F1 legend Lewis Hamilton in 'unique' Le Mans announcement

Lewis Hamilton

F1 legend Lewis Hamilton in 'unique' Le Mans announcement

Lewis Hamilton was part of a Le Mans announcement

Sheona Mountford F1 Journalist

Motorsport journalist working in F1 since 2024.

Wednesday 20 May 2026 08:27

Seven-time F1 champion Lewis Hamilton has taken on an exciting new role with the iconic circuit that is home to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Endurance racing has found a whole new audience thanks to Max Verstappen's exploits at the Nurburgring in the past eight months, finally taking on the 24-hour race last weekend, but the No. 3 team were cruelly denied their victory.

Alongside delivering F1 fans to the event, it has also captured the interest of several of Verstappen's colleagues, with Kimi Antonelli expressing interest in earning his DMSB Nordschleife permit - although Mercedes have stated the Italian won't be taking on the Nurburgring anytime soon.

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Far from being the only landmark endurance race on the 2026 calendar, the motorsport fanbase eagerly awaits the legendary race, and third round of the World Endurance Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The 2026 iteration of the iconic event takes place Wednesday, June 10 through to Sunday, June 14 - clashing with F1's Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix this year.

While there will be no active driver on the current F1 grid racing at Le Mans this year, Hamilton has leant his name to the historic race in a unique way.

Hamilton named as patron of new Le Mans museum

Hamilton has been announced as a patron, and will help launch, the all new M24 Museum, built on the site of the former 24 Hours of Le Mans Museum at the entrance to the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans.

The new museum will be dedicated to motorsport in all of its forms, with the new venture being conceived by Richard Mille and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest.

Expected to open on Thursday, May 28, the new M24 museum will also be accessible and free for 24 Hours of Le Mans ticket holders in June.

M24 is described as: "The place where motorsport tells its own story, to people who may know nothing of it. It is an exceptional collection of cars, objects, archives, and stories that come together to recreate a century of passion, innovation and courage.

"M24 embraces the whole spectrum of motorsport: Formula 1, endurance, rallying, motorcycle racing, single-seater racing and more. The collection is composed of history-making cars, each in their discipline."

Amongst the promised exhibits is a piece of Hamilton history, the Mercedes W09, in which Hamilton won his fifth F1 world title in 2018, and will be on display at the entrance of the M24.

On the new museum, and his role as its patron, Hamilton said: "What’s been built here is more than a traditional car museum, it’s a home for motorsport, a place that tells stories of races, of people and technology that have made Le Mans and motorsport so special.

"M24 also brings together an incredible collection of race cars and memorabilia, including one of the biggest collections of F1 cars anywhere in the world. Alongside other legendary cars they make this place truly unique."

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