LÉNA BÜHLER Caps Historic Rookie Season Despite Portimão Penalties

October 22, 2025

• LÉNA BÜHLER closed out her rookie Michelin Le Mans Cup season with a ninth-place finish at Portimão, but don’t let the final result fool you—this Swiss racer made history as the first woman to win a Le Mans Cup race outright at La Sarthe. Despite penalties robbing her of a potential podium in Portugal, she and teammate Matteo Quintarelli consistently showed front-running pace all season in their #50 23Events Racing Ligier.
• The former F1 Academy vice-champion’s transition from single-seaters to endurance racing was seamless, racking up four top-five finishes throughout the year. At Portimão, BÜHLER set the overall fastest lap during her stint and defended her position expertly before multiple penalties—including track limits violations and a short pit stop infraction—derailed what could have been another podium finish.
• Her reward for a standout rookie campaign? An invitation to the official European Le Mans Series Rookie Test with AF Corse to test the Ferrari 296 GT3. BÜHLER and Quintarelli finished seventh in championship standings with 55 points, proving that when luck wasn’t working against them, they had the pace to run with the best in the LMP3 field consistently.

23events racing, lmp3, michelin le mans cup, portimão