| Paul-Loup Chatin | |
|---|---|
 Chatin at the2025 6 Hours of São Paulo | |
| Nationality |  French |
| Born | (1991-10-19)19 October 1991 (age 34) Dourdan, France |
| ELMS – LMP2 career | |
| Debut season | 2014 |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver(until 2014) FIA Gold(2015–)[1] |
| Former teams | Signatech Alpine,Panis Barthez Compeitition,IDEC Sport |
| Starts | 53 (53 entries) |
| Wins | 7 |
| Poles | 5 |
| Fastest laps | 2 |
| Best finish | 1st in2014,2019 |
| Previous series | |
| 2013 2011–12 2011–12 2010 | ELMS – LMPC Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps F4 Eurocup 1.6 |
| Championship titles | |
| 2014,2019 2013 | ELMS – LMP2 ELMS – LMPC |
| Awards | |
| 2014 2013 | ELMS LMP2 Driver of the Year ELMS Revelation of the Year |
Paul-Loup Chatin (born 19 October 1991) is a French professionalracing driver. He has had notable successes within theLMP2 class, winning theEuropean Le Mans Series in 2014 and 2019, as well as pole positions at the2018 and2023 iterations of the24 Hours of Le Mans.[2][3] Other achievements include a class victory at the2021 24 Hours of Daytona and the LMP2 title in the2023 IMSA SportsCar Championship.[4][5]
He competed in theFIA World Endurance Championship forAlpine Endurance Team before switching to the newGenesis Magma Racing project ahead of the2026 season.[6]
Born inDourdan, Chatin began hiskarting career in 2006 at the age of 14, progressing to the KF2 category by 2008.[7]
Chatin made his début in single-seaters in2010, joining theF4 Eurocup 1.6 series. Chatin finished fourth in the championship, with two wins atSilverstone, behind his future Eurocup rivalsStoffel Vandoorne andNorman Nato.[8]
In2011, he graduated to theEurocup Formula Renault 2.0 series, with theTech 1 Racing team.[9] He finished ninth with a win on home soil atLe Castellet, and another podium finish, at Silverstone.[10][11] He also had a full-time campaign inFormula Renault 2.0 Alps with the same team, collecting three consecutive victories at theHungaroring and Le Castellet, finally finishing third in the championship.[12]
For the2012 season, Chatin remained in the Eurocup with Tech 1.[13] He improved to sixth in the championship, but failed to achieve a victory during the campaign. He defended his third position inFormula Renault 2.0 Alps, losing the title fight toDaniil Kvyat and Nato.[14]
In2013, Chatin decided to switch to sports car racing, joiningTeam Endurance Challenge in the LMPC category of theEuropean Le Mans Series.[15] In a class with just two full-time entries, Chatin and teammate Gary Hirsch won the series title thanks to three wins atImola,Spielberg and the Hungaroring. He won the award for being the series' Revelation of the Year.[16]
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For the2014 ELMS season, Chatin moved to the LMP2 category, joining theSignatech Alpine squad alongsideNelson Panciatici andOliver Webb. The team were victorious at Spielberg, where Chatin's performance was described as "disciplined and strategic", and scored another two podiums. on their way to the championship title.[17][18][19][20] A fifth place atEstoril was enough to clinch the title for Alpine.[21] Chatin and his teammates also contested the24 Hours of Le Mans. In spite of a suspension issue that struck whilst Chatin was second on Sunday, the team finished third in LMP2.[22][23] After the season concluded, Chatin was named the ELMS's LMP2 Driver of the Year.[16]
Remaining with Signatech Alpine, Chatin progressed to theFIA World Endurance Championship in 2015.[24] In spite of retirements atSilverstone andLe Mans, the campaign proved to be a success, as the team finished second atFuji and won atShanghai on their way to fourth in the standings.[citation needed]
Chatin returned to the ELMS in2016, partnering Timothé Buret and former French football goalkeeperFabien Barthez.[25] The team struggled despite Chatin's speed, proven by a fastest lap at Silverstone and a pole position in Imola, scoring a best result of seventh four times to finish eighth overall. The following year, Chatin sat out a lot of the season because of his studies, though he made two appearances in the ELMS, driving the final two races forIDEC Sport Racing.[26][27]
