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Lena Buhler didn’t follow the typical racing trajectory—she arrived late to motorsport after conquering BMX on an international stage, then systematically broke barriers across single-seaters and sportscars with a composure that made history look effortless.

EARLY YEARS

Born July 9, 1997, in the Swiss canton of Vaud, Lena Buhler’s path to racing had nothing to do with karting championships or family racing dynasties. Instead, she was busy getting air on two wheels, competing in BMX at an international level—the kind of racing where one miscalculated landing ends with gravel in your teeth and a trip to the hospital. BMX demands fearlessness, precision, and the kind of mental toughness that translates beautifully to wheel-to-wheel combat at 150 mph.

By 2016, at 19 years old, Buhler made a pivot that would’ve seemed absurd to anyone following conventional motorsport wisdom: she switched from BMX to karting. Most professional racers start karting before they hit double digits. Buhler was already an adult. But she wasn’t interested in conventional.

OTHER INTERESTS

Beyond her BMX career that took her to international competition, details about Buhler’s life outside the cockpit remain largely private. She’s kept the focus squarely on the track, letting her results speak louder than any carefully curated social media presence.

EARLY SUCCESS

Four years after strapping into her first kart, Buhler made her single-seater debut in 2020 with the Spanish F4 Championship, racing for Drivex School. She completed 20 races, scored two fifth-place finishes, six top-ten results, and finished 15th in the standings with 23 points—a respectable showing for someone still learning the craft while her competitors had been doing this since childhood.

In 2021, she became the first female driver in the Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine, racing with R-ace GP. It was a historic moment, though the results were tough—she finished 20th in her best campaign across 2021 and 2022. The second FREC season ended early when she was forced to withdraw, a setback that would’ve derailed someone less determined.

Rather than quit, Buhler diversified. She competed in Formula Regional Asian Championship in early 2023, finishing 12th in six races with R-ace GP, then tackled the F4 UAE Championship with R2Race Cavicel across 15 races. The results weren’t glamorous—33rd in the standings with zero points—but she was building experience, learning circuits, refining racecraft.

Then came the announcement that changed everything: Buhler was selected as one of the inaugural drivers for the F1 Academy in 2023, the first driver officially announced for the groundbreaking series. She joined ART Grand Prix, one of the most successful junior formula teams in history, with a clear mission. “This will only be my 4th year in a motorsport and I still have a lot to learn, but I am ready to give 100% both mentally and physically to honour the trust ART Grand Prix has in me, together with that of my partners without whom this adventure would not be possible,” she said.

What followed was a breakout season. Buhler won twice, claimed 13 podiums across 21 races, scored two pole positions and one fastest lap, and finished vice-champion with 222 points—just behind the champion. She’d gone from struggling in European formulas to becoming one of the best drivers in a competitive all-female championship, proving that her late start didn’t mean lower ceiling.

In 2024, she returned to Formula Regional European Championship with ART Grand Prix, but managed only 11 races with no points, finishing 38th. It was a frustrating return to a series that had never been kind to her.

So she changed disciplines entirely. In 2025, Buhler joined 23Events Racing (operated by AF Corse) to compete in the Michelin Le Mans Cup in the LMP3 category, piloting the #50 Ligier JS P320. Endurance racing is a different beast—longer stints, strategic fuel management, shared driving duties, and the chaos of multi-class traffic. It suited her perfectly.

At Circuit de la Sarthe, Buhler delivered a performance that rewrote the record books. She qualified fourth, executed a stunning start to vault into second position, and drove with the composure of a seasoned pro. Though she finished seventh in Race 2 after penalties were applied to other competitors, it was Race 1 that made headlines: Buhler became the first woman to win outright in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Not first in class. First overall. She also claimed a pole position during the season and sits seventh in the championship with 55 points through seven races.

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2021: First female driver in Formula Regional European Championship by Alpine
• 2023: First driver announced for the inaugural F1 Academy season
• 2023: F1 Academy vice-champion with ART Grand Prix—2 wins, 13 podiums, 222 points
• 2023: Named full member of the Sauber Academy
• 2025: First woman to win outright in the Michelin Le Mans Cup, Circuit de la Sarthe

INSPIRATIONS

Buhler has kept her influences and personal motivations private, offering no public statements about racing heroes or formative moments that sparked her transition from BMX to motorsport. What’s clear is that she draws motivation from the challenge itself—the steeper the climb, the more determined she becomes.

REPUTATION

Within the paddock, Buhler has earned respect for her composure and work ethic despite her unconventional late entry into racing. ART Grand Prix president Sebastien Philippe said upon her signing to F1 Academy: “We are happy to welcome Lena to our team. She will be one of the first 15 drivers to write her name in the history books of the F1 Academy… The team will do everything sportingly, humanly and technically possible.”

Media coverage has consistently highlighted her barrier-breaking achievements—first female in FREC, first F1 Academy driver announced, first woman to win outright in the Michelin Le Mans Cup. Her sportscar debut impressed observers with her pace and racecraft, particularly her ability to execute aggressive yet clean overtakes and manage long stints with consistency.

As a full member of the Sauber Academy, she’s connected to a pathway that has produced F1 drivers, though she’s taken a more pragmatic route through endurance racing rather than chasing the increasingly expensive and narrow single-seater ladder.

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Buhler continues competing in the 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup with 23Events Racing, currently seventh in the LMP3 championship standings. Her successful transition to endurance racing suggests a future in sportscars, where her skills and late-blooming career are less of a disadvantage than in the hyper-competitive junior single-seater world. Whether she expands into additional endurance series or pursues higher-level prototype racing remains to be seen, but her trajectory shows a driver comfortable forging her own path rather than following the well-worn routes that haven’t always welcomed women.

References:

Formula Scout – F1 Academy Driver Announcement
F1 Academy Official Site – Lena Buhler Profile
Wikipedia – Lena Buhler Career Statistics
Formula 1 Official Site – F1 Academy News
ART Grand Prix – Team Announcement
Racers Behind the Helmet – Le Mans Cup Race Report
Autosprint.ch – Early Career Coverage