Sportscar365’s Prototype Drivers of the Year

Sportscar365 continues its selection of the top performers and moments from 2023 with the Prototype Drivers of the Year, divided into different categories.

Hypercar – Antonio Fuoco

The dramatic increase in FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar manufacturers gave a platform for new drivers to shine at the top level of sports car racing.

Several enjoyed successful campaigns, but perhaps the most impressive of them all was Ferrari AF Corse’s Antonio Fuoco.

Once a Formula 1 hopeful, the Italian’s goal of scaling the single-seater pyramid ended in 2019 but he remained close to Ferrari as he made the transition to endurance.

Having been a standout performer in the GT ranks, Fuoco was a natural fit for the manufacturer’s Hypercar lineup which included several other promoted works drivers.

He made instant headlines at the 1000 Miles of Sebring in March by stunning Toyota to claim the first pole position of the season ahead of the Ferrari 499P’s maiden race.

Although Fuoco didn’t take a victory alongside co-drivers Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina, he was the fastest Ferrari driver on average at five of the seven rounds, and sometimes by a big margin.

One of his best drives came at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he took pole by 0.773 seconds and went on to produce one of the two most consistent performances in the race along with Cadillac’s Sebastien Bourdais.

There was a notable low point, when Fuoco crashed exiting the pits in chilly conditions at Spa, although he wasn’t the only one to have trouble on cold tires that weekend.

Overall, it was a brilliant season for the 27-year-old who is in scintillating form and has plenty of career left in the tank to build a long-lasting legacy with the Ferrari brand.

Honorable mentions: Laurens Vanthoor (standout for Porsche Penske Motorsport), Brendon Hartley (four-time world champion), Kamui Kobayashi (star of No. 7 Toyota with three poles and four wins)

GTP – Filipe Albuquerque

The new GTP era of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship delivered uncertainty around every corner, and that included the unpredictable battle for the drivers’ championship.

With six driver pairings having entered October’s season-ending Motul Petit Le Mans with a mathematical chance of the title, it produced one of the most wide-open fights for any championship in recent history. No driver or team had a perfect season.

While Filipe Albuquerque and co-driver Ricky Taylor didn’t come out on top, let alone being one of the few lineups not to win a race over the course of the season, the Portuguese star from Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti Autosport was the standout driver from the class.

The No. 10 WTR Andretti Acura ARX-06 was routinely in contention for wins, and could have easily walked away with the championship had there not there been for a few mishaps.

Late race incidents at Sebring and Long Beach, with Albuquerque and Taylor at the wheel respectively, immediately come to mind, as well as the championship-deciding moment when Albuquerque and Pipo Derani came together in Turn 1 at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta in the closing stages of Motul Petit Le Mans.

Albuquerque, who ended up in the tire barriers, was transported to a hospital and eliminated from the title battle, which went to Action Express Racing’s Derani and Alexander Sims. IMSA declared no further action on the incident, which had varying views amongst fans and competitors.

WTR Andretti arguably should have won the season-opening Rolex 24, if Albuquerque’s Acura was on equal footing  in the closing stages of the race to the No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing entry of Tom Blomqvist, which was found post-race to have had illegally manipulated tire pressures.

Wins in any of those races would have put Albuquerque and Taylor on top as champions, in what came as a particularly unlucky season for the WTR Andretti duo.

Honorable mentions: Colin Braun (revelation of the year), Matt Campbell and Mathieu Jaminet (Porsche Penske’s IMSA standouts), Pipo Derani (GTP champion, most consistent driver), Connor De Phillippi (impressive transition to GTP)

LMP2 – Louis Deletraz

The 2023 season was a busy yet successful one for Louis Deletraz, who competed in the WEC, European Le Mans Series and selected WeatherTech Championship races in the LMP2 ranks, coming out as champion in the WEC’s final season of the class and won our LMP2 driver-of-the-year for a second time running.

Deletraz stood out with class wins alongside co-drivers Robert Kubica and Rui Andrade at Spa, Fuji and Bahrain, while finishing runner-up at Le Mans in WRT’s Oreca 07 Gibson, only finishing off the podium once in the seven-round globe-trotting championship run.

The 26-year-old Swiss driver also achieved success in the ELMS LMP2 Pro-Am ranks, winning the first two rounds with Racing Team Turkey, while also contesting three LMP2 races of the WeatherTech Championship with Tower Motorsports that included a second place class finish at Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Deletraz’s capability in LMP2 machinery was unmatched over the course of the year, which has been rewarded with a step up to a full season WeatherTech Championship GTP drive in 2024 with Wayne Taylor Racing with Andretti.

Honorable mentions: Oliver Jarvis (three-time ELMS race winner, WEC front-runner), Paul-Loup Chatin (IMSA champion, Le Mans Hyperpole winner), Robert Kubica (helped anchor WRT’s WEC title run), James Allen (ELMS champion, Rolex 24 winner)

LMP3 – Felipe Fraga

While missing out on winning the WeatherTech Championship LMP3 title due to his Stock Car Brasil commitments, Felipe Fraga recorded three class victories out of five starts in Riley’s Ligier JS P320 Nissan in what turned into a season-long rivalry with Jr III Racing’s Garett Grist.

The two drivers went to battle on multiple occasions throughout a memorable season, with the Brazilian standout coming out on top with wins alongside eventual champion Gar Robinson at Sebring, Watkins Glen and Canadian Tire Motorsport Park.

If it wasn’t for him missing Road America and Indianapolis, which saw Robinson paired with Josh Burdon, Fraga would have shared the LMP3 championship, in its final year in WeatherTech Championship competition, with his Bronze-rated co-driver.

With the demise of LMP3 in the series, Fraga is set to graduate, alongside Robinson, to the LMP2 ranks next year, looking to take on a fresh new challenge.

Honorable mentions: Garett Grist (IMSA runner-up), Marcos Siebert (ELMS champion), Josh Burdon (IMSA super-sub at Riley)

Best Bronze – George Kurtz

After four years of driving Mercedes-AMG GT3s and with the occasional LMP3 start under his belt, George Kurtz stepped up to LMP2 this year and appeared a natural fit.

Kurtz finished second in the WeatherTech Championship standings and won the Pro-Am class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, both with Algarve Pro Racing.

He teamed up with Ben Hanley for the WeatherTech Championship campaign and won two races, one more than champion Ben Keating, at the Watkins Glen and Motul Petit Le Mans enduros. Three further podiums capped a solid campaign for the duo.

Kurtz arrived at Le Mans as an event newcomer, in a Pro-Am class featuring several more experienced LMP2 competitors.

However, his consistent stints combined with the outright pace of co-drivers James Allen and Colin Braun produced a winning combination that finished 20th overall.

The results in North America meant that Kurtz won IMSA’s Jim Trueman Award, meaning that he will return to France next year for a shot at defending the Pro-Am win.

Honorable mentions: Ben Keating (IMSA LMP2 champion), Gar Robinson (IMSA LMP3 champion), Matt Richard Bell (second in ELMS LMP3 on debut), Francois Perrodo (LMP2 Pro-Am champion)