Mike Hawthorn and Graham Hill are the only British drivers to have claimed Formula One titles plus the 24 Hours crown. However, Nigel Mansell and Jensen Button have also had a crack at the French endurance challenge.

Mike Hawthorn, the pioneer - Mike Hawthorn (1929-1959) holds a special place in Formula One/Le Mans history. Not only was he the first Brit to win both the 24 Hours (in 1955) and the F1 world title (in 1958), he was also the United Kingdom's first ever Formula One world champion. He counted five starts at Le Mans, for two different marques. In 1953, three years into his motor racing career, he came to the 24 Hours with Ferrari, and returned with them in 1957 and 1958. However, he never completed the race with the Italian team. He also competed twice with Jaguar and fellow countryman Ivor Bueb, taking the win in 1955 and finishing sixth in 1956.

Graham Hill, an unbeaten record - Between 1958 and 1972, Graham Hill (1929-1975) raced the 24 Hours of Le Mans ten times. During that time, he gathered one of the most impressive trophy hauls in racing history. In 1958, he made his Formula One and 24 Hours of Le Mans débuts with Lotus. Following his F1 world title with BRM in 1962, he competed in a Rover-BRM turbine-powered prototype at the 24 Hours in 1963 and 1965. In 1963, the car was outside the official classification but took Hill to the chequered flag for the first time at Le Mans. Two years later, the Rover-BRM was finished tenth in the official rankings. In 1964, teamed with Swedish driver Jo Bonnier, Hill finished second in a Ferrari entered by British outfit Maranello Concessionaires. Racing in a Ford GT40 in 1966, he failed to complete the race and only returned to La Sarthe in 1972. That year, he raced for Matra alongside Henri Pescarolo. The Franco-British pairing powered to victory after a superb head-to-head with Matra teammates François Cevert and Howden Ganley. That Le Mans win made Graham Hill the only driver to date to have achieved the coveted Triple Crown of motorsport with, in order, the world Formula One title (1962 and 1968), the 500 Miles of Indianapolis (1966, in his maiden Indy 500 race) and the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Nigel Mansell, a family affair – In 2010, at the age of 57, Nigel Mansell came to the French endurance classic with his two sons, Greg and Leo. The family line-up took to the wheel of Ginetta Zytek fielded under the Beechdean Mansell name (LMP1 class) in the Le Mans Series (predecessor of the present-day European Le Mans Series which included LMP1 prototypes) and at the 24 Hours. At Le Mans, their race came to an early end at 15:17 when Nigel spun off track at Indianapolis. However, the Mansell family got a taste of victory in the fourth round of the Le Mans Series. Seventh in the Hungaroring 1,000 km, Greg and Leo finished top in the LMP1 class at the circuit where, in 1992, their father had clinched his only Formula One world title after finishing second behind Ayrton Senna.

Jenson Button, unfinished business? – Alongside Fernando Alonso, there was another Formula One world champion present at the 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans: Jenson Button, who took the F1 title in 2009. He came to Le Mans with SMP Racing (LMP1) and their Br Engineering BR1-AER prototype, teamed with Mikhail Aleshin and Vitaly Petrov. It was a difficult début: two hours into the race, the #11 BR was forced to spend 2 hours and 19 minutes in the garage with sensor issues. Then, at 14:05 on the Sunday afternoon, Button was at the wheel when the car was forced retire early with engine failure.

PHOTO - LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS SCRUTINEERING, SUNDAY 10 JUNE 2018. Jenson Button is the last British Formula One World Champion to have competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.