Ben Hanley

Benjamin Michael Hanley (born 22 January 1985) is a British racing driver who was a part of Renault F1 Team's Renault Driver Development Program from 2006 to 2008.[1] He raced two seasons part time in the NTT IndyCar Series.[2] Currently he is racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, European Le Mans Series, and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Dragonspeed Racing.

Benjamin Hanley
Hanley at the 2019 Indianapolis 500
Nationality British
Born (1985-01-22) 22 January 1985 (age 39)
Manchester, England
FIA World Endurance Championship career
Debut season2017
Current teamDragonSpeed
Racing licence FIA Gold
Car number21
Former teamsTDS Racing
G-Drive Racing
CEFC Manor TRS Racing
Team LNT
Starts26
Championships0
Wins0
Poles0
Fastest laps0
Best finish11th in 2021
Finished last season13th
Previous series
2005
2006–07
2008
2008
Formula Renault 2.0 Italia
Formula Renault 3.5 Series
GP2 Asia Series
GP2 Series
Championship titles
2022Asian Le Mans Series

Career

Hanley driving at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans for Nielsen Racing.

Hanley had a successful career in karting, winning a number of championships and individual races and coming close to winning the Karting World Championship. He made his debut in Single-seater cars in the 2005 Formula Renault 2.0 Italia series, and finished 3rd driving for Cram Competition. He then raced in the Formula Renault 3.5 Series in 2006 and in 2007 he finished as runner-up in the championship, driving for Prema Powerteam.[1] He was signed to drive for Campos Racing in early 2008, partnering Vitaly Petrov.[3] He also joined the team for the second round of the 2008 GP2 Asia Series, scoring a podium finish in his first GP2 race. After three races of the season Hanley and Campos parted company, but he secured a drive with Durango before the next race.[4] He replaced Marcello Puglisi, who was in turn deputising for the injured Davide Valsecchi. However, this was only a one-off drive, as Valsecchi returned to racing action at the next round of the championship.[5] He began 2009 without a drive, but joined the Euroseries 3000 mid-season and won during his first event in the category. He also returned to karting in 2009, finishing third in the Karting World Championship.[6]

IndyCar

On December 17, 2018, it was announced that Hanley would compete in 5 IndyCar races, including the 103rd Indianapolis 500, with DragonSpeed in 2019. Only three of those races were fulfilled because of visa issues, and he could not compete in the Championship beyond the Indianapolis 500. The No. 81 qualified 27th and then Finished 32nd in the race after a mechanical issue.

In January 2020 it was confirmed that he would return with Dragonspeed.[7] The team planned to enter 6 races, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic the St. Petersburg, Long Beach, Mid-Ohio and Laguna Seca races were cancelled, and the team did not field an entry for Texas. On August 8, the team announced that Hanley would drive their entry for the Indianapolis 500, which was held on August 23. With little preparation time, the team had numerous mechanical issues in practice, resulting in qualifying in the 33rd and last position. The car finished the race in 23rd place.

On October 28, 2020 the team shuttered their IndyCar Series program and sold their IndyCar assets to Meyer Shank Racing, citing the team "being taken back two years" due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Team Owner Elton Julian left open the possibility of returning to the series when "the next big thing happens for IndyCar" if the resources were available.[8]

Racing record

Career summary

SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition
2005Formula Renault 2.0 ItaliaCram Competition1762942643rd
Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0200010NC†
Formula Renault 3.5 Series20000039th
Formula Renault UKTeam AKA200002128th
2006Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesCram Competition171032558th
2007Formula Renault 3.5 SeriesPrema Powerteam1720361022nd
2008GP2 Asia SeriesBarwa International Campos Team60001615th
GP2 Series60000124th
Durango200000
2009Euroseries 3000Fisichella Motor Sport61012236th
2010Superleague FormulaOlympiacos CFP1011336534th
2016European Le Mans Series - LMP2DragonSpeed61004764th
2017FIA World Endurance Championship – LMP2TDS Racing100005317th
G-Drive Racing10000
CEFC Manor TRS Racing50001
European Le Mans Series - LMP2DragonSpeed602214011th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - Prototype100002139th
24 Hours of Le Mans – LMP2Dragonspeed - 10 Star10000N/A12th
2018European Le Mans Series - LMP2DragonSpeed6011250.57th
24 Hours of Le Mans10000N/ADNF
2018–19FIA World Endurance ChampionshipDragonSpeed600008.528th
2019European Le Mans Series - LMP2DragonSpeed51101478th
IndyCar Series300003130th
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2101113013th
24 Hours of Le Mans10000N/ADNF
2019–20FIA World Endurance ChampionshipTeam LNT4000127.515th
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2DragonSpeed200000NC†
2020European Le Mans Series - LMP2DragonSpeed with Racing Engineering100005.523rd
DragonSpeed30000
IndyCar Series100001433rd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2DragonSpeed USA220023513th
2021FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2DragonSpeed USA6000042.511th
European Le Mans Series - LMP230000133rd
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2100000NC‡
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A10th
2022Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2Nielsen Racing422041041st
European Le Mans Series - LMP2600001516th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A16th
2023IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2CrowdStrike Racing by APR7221519582nd
Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2Nielsen Racing40001396th
European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Pro-Am60003754th
24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/ADNF
FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2United Autosports300013813th
2024European Le Mans Series - LMP2United Autosports20101262nd*
IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2United Autosports USA201005259th*

