United Moves Albuquerque to No. 23 Oreca Lineup

United Autosports has altered the lineup for its No. 23 Oreca 07 Gibson at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Filipe Albuquerque replacing Nico Pino as part of the team’s LMP2 Pro-Am lineup.

Albuquerque will team up with United’s full-season IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship duo of Ben Hanley and Ben Keating at the event.

Notably, the Portuguese ace was originally listed as the first confirmed driver aboard the No. 22 Oreca when the entry list for the 92nd edition of the French endurance was released.

Nico Pino, meanwhile, had been nominated as the third driver alongside Hanley and Keating but has now been replaced.

Pino’s role with the team at Le Mans is currently unclear, although it should be noted he forms part of the Anglo-American squad’s McLaren LMGT3 lineup in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Albuquerque, for his part, will be headed into his eighth consecutive Le Mans with United, having raced with the team every year since its made its event debut in 2017.

“Another year, another Le Mans with United Autosports,” Albuquerque said.

“It’s just amazing. I’m super happy to be racing with this great team that I’ve been racing with for the last eight years.

“Ben Hanley, we raced together when we were in go-karts, and now we meet again.

“And Ben Keating, he is a superstar of LMP2. For sure, he has more miles than me! And he knows Le Mans really well. He has one more victory than me!

“I have immense respect for him and his drive to keep pushing harder and harder. I’m pumped for it, let’s go for the win.”

United has noted that the lineup for its No. 22 Oreca, which will compete in the LMP2 Pro category, will be revealed at a later date.

“To bring together the experience, skill and determination of not one but three proven Le Mans winners is phenomenally exciting as we prepare for our debut in the LMP2 Pro-Am class,” said team CEO Richard Dean.

“Le Mans is always exciting, never straightforward, but with this driver line-up, we are making our intentions very clear.”