The entry list for this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours and FIA World Endurance Championship was announced in Paris last Friday. Meanwhile, at the Buenos Aires ePrix this weekend, nine out of the top ten finishers were drivers seen at Le Mans at some point over the past few years.

Sam Bird on a roll - Holder of the 2015 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Drivers and recently-appointed Ferrari LM GTE Pro works driver, Bird set off from pole and controlled the race from the start, despite a strong fight from Sébastien Buemi during the last couple of laps. His victory puts him third in the provisional standings, hot on the heels of Buemi and Lucas di Grassi.

A remarkable comeback from Sébastien Buemi - Buemi, who took the FIA WEC Drivers’ title in 2014, started from the very back of the grid after a mistake during qualifying. However, he battled his way back up the pack and, with the safety car deployed mid-race and then the mandatory car swap, he eventually managed to jump up to third. With just five laps remaining, he overtook Lucas di Grassi to grab second place. Buemi tussled with Bird right up to the finish but finally crossed the line second, a result that nonetheless helped him extend his championship lead, putting him four points ahead of Grassi.

Le Mans 24 Hours drivers out in front - Four World Endurance Championship works drivers currently sit at the top of the provisional Formula E standings: Sébastien Buemi (Toyota LM P1), Lucas di Grassi (Audi LMP P1), Sam Bird (Ferrari LM GTE Pro) and Loïc Duval (Audi LM P1). Five others in the top 10 at the Buenos Aires ePrix have also excelled at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the past: Stéphane Sarrazin, Nicolas Prost, Nick Heidfeld, Oliver Turvey and Bruno Senna. After Friday’s announcement from the ACO, we now know that some of them are certain to feature on the grid at this year’s 24 Hours on 18-19 June.

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO | Translated from French by Clair Pickworth

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SATURDAY 13 JUNE 2015, RACE. FIA WEC champion with the LM P2 Ligier prototype in 2015, Sam Bird was victorious in a DS single-seater in Formula E this weekend. He’ll be at the wheel of the new Ferrari 488 Italia when this year's FIA WEC season gets underway.