As Hanley was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.* Season still in progress.

Complete Formula Renault 3.5 Series results

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

YearEntrant1234567891011121314151617DCPoints
2005Cram CompetitionZOL
1
ZOL
2
MON
1
VAL
1
VAL
2
LMS
1
LMS
2
BIL
1
BIL
2
OSC
1
OSC
2
DON
1
DON
2
EST
1

17
EST
2

Ret
MNZ
1
MNZ
2
39th0
2006Cram CompetitionZOL
1

10
ZOL
2

17†
MON
1

Ret
IST
1

Ret
IST
2

4
MIS
1

1
MIS
2

2
SPA
1

Ret
SPA
2

7
NÜR
1

10
NÜR
2

13
DON
1

10
DON
2

6
LMS
1

10
LMS
2

20†
CAT
1

16
CAT
2

7
8th55
2007Prema PowerteamMNZ
1

Ret
MNZ
2

9
NÜR
1

2
NÜR
2

7
MON
1

6
HUN
1

3
HUN
2

4
SPA
1

3
SPA
2

2
DON
1

16
DON
2

Ret
MAG
1

1
MAG
2

14
EST
1

Ret
EST
2

23
CAT
1

9
CAT
2

1
2nd102

Complete GP2 Series results

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

YearEntrant1234567891011121314151617181920DCPts
2008Barwa International Campos TeamCAT
FEA

Ret
CAT
SPR

9
IST
FEA

17
IST
SPR

6
MON
FEA

16
MON
SPR

14
24th1
DurangoMAG
FEA

Ret
MAG
SPR

Ret
SIL
FEA
SIL
SPR
HOC
FEA
HOC
SPR
HUN
FEA
HUN
SPR
VAL
FEA
VAL
SPR
SPA
FEA
SPA
SPR
MNZ
FEA
MNZ
SPR

Complete GP2 Asia Series results

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

YearEntrant12345678910DCPoints
2008Barwa International Campos TeamDUB1
FEA
DUB1
SPR
SEN
FEA

3
SEN
SPR

16
SEP
FEA

Ret
SEP
SPR

14
BHR
FEA

Ret
BHR
SPR

10
DUB2
FEA

Ret
DUB2
SPR

Ret
15th6

Superleague Formula

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

YearTeamOperator12345678910NC11PositionPoints
2010Olympiacos CFPGU-Racing InternationalSILASSMAGJARNÜRZOLBRHADRPORORDBEINAV4th653
3103145914C128X

† Non-championship event.

Complete European Le Mans Series results

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

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456RankPoints
2016DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 05Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8SIL
Ret
IMO
3
RBR
Ret
LEC
3
SPA
1
EST
2
4th76
2017DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SIL
10
MNZ
2
RBR
Ret
LEC
7
SPA
5
ALG
9
11th40
2018DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8LEC
Ret
MNZ
4
RBR
5
SIL
2
SPA
2‡
ALG
13
7th50.5
2019DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8LEC
1
MNZCAT
10
SIL
4
SPA
7
ALG
9
8th47
2020DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8LEC
8
SPA
14
MNZ
DSQ
ALG23rd5.5
DragonSpeed with Racing EngineeringLEC
10
2021DragonSpeed USALMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8CAT
Ret
RBR
12
LEC
WD
MNZ
17
SPAALG33rd1
2022Nielsen RacingLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8LEC
13
IMO
12
MNZ
6
CAT
7
SPA
11
ALG
10
16th15
2023Nielsen RacingLMP2 Pro-AmOreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8CAT
4
LEC
4
ARA
2
SPA
Ret
ALG
2
ALG
3
4th75
2024United AutosportsLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8CAT
3
LEC
5
IMO
SPA
MUG
ALG
2nd*26*

Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.
* Season still in progress.

