Thomas Neubauer is the latest addition to the ranks of the Ferrari official drivers. Born on 8 June 1999 in Paris, he began his carrier in kart racing before progressing to Formula Renault single-seaters. In 2019, he made his debut in the Maranello manufacturer’s Ferrari Challenge Trofeo Pirelli Europe one-make series.
The French driver then made the permanent switch to the world of closed-wheel racing, and GT racing in particular, competing in endurance events from 2021 onwards. In five seasons of Ferrari Challenge Neubauer contested 34 races and was crowned champion at the Finali Mondiali in the Trofeo Pirelli in 2022. Perhaps his most striking success, however, came in June 2023 on the track at Le Mans, when the Prancing Horse’s single-marque series was the supporting event to the 24 Hours, on the eve of the extraordinary triumph of the number 51 499P.
In 2024, Thomas Neubauer is competing in the GT World Challenge Europe – Endurance Cup, the championship in which he secured a title in the Silver class in 2022 to go with the title he won in the Sprint in 2019. Thomas has already had other successes in endurance racing, including victories in the 24 Hours of Dubai and the 24 Hours of Nürburgring in the SP10 class. And he has already taken part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice – in 2021 and 2023, competing on both occasions in the LMGTE Am class in a Ferrari 488 GTE.
This year, Thomas Neubauer is driving the AF Corse – Francorchamps Motors number 71 Ferrari 296 GT3 which he is sharing with Vincent Abril and David Vidales. The car is racing in the overall category for Pro crews. The first leg of the season at Paul Ricard proved tricky, with the three young drivers finishing in 17th place, but the trio are looking to bounce back straight away, starting with the challenging but spectacular 24 Hours of Spa (scheduled for 29-30 June).
Neubauer is confident about the rest of the season: “We’ll be competing on really great circuits this year; we know some of them well, such as Spa-Francorchamps, where I can’t wait to race. But Jeddah is interesting too: it’s the first time outside Europe with the GT World Challenge. I’m sure we’ll really enjoy ourselves on a street circuit where the walls are so close – it’s a very different challenge to those we’re used to.”
Securing official Ferrari status is an important achievement for the Parisian driver: “Ferrari is one of the world’s best known car marques: being an official driver is really special, the majority of my fellow drivers would like to be in my shoes. I aim to enjoy every opportunity I have to race for the Prancing Horse.”