British driver Ed Pearson will make his ELMS debut in the 4 Hours of Barcelona with Nielsen Racing.
The 19-year-old driver from Guildford in Surrey has spent the past three seasons in single seaters. In 2025 Pearson raced with Nielsen in the EuroFormula Open Championship, finishing fifth overall with wins in Portimao and Barcelona.
He has now decided to switch to endurance, racing the no24 Oreca-Gibson in the ultra-competitive LMP2 class. So why has Ed Pearson chosen to race in the ELMS with Nielsen Racing this season? “I decided to make the move to ELMS with Nielsen for 2026 after starting out in single seaters for 3 years,” he replied. “Some might say it was an interesting decision, but a decision I felt was right. After a year with Nielsen’s new formula 3 team, I saw a stepping stone into the LMP2 team. It’s always been a dream of mine, since I was a kid, to race at Le Mans, and doing ELMS is a great add on to that.”
So how does the Oreca 07 compare to the cars he’s raced previously? “The Oreca 07 is a very different car, I don’t think I’ve ever driven anything with so much power compared to it. It is an incredible car, with great balance. When I tested in Portimão for the first time, it changed my perception on racecars. It is a great car, and I can’t wait to race it this year!”
What are his thoughts on the tracks he’s raced on before and the ones he will see for the first time in 2026? “I’ve previously raced at all the tracks in this year’s ELMS calendar except for Imola, which I am very excited for, but I really can’t wait to race at all the tracks again in the Oreca. My favourites are, just to name a few, Spa, I love Silverstone of course as I am British, but overall, definitely Spa is a favourite and I can’t wait to go to Imola, and we will see how we get on. Hopefully we go well at all of them!”
What is the realistic goal for Ed Pearson in his first season in the ELMS? “My aim is to improve throughout the year, show the ability that I have,” he said. “As a team we’ve got the winner’s mentality, that’s why we are here: we are here to win, and we will do as best we can to get some really good results and hopefully, have a good season.”
As well as making his ELMS debut, Pearson will is also on the entry list for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans in June. “Le Mans has been a childhood dream of mine since the age of five, so to be racing in it at such a young age is going to be very special to me,” he admitted. “Doing Le Mans with the Nielsen guys is going to be great, I love them all very much, I got a very special relationship with all of them after working with the F3 team. I can’t wait to show my ability at one of the greatest races in the world.”