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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

YearTeamClassMakeEngine12345678910Pos.Points
2017DragonSpeedPOreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8DAY
10
SEBLBHCOADETWGLMOSELKLGAPET39th21
2019DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8DAY
3
SEBMDOWGLMOSELKLGAPET13th30
2020DragonSpeed USALMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8DAY
1†
SEBELK
1
ATLPETLGA
SEB
13th35
2021DragonSpeed USALMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8DAY
10†
SEBWGLWGLELKLGAPETNC†0†
2023CrowdStrike Racing by APRLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 V8DAY
2†
SEB
5
LGA
3
WGL
1
ELK
7
IMS
3
PET
1
2nd1958
2024United Autosports USALMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 V8DAY
6
SEB
10
WGL
MOS
ELK
IMS
PET
9th*525*

Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.* Season still in progress.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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

YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456789RankPoints
2017TDS RacingLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SILSPA
9
LMS17th53
G-Drive RacingNÜR
6
CEFC Manor TRS RacingMEX
3
COA
6
FUJ
5
SHA
9
BHR
6
2018–19DragonSpeedLMP1BR Engineering BR1Gibson GL458 4.5 L V8SPA
DNS
LMS
Ret
SIL
25
FUJ
Ret
SHA
6
SEB
Ret
SPALMS
Ret
28th8.5
2019–20Team LNTLMP1Ginetta G60-LT-P1AER P60C 2.4 L Turbo V6SIL
3
FUJ
11
SHA
4
BHR
Ret
15th27.5
DragonSpeedLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8COA
9
SPALMS
12
BHRNC†0
2021DragonSpeed USALMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SPA
7
ALG
8
MNZ
6
LMS
5
BHR
11
BHR
10
11th42.5
2022Nielsen RacingLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SEBSPALMS
16
MNZFUJBHRNC†0†
2023United AutosportsLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8SEBALG
2
SPALMSMNZ
6
FUJ
4
BHR13th38

Not eligible for points.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

YearTeamCo-DriversCarClassLapsPos.Class
Pos.
2017 Dragonspeed - 10 Star Henrik Hedman
Felix Rosenqvist
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP234314th12th
2018 DragonSpeed Henrik Hedman
Renger van der Zande
BR Engineering BR1-GibsonLMP1244DNFDNF
2019 DragonSpeed Henrik Hedman
Renger van der Zande
BR Engineering BR1-GibsonLMP176DNFDNF
2020 DragonSpeed USA Henrik Hedman
Renger van der Zande
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP236116th12th
2021 DragonSpeed USA Henrik Hedman
Juan Pablo Montoya
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP235615th10th
LMP2 Pro-Am1st
2022 Nielsen Racing Matt Bell
Rodrigo Sales
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP236220th16th
2023 Nielsen Racing Mathias Beche
Rodrigo Sales
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP218DNFDNF
LMP2 Pro-Am
2024 United Autosports USA Filipe Albuquerque
Ben Keating
Oreca 07-GibsonLMP227242nd13th
LMP2 Pro-Am6th

American open-wheel racing results

(key)

IndyCar Series

(key)

YearTeamChassisNo.Engine1234567891011121314151617RankPointsRef
2019DragonSpeedDallara DW1281ChevroletSTP
18
COAALA
21
LBHIMSINDY
32
DETDETTXSRDATORIOWMDOPOCGTWPORLAG30th31[9]
2020TXSIMSROAROAIOWIOWINDY
23
GTWGTWMDOMDOIMSIMSSTP33rd14[10]

Indianapolis 500

YearChassisEngineStartFinishTeam
2019DallaraChevrolet2732DragonSpeed
2020DallaraChevrolet3323DragonSpeed

References

Sporting positions
Preceded by Asian Le Mans Series
LMP2 Champion

2022
With: Matt Bell & Rodrigo Sales
Succeeded by
Preceded by Michelin Endurance Cup
LMP2 Champion

2023
With: George Kurtz
Succeeded by
Incumbent