins, I’ve had some podiums. So it’s almost like a lesson of life, you know. It’s like you go through highs and lows, and that’s what Le Mans is all about. So let’s hope this year is going to be a high.”
Yeah. And the margins are so narrow.
“No, no, the level is insane. Insane. I mean, in a way, that’s what’s cool, you know. And it’s reflected also in the ELMS, particularly with the Bronze level. It’s just gone so high now. Some of those Bronzes are literally within a second of the pros, which I’m very envious about. But, you know, it’s not just about speed when you’re a Bronze, and I certainly know that. So hopefully we can keep our heads cool and do a good race.”
Are you back here again next month for the Classic?
“No, unfortunately there’s a clash this year with ELMS Imola, same as last year. So I’ll be in Imola, which is an amazing track, but yeah, I’ll miss Le Mans Classic.”
Francois Perrodo, Ben Barnicoat, and Matthieu Vaxiviere in AF Corse #183 was the fastest LMP2 car during the morning practice on Sunday, while they were third fastest overall, and second fastest in the afternoon session, amongst the LMP2 Pro/Am cars.
