Benjamin Michael Hanley (born 22 January 1985) is a British racing driver who was a part of Renault F1 Team's Renault Driver Development Program from 2006 to 2008. He raced two seasons part time in the NTT IndyCar Series. Currently he is racing in the European Le Mans Series and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with United Autosports.
Ben Hanley began his motorsport career in karting, where he experienced significant success on the international stage. His transition to single-seaters saw him compete in various junior formulae, including the Formula Renault UK and Eurocup championships. His early speed marked him as a promising talent and caught the attention of the Renault Driver Development programme.
Hanley stepped up to the Formula Renault 3.5 Series, where he quickly established himself as a frontrunner. In the 2007 season, he secured the runner-up position in the overall championship standings, finishing just behind ÃÂlvaro Parente.
For the 2008 season, Hanley graduated to the GP2 Series, the primary feeder category for Formula One, driving for the Barwa International Campos Team. However, after the first three rounds of the season (culminating at the Monaco round), he parted ways with the team by mutual consent. Hanley was immediately thrown a lifeline by the Durango team to race at Magny-Cours. Despite showcasing his pace, his GP2 campaign was ultimately hampered by early-season reliability issues and a lack of sustained funding.
Following his departure from the GP2 Series, Hanley took an extended hiatus from professional car racing. He returned to his roots in karting, where he competed at the highest levels of CIK-FIA events for several years. This five-year break from car racing ultimately worked to his advantage later in his career, permitting him to re-enter professional sportscars under an adjusted FIA driver grading.
Hanley's career was revitalized when he joined DragonSpeed, led by Elton Julian to compete in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). He was instrumental in DragonSpeed's progression up the endurance ladder, taking class victories in ELMS, including a notable LMP2 win at Spa in 2016 alongside Henrik Hedman and Nicolas Lapierre.
Hanley made his official WEC debut at Spa in 2017 when he was drafted in by the TDS Racing LMP2 squad to replace the injured Matthieu Vaxivière. With DragonSpeed, he later competed in the premier LMP1 class as a privateer entrant and achieved massive success in the LMP2 ranks, notably winning the class at the prestigious 2019 Rolex 24 at Daytona.
In recent years, Hanley has continued to be a highly sought-after prototype driver. For the 2023 WEC season, he was signed by United Autosports to substitute for Filipe Albuquerque in select races. United Autosports subsequently confirmed him for a full LMP2 championship tilt in the 2024 IMSA SportsCar Championship alongside Ben Keating.
Hanley made his NTT IndyCar Series debut alongside DragonSpeed in 2019. Despite the team being a part-time newcomer with limited testing, Hanley showcased strong performances. He competed in the season-opening Firestone Grand Prix of St. Petersburg, where he advanced to the second round of qualifying, started 12th, and finished a respectable 18th. He also raced at the Honda Indy Grand Prix of Alabama.
The highlight of his 2019 IndyCar campaign was successfully qualifying for the 103rd Indianapolis 500. Having never raced on an oval before, Hanley secured the 27th starting position during a dramatic Crown Royal Armed Forces Qualifying session, pushing his Chevrolet-powered Dallara to a 227.482-mph average. He was classified 32nd in the race following a mechanical failure. Hanley returned to the series for select races in 2020, again partnering with DragonSpeed.
<sup>â </sup> As Hanley was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. <sup>â¡</sup> Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. <sup>*</sup> Season still in progress.
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
â As Hanley was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
(Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
(Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
<sup>â¡</sup> Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.<br>
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
<sup>â </sup> Points only counted towards the Michelin Endurance Cup, and not the overall LMP2 Championship. <sup>*</sup> Season still in progress.
() (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
<sup>â </sup> Not eligible for points.
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