2018 saw the beginning of the full-time partnership between Chatin and IDEC Sport, with the Frenchman being fielded in theELMS alongsideMemo Rojas andPaul Lafargue, the silver-ranked son of team owner Patrice Lafargue.[28] Chatin led the outfit to a pair of third places, their first podiums in the series, as well as scoring the team's maiden pole positions atLe Castellet and Spielberg.[29][30][31] These performances contributed to a third-placed finish at the end of the year. Additionally, Chatin and his teammates competed atLe Mans, where the Frenchman scored pole in qualifying.[32]
Reunited with Lafargue, Rojas, and IDEC Sport for the2019 season, Chatin would start the year off with two runner-up finishes, before taking a pole position at Barcelona.[33] At round 4 in Silvertsone, the team benefited from a late fuel-related pit stop for rivalsG-Drive Racing to take its first win in the ELMS.[34] At the following round in Spa, a crash for Chatin at Raidillon during practice forced IDEC to miss qualifying, though thanks to the sourcing of a new chassis the team recovered to sixth on Sunday.[35][36] Chatin redeemed himself during the season finale in Portugal, charging through to take the lead fromPhil Hanson before holding on to win the race and, by extension, the championship.[37]
Thepandemic-affected2020 campaign proved to be challenging for Chatin, who was joined by Lafargue as well asRichard Bradley for the year.[38] The trio managed a highest finish of seventh place and ended the season ninth in the teams' championship, with Chatin missing a race after contractingCOVID-19.[39] In 2021, Chatin and Lafargue partneredPatrick Pilet in theELMS.[40] In a quiet season, IDEC Sport ended up ninth in the teams' standings. That year did not fail to yield success for Chatin however, as he won the24 Hours of Daytona in class for Era Motorsport.[41]
In2022, the trio of French drivers remained at IDEC, which reverted to a one-car operation.[42] During the first half of the season, Chatin and his teammates took three successive top 5 finishes, with the highlight being an imposing late stint by the French driver atMonza which brought victory back to the team.[43] After this, the season brought disappointment, as IDEC fell back to fifth place by the end of the year.[citation needed]
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Chatin remained in theELMS for his sixth full season at IDEC Sport in 2023, partnering Lafargue and GermanLMP3 graduateLaurents Hörr.[44] Though the squad failed to win a race, Chatin was able to lead IDEC to fifth in the standings with two LMP2 Pro class podiums and a pole position at the final event inPortimão. At the24 Hours of Le Mans meanwhile, Chatin took LMP2 pole for the second time in his career, before putting the team in contention for a class podium — the chances of which were reduced to zero due to a late puncture.[45] The 2023 season also saw Chatin compete in theIMSA SportsCar Championship forPR1/Mathiasen Motorsports alongside gentleman driverBen Keating.[46] Joined by silver-ranked rookieAlex Quinn at the endurance events, the duo took four podiums from seven races, including a win atRoad America, and clinched the LMP2 class title with a runner-up result atPetit Le Mans.[47][48]
Ahead of the 2024 season, Chatin was announced to be joining theAlpine Endurance Team as a factory driver.[49] As a result, he was chosen as one of the team's drivers in theLe Mans Hypercar category of theWEC, where he,Charles Milesi, andFerdinand Habsburg would drive the No. 35Alpine A424.[50][51] Their season started well with a seventh place in the opening round atQatar. Following a testing crash for Habsburg before theImola race, Chatin replaced him atCool Racing for the first two rounds of theELMS season, before replacingRitomo Miyata ahead ofround three.[52][53] In the WEC meanwhile, the next points finish came atSpa with a ninth place. Chatin qualified the No. 35 sixth atLe Mans, but the team retired early on with an engine failure.[54][55] A standout result of fifth was achieved inAustin, though Chatin did not score points as he did not complete his minimum drive time.[56] After sitting out the penultimate round inFuji, Chatin returned atBahrain and led the team to fourth with a charging final stint.[57][58] This helped the team to finish fourth in the manufacturers' standings.[59]
