Yifei Ye facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yifei Ye
Ye in 2022
Born	(2000-06-16) 16 June 2000 (age 25) Xi'an, Shaanxi, China
Nationality	Chinese
FIA World Endurance Championship career
Debut season	2023
Current team	AF Corse
Racing licence	FIA Silver (until 2021) FIA Gold (2022–)
Car no.	83
Former teams	Hertz Team Jota
Starts	19
Wins	2
Podiums	3
Poles	0
Fastest laps	0
Best finish	9th in 2023, 2024 (LMH)
24 Hours of Le Mans career
Years	2021–2025
Teams	Team WRT, Cool Racing, Hertz Team Jota, AF Corse
Best finish	1st (2025)
Class wins	1 (2025)
Previous series
2021–2022 2021–2022 2020 2019 2019 2017–2018 2017–2018 2015–2016 2015–2016	ELMS ALMS Euroformula Open FIA Formula 3 F3 Asian Winter Formula Renault Eurocup Formula Renault NEC Italian F4 French F4
Championship titles
2021 2021 2020 2016	ELMS - LMP2 ALMS - LMP2 Euroformula Open French F4
Chinese name
Traditional Chinese	葉一飛
Simplified Chinese	叶一飞
Hanyu Pinyin	Yè Yīfēi

Yifei Ye (born June 16, 2000) is a Chinese racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for the famous Ferrari team, AF Corse. He is a champion in many different racing series, including the 2021 European Le Mans Series and the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series.

Before racing sports cars, Ye was a star in single-seater racing. He won the French F4 Championship in 2016 and the Euroformula Open Championship in 2020. He was also part of the Renault Sport Academy, a program for talented young drivers. From 2021 to 2023, he was a special driver for Porsche Motorsport in the Asia-Pacific region.

In 2024, Ye joined Ferrari as a factory driver. He currently races the #83 Ferrari 499P with teammates Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson. In a historic moment, Ye and his team won the famous 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, making him the first Chinese driver to ever win the race overall.

Early Life and Karting

Yifei Ye was born in Xi'an, China. He started his racing journey in kart racing in 2010 when he was just ten years old. He quickly showed his talent by winning the China Karting Championship in both 2011 and 2012.

In 2013, he began racing in Europe. He competed in the ROK Cup final in Italy and finished an impressive fourth place. He continued karting until early 2015, getting ready for the next big step in his career: racing cars.

Single-Seater Racing Career

Formula 4 Success

In 2015, Ye moved up to single-seater cars in the French F4 Championship. He won two races and finished twelfth in the championship.

The next year, in 2016, Ye returned to French F4 and completely dominated. He was incredibly fast, taking pole position in almost every qualifying session and winning 14 races. He won the championship by a massive 142 points, which is the biggest winning margin in the championship's history. This made him the first Chinese driver to win a Formula 4 title.

Climbing the Ranks

After his F4 victory, Ye moved up to the Formula Renault Eurocup in 2017 with the top team, Josef Kaufmann Racing. He earned three podium finishes and ended the season in eighth place. The next year, he stayed with the team and won two races, finishing third in the championship.

His excellent performance caught the attention of the Formula One world. In 2019, he was signed to the Renault Sport Academy, a program that trains future F1 stars.

Formula 3 and Euroformula Open

In 2019, Ye raced in the first-ever FIA Formula 3 Championship with the Hitech Grand Prix team. It was a tough season, but he scored his best result with a sixth-place finish in the final race.

In 2020, Ye joined the Euroformula Open Championship. He had an amazing season, winning 11 races and taking home the championship title.

Sportscar Racing Career

2021: A Champion Rookie

In 2021, Ye switched to sportscar racing and immediately found success. He joined G-Drive Racing for the 2021 Asian Le Mans Series and won the championship with his teammates.

For his main season, he raced in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) with Team WRT, alongside Louis Delétraz and former Formula One driver Robert Kubica. The team was a powerhouse, winning three races and securing the ELMS championship before the season even ended.

Heartbreak at Le Mans

In August 2021, Ye competed in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans race. He drove brilliantly, leading the LMP2 class for most of the final part of the race. It looked like his team was going to win, but in a heartbreaking moment, the car's electronics failed on the very last lap. They were forced to stop and could not be classified as finishers.

Joining Porsche

Despite the Le Mans result, Ye's talent was clear. In October 2021, he was signed by Porsche to be their first-ever official Chinese driver. This was a big step towards racing in the top class of endurance racing.

2022: New Challenges

The Oreca 07 car driven by Ye, Ricky Taylor, and Niklas Krütten at Le Mans in 2022.

In 2022, Ye raced in the Asian Le Mans Series again, this time in a Porsche 911 GT3 R. He also competed in the European Le Mans Series with the Cool Racing team, where he earned a pole position and three podium finishes.

2023: Racing in the Top Hypercar Class

In 2023, Ye moved up to the top class in the FIA World Endurance Championship: the Hypercar class. He was the youngest driver in the category, racing a Porsche 963 for the Hertz Team Jota.

At the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans, the team had an amazing run, going from last place to first during the race. Unfortunately, a crash ended their hopes for a win, but they managed to repair the car and finish the race. The team ended the season with strong results, including a fourth-place finish in Bahrain.

2024: A New Chapter with Ferrari

Ye driving the #83 Ferrari 499P at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.

For the 2024 season, Ye announced he was leaving Porsche to join Ferrari as a factory driver, a huge honor for any racer.

Driving for the AF Corse team, Ye and his teammates Robert Shwartzman and Robert Kubica won the 2024 Lone Star Le Mans race in the United States. This was a major victory in the World Endurance Championship.

Racing Record

Racing Career Summary

^† As Ye was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
^* Season still in progress.

Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

Year	Team	Co-Drivers	Car	Class	Laps	Pos.	Class Pos.
2021	Team WRT	Louis Delétraz Robert Kubica	Oreca 07-Gibson	LMP2	362	NC	NC
2022	Cool Racing	Niklas Krütten Ricky Taylor	Oreca 07-Gibson	LMP2	367	11th	7th
2023	Hertz Team Jota	António Félix da Costa Will Stevens	Porsche 963	Hypercar	244	40th	13th
2024	AF Corse	Robert Kubica Robert Shwartzman	Ferrari 499P	Hypercar	248	DNF	DNF
2025	AF Corse	Phil Hanson Robert Kubica	Ferrari 499P	Hypercar	387	1st	1st

See also

In Spanish: Ye Yifei para niños