Le Mans Cup: Léna Bühler competes remarkable recovery to score top 5 at Spa
- RACERS
- Aug 25
- 4 min read
Léna Bühler delivered another brilliant race in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, where together with her 23Events Racing teammate Matteo Quintarelli, the duo charged from an unfortunate qualifying to secure fifth place at Spa-Francorchamps, keeping themselves firmly in contention for the LMP3 title.
Léna Bühler delivered another brilliant race in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, where together with her 23Events Racing teammate Matteo Quintarelli, the duo charged from an unfortunate qualifying to secure fifth place in the fourth round of the season at Spa-Francorchamps, keeping themselves firmly in contention for the LMP3 title.
Midway through her rookie season in prototype racing, Swiss driver Léna Bühler has emerged as one of the most promising up-and-coming sportscar prospects graduating from single-seaters. After showcasing great potential in F4 competitions, she gained experience in the ultra-competitive FRECA before winning races in the inaugural F1 Academy championship, where she finished vice-champion.
In 2025, Bühler stepped up to LMP3 in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, on the ladder towards the European Le Mans Series. She immediately proved competitive, running among the frontrunners overall: driving the #50 23Events Racing Ligier with fellow LMP3 rookie Quintarelli, the pair secured pole positions and consistently battled at the sharp end of the field.
From leading most sessions at the opener in Barcelona – where Bühler recovered from being spun on first-lap to finish in the top five – to another strong run at Le Castellet, where a penalty dropped them out of podium contention, the breakthrough finally came at the biggest event of the season: Road To Le Mans, in support of the legendary 24 Hours.
At La Sarthe, Bühler made history by becoming the first woman to win a Le Mans Cup race outright, climbing the most prestigious podium with a stunning victory in race 2, in only her fourth LMP3 start. Thanks to a string of strong results throughout the first half of the season, Bühler arrived at Spa in a strong position in the championship standings, returning to a circuit she last raced in during FRECA in 2021.
The weekend began positively with sixth place in FP1 (2:13.033) and more promise in FP2, where the #50 Ligier topped the timesheets with a 2:12.323 lap. As always, the team’s strength lay in both drivers running closely matched lap times, fueling optimism for the two-hour race.
Saturday morning Quintarelli took the wheel for the LMP3 qualifying session, held in extremely challenging wet conditions. His first timed lap put the #50 car third fastest with a 2:34.354, but worsening rain and visibility issues saw him drop to ninth, then 13th, before the session was red-flagged when Alvise Rodella spun and crashed at Raidillon. With the session not resumed, the 23Events Racing crew faced a tough task from P13 on the grid.
Saturday afternoon Bühler started the two-hour race, lining up in the #50 Ligier LMP3. She made a clean getaway from the midfield, gaining two positions at La Source to move into the top ten overall with smart driving.
Drama unfolded immediately in GT3, where a multi-car collision at the Bus Stop chicane brought out the Safety Car. At the restart, Bühler was immediately on the pace from P10, setting purple sectors and charging through the field. When the #30 CD Sport Duqueine suffered a major engine failure at Eau Rouge in a cloud of smoke, Bühler stayed out of trouble, seized the opportunity and climbed to P7 just before another neutralization.
Back to green with 1h17m remaining, Bühler kept her cool, defending strongly from gold-rated Colin Noble before setting her sights on Gravlund in the #16 Virage Ligier. She pulled clear of Noble and closed in, running consistently in the 2:15s before setting successive personal bests – a 2:14.899, then improved to 2:14.616 – to stay in striking distance of the cars ahead.
As the pit window approached, Bühler’s pace remained superb before handing over to Quintarelli on lap 18. Despite a slightly delayed pit stop, the Italian rejoined in P10 and soon fought back to seventh, chasing Bence Valint in the #25 Reiter Engineering Ligier.
A Full Course Yellow for debris on Kemmel came just as Quintarelli gained sixth, putting him in striking distance of Edgar Pierre’s #86 R-Ace GP Duqueine. Lap by lap, he closed the gap and made the move stick for fifth. From there, Quintarelli charged again, targeting the #16 Virage Ligier, running a second per lap quicker as he pulled away from Valint.
With 12 minutes to go, Quintarelli joined the battle for the podium. He overtook for fourth with six minutes remaining, then fought hard with Rousset in the #29 Forestier Racing car. The two traded places multiple times, with Valint also joining the fray in a thrilling finale.
Ultimately, Bühler and Quintarelli crossed the line in fifth, completing another stellar recovery from a challenging qualifying. Their second top-five finish of the season added a strong points haul, leaving 23Events Racing sixth in the LMP3 standings on 43 points – just four points adrift of second in a tightly contested classification.
With everything still to play for, Léna Bühler remains in the championship fight as the series heads to Silverstone for round five on 12–13 September.