Chatin also drove in theIMSA SportsCar Championship withAO Racing during 2024, scoring a best class result of third atRoad America.[60][61]
In 2025, Chatin returned to Alpine's No. 35WEC lineup alongside Milesi and Habsburg.[62] In addition, Chatin rejoined IDEC Sport in theELMS, partneringJob van Uitert and former teammate Paul Lafargue.[63] The WEC season started discretely, as the No. 35 only scored its first points result at the third round inSpa with an eighth place — having been forced to pit from fourth late on to get a splash of fuel.[64] AtLe Mans, Chatin got involved in an incident withLoïc Duval during the evening, resulting in a drive-through penalty.[65][66] Despite this, the No. 35 ended up ninth overall.[67] Chatin and his teammates failed to score points inSão Paulo andAustin, before having a standout day inFuji: Chatin got to the front with a well-timed pit stop and remained there until Milesi stepped in; the latter then managed to take the lead with an inspired strategy of leaving two old tyres on at the last pit stop.[68] The team held on to the lead and scored Alpine's first victory with the A424, as well as the first overall WEC victory for a fully gold-rated driver lineup.[69][70] Chatin left Alpine following the final round, as the No. 35 crew outscored the No. 36 by one point in the drivers' standings.[71][72]
In November 2025, it was announced that Chatin would join theGenesis Magma Racing team for the2026 FIA World Endurance Championship season.[73] Due to the nature of his Alpine contract however, Chatin was prevented from testing theGenesis GMR-001 or sitting in during technical debriefs with the team's engineers before 2026.[74]
Following his maidenLMP2 season in 2014, Chatin was praised for his "well-judged" overtaking manoeuvres and described as a clean driver.[75] Chatin is also notable for his speed in qualifying, exemplified by multiple ELMS pole positions as well as two LMP2 class poles atLe Mans (in2018 and2023).[32][76] LongtimeIDEC Sport teammatePaul Lafargue has talked about how Chatin "pulls [him] up" with his pace.[77]
Ahead of hisHypercar debut in 2024,online newspaperDailysportscar described Chatin as "one of the most highly rated of the LMP2 pack" who "correctly [got] a Hypercar shot".[78]
During his time in endurance racing, Chatin has named four-timeLe Mans 24 Hours winnerHenri Pescarolo as his inspiration.[79]
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | ALC 1 4 | ALC 2 8 | SPA 1 10 | SPA 2 10 | MAG 1 11 | MAG 2 4 | HUN 1 4 | HUN 2 7 | HOC 1 4 | HOC 2 2 | SIL 1 1 | SIL 2 1 | CAT 1 2 | CAT 2 7 | 4th | 103 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tech 1 Racing | HOC 1 | HOC 2 | HOC 3 | SPA 1 11 | SPA 2 9 | NÜR 1 | NÜR 2 | ASS 1 | ASS 2 | ASS 3 | OSC 1 | OSC 2 | ZAN 1 | ZAN 2 | MST 1 | MST 2 | MST 3 | MNZ 1 | MNZ 2 | MNZ 3 | NC† | 0 |
† As Chatin was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tech 1 Racing | ALC 1 Ret | ALC 2 9 | SPA 1 11 | SPA 2 9 | NÜR 1 8 | NÜR 2 9 | HUN 1 29 | HUN 2 6 | SIL 1 5 | SIL 2 3 | LEC 1 1 | LEC 2 8 | CAT 1 13 | CAT 2 9 | 9th | 75 |
| 2012 | Tech 1 Racing | ALC 1 5 | ALC 2 10 | SPA 1 6 | SPA 2 5 | NÜR 1 3 | NÜR 2 4 | MSC 1 12 | MSC 2 10 | HUN 1 12 | HUN 2 15 | LEC 1 14 | LEC 2 4 | CAT 1 6 | CAT 2 28 | 6th | 77 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Tech 1 Racing | MNZ 1 2 | MNZ 2 14 | IMO 1 3 | IMO 2 6 | PAU 1 3 | PAU 2 2 | RBR 1 2 | RBR 2 3 | HUN 1 4 | HUN 2 1 | LEC 1 1 | LEC 2 1 | SPA 1 17 | SPA 2 5 | 3rd | 326 |
| 2012 | Tech 1 Racing | MNZ 1 3 | MNZ 2 2 | PAU 1 2 | PAU 2 1 | IMO 1 3 | IMO 2 Ret | SPA 1 2 | SPA 2 3 | RBR 1 14 | RBR 2 12 | MUG 1 3 | MUG 2 3 | CAT 1 2 | CAT 2 2 | 3rd | 194 |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Rank | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | SignatechAlpine | LMP2 | Alpine A450b | Nissan VK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL Ret | SPA 5 | LMS Ret | NÜR 5 | COA 5 | FUJ 2 | SHA 1 | BHR 4 | 4th | 86 | |
| 2016 | Panis-Barthez Compétition | LMP2 | Ligier JS P2 | NissanVK45DE 4.5 L V8 | SIL | SPA | LMS 8 | NÜR | MEX | COA | 26th | 14 | |||
| Baxi DC RacingAlpine | Alpine A460 | NissanVK45DE 4.5 L V8 | FUJ 9 | SHA 8 | BHR 6 | ||||||||||
