This year will be Serra’s 10th Le Mans, and he will be joining his regular ELMS teammate Takeshi Kimura in the no57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 (pictured below). With Mathys Jaubert on Hypercar duty with Genesis Magma Racing, Danish driver Conrad Laursen is joining them in the brightly coloured Car Guy sponsored Ferrari for the world’s greatest endurance race.
The ELMS season started well for the Ferrari crew, with a third-place finish in Spain and victory in Le Castellet, putting them at the top of the LMGT3 standings. So what are Daniel Serras thoughts on the start to the 2026 season?
“This year we had the best start to the season we have had in years,” Serra said, “but that is thanks to the team, which is working very hard. Kimura-san has also improved a lot. But we need to keep this up and keep improving, the competition is very high and with the success ballast we have now, we have to understand how to work with a car like that.”
Daniel Serra has been racing with Takeshi Kimura for a few seasons, with Mathys Jaubert joining the team after a successful ELMS debut with IDEC Sport in 2025. What does he think of his teammates? “Kimura-san is a very committed driver, he always wants to improve, he is always checking the on-board videos, and he has really evolved over the year,” Serra said. “Mathys does not need many words, he is a super quick driver and it´s great to have him in the team. We have a very strong line-up for the season.”
While the 24 Hours of Le Mans isn’t part of the ELMS but is a very important part of endurance across the world. What makes Le Mans special for Daniel Serra, and does he have any special memories from the nine previous races? “Le Mans is the favourite race for most drivers and especially for me, as I love the long endurance formats of a 24-hour-race. There is so much involved! My best memories are surely from the years 2017 and also in 2019, when I won with Ferrari.
“I don´t think of Le Mans as being a lot of pressure. We are well-prepared, the two races in the ELMS season have given us the confidence to go there. Le Mans is one of my favourite race tracks, not just because of the layout but also for the format, but my favourite part is the Porsche curves.”
So, what is the key to a good result at Le Mans? “I don´t think there is one key point to Le Mans,” Serra admitted. “There are a lot of things, all the preparation before the race, everyone is really committed and understands the target of the race. It´s all the hard work we put in before the race and during.”
With 25 cars on the LMGT3 grid at Le Mans this year, what would Daniel Serra consider to be a good result at 4pm on Sunday 14 June? “Our target is to win Le Mans, because you never remember who came second. That is our goal, not an easy one, but we will give our best.”
The 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans is the 94th edition of the race that was first run in 1923 and will take place on 13/14 June. CLICK HERE for more information on the event.