| 2021 | Racing Team Nederland | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SPA | ALG | MNZ 3 | BHR | BHR | 19th | 15 | ||||
| IDEC Sport | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | LMS 6 | ||||||||||||
| 2022 | Richard Mille Racing Team | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SEB | SPA | LMS | MNZ 14 | FUJ 8 | BHR 8 | 20th | 10 | |||
| 2024 | Alpine Endurance Team | Hypercar | Alpine A424 | Alpine 3.4 L Turbo V6 | QAT 7 | IMO 13 | SPA 9 | LMS Ret | SÃO 12 | COA 5[N 1] | FUJ | BHR 4 | 18th | 29 | |
| 2025 | Alpine Endurance Team | Hypercar | Alpine A424 | Alpine 3.4 L Turbo V6 | QAT 14 | IMO 13 | SPA 8 | LMS 8 | SÃO 18 | COA 11 | FUJ 1 | BHR 11 | 14th | 37 | |
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Signatech-Alpine |  Oliver WebbNelson Panciatici | Alpine A450b-Nissan | LMP2 | 355 | 7th | 3rd |
| 2015 | Signatech-Alpine | Nelson Panciatici Vincent Capillaire | Alpine A450b-Nissan | LMP2 | 110 | DNF | DNF |
| 2016 | Panis-Barthez Compétition | Fabien Barthez Timothé Buret | Ligier JS P2-Nissan | LMP2 | 347 | 12th | 8th |
| 2018 | IDEC Sport | Paul Lafargue Memo Rojas | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 312 | DNF | DNF |
| 2019 | IDEC Sport | Paul LafargueMemo Rojas | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 364 | 10th | 5th |
| 2020 | IDEC Sport | Paul LafargueRichard Bradley | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 366 | 10th | 6th |
| 2021 | IDEC Sport | Paul LafarguePatrick Pilet | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 359 | 11th | 6th |
| 2022 | IDEC Sport | Paul LafarguePatrick Pilet | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 366 | 12th | 8th |
| 2023 | IDEC Sport |  Laurents HörrPaul Lafargue | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 327 | 14th | 6th |
| 2024 | Alpine Endurance Team |  Ferdinand HabsburgCharles Milesi | Alpine A424 | Hypercar | 75 | DNF | DNF |
| 2025 | Alpine Endurance Team | Ferdinand HabsburgCharles Milesi | Alpine A424 | Hypercar | 385 | 9th | 9th |
| Year | Team | Car | Class | Award |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Signatech-Alpine | Alpine A450b-Nissan | LMP2 | Prix Jean Rondeau |
| 2013 | Team Endurance Challenge | Oreca | ELMS-LMPC | Revelation of the Year 2013 |
| 2010 | Autosport Academy | F4 | F4 - 1.6L | 1st Volant EuroFormula |
| 2012 | Tech1 Racing | WSR 2.0L | FFSA French Team | |
| 2011 | Tech1 Racing | WSR 2.0L | FIA Young Driver Excellence Academy |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position; results initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Era Motorsport | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson Technology GK428V8 | DAY 1 | SEB | WGI | WGI | ELK | LGA | ATL | NC† | 0† |
| 2022 | Era Motorsport | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 V8 | DAY 7 | SEB | LGA | MDO | WGL | ELK | PET | NC† | 0† |
| 2023 | PR1/Mathiasen Motorsports | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 7 | SEB 4 | LGA 2 | WGL 3 | ELK 1 | IMS 4 | PET 2 | 1st | 1995 |
| 2024 | AO Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 8 | SEB 11 | WGL 7 | MOS | ELK 3 | IMS 4 | ATL 7 | 12th | 1677 |
| 2025 | Era Motorsport | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | DAY 4 | SEB | WGL 4 | MOS | ELK | IMS | ATL | 35th | 606 |
† Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship.
| Year | Team | Co-drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 |  Era Motorsport | Ryan DalzielDwight MerrimanKyle Tilley | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 787 | 6th | 1st |
(key) (Races inbold indicate pole position) (Races initalics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | Pos. | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2023–24 | Proton Competition | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 LV8 | SEP 1 4 | SEP 2 5 | DUB 7 | ABU 1 10 | ABU 2 Ret | 9th | 30 |
Paul-Loup Chatin scored a home victory in the first race from pole position, his maiden win in the series.
| Sporting positions | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | European Le Mans Series LMP2 Champion 2014 With:Nelson Panciatici &Oliver Webb | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | European Le Mans Series LMP2 Champion 2019 With:Memo Rojas | Succeeded by |