Ye Yifei
Ye Yifei (Chinese: 叶一飞; pinyin: Yè Yīfēi; born 16 June 2000) is a Chinese racing driver, 2016 French F4 champion, 2020 Euroformula Open champion, 2021 Asian Le Mans Series champion, 2021 European Le Mans Series champion, and former member of the Renault Sport Academy.[2][3] In October 2021, Ye signed with Porsche and has been named as a Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific selected driver.
Ye Yifei | |
---|---|
Nationality | Chinese |
Born | Xi'an, China | 16 June 2000
European Le Mans Series career | |
Debut season | 2021 |
Current team | Cool Racing |
Car number | 37 |
Former teams | Team WRT |
Starts | 12 |
Wins | 3 |
Poles | 1 |
Fastest laps | 1 |
Best finish | 1st in 2021 |
Previous series | |
2021 2020 2019 2017-18 2015-16 2015-16 | Asian Le Mans Series Euroformula Open Championship FIA Formula 3 Championship Formula Renault Eurocup Italian F4 Championship French F4 Championship |
Championship titles | |
2021 2021 2020 2016 | ELMS - LMP2 ALMS - LMP2 EF Open Championship French F4 Championship |
Chinese name | |
Traditional Chinese | 葉一飛 |
Simplified Chinese | 叶一飞[1] |
Hanyu Pinyin | Yè Yīfēi |
Early career
Ye was born in Xi'an, the capital city of Shannxi Province. He began his karting in 2010 at the age of ten, winning the 2011 and 2012 All Chinese karting championships. In 2013, Ye made his European debut through ROK Cup International Final and finished 4th a year later.
Open wheel racing career
Formula 4
In 2015, Ye graduated to single-seaters in the French F4 Championship, where two wins near the end of the campaign brought him to twelfth in the standings.
Ye returned to French F4 the following year.[4] He experienced a dominant season, winning 14 races and taking the title.
Formula Renault 2.0
In December 2016, it was announced Ye would graduate to Formula Renault 2.0 with team champions Josef Kaufmann Racing.[5] He had three podium finishes on his way to the eighth place in the drivers' standings. Ye reunited with JKR the following season, claiming two wins at Monza and the Hungaroring to finish the championship third overall.[6]
FIA Formula 3 Championship
In October 2018, Ye joined the final round of the F3 Asian Championship with Absolute Racing and rejoined the outfit for the following year's Winter Series, where he claimed three wins and finished as the runner-up.[7]
2019 saw Ye progressing to the FIA Formula 3 Championship with Hitech Grand Prix, having joined the Renault Sport Academy over the off-season.[8]
Euroformula Open Championship
In May 2020, Ye joined CryptoTower Racing Team and had 11 wins, 13 poles and 12 fastest laps.[9] With his dominant performance, Ye claimed the 2020 Euroformula Open Championship title.[10]
Sportscar Racing career
2021: Impressive rookie season
At the start of 2021, Ye made his sportscar racing debut with G-Drive Racing, partnering René Binder and Ferdinand Habsburg in the LMP2 category of the Asian Le Mans Series. Having taken a pair of victories at the opening round and consolidated their championship gap during the final two races, the trio claimed the ALMS title.
For his main campaign, Ye would drive for Team WRT alongside Louis Delétraz and Robert Kubica in the European Le Mans Series.[11] The team started off in controlling fashion, winning the opening pair of races at Barcelona and Spielberg and gaining an early lead in the standings. After two finishes inside the top five, the Chinese driver and his teammates took victory at Spa-Francorchamps, thus clinching the ELMS championship with a round to go.
Team WRT (24 Hours of Le Mans)
In August 2021, Ye shares Team WRT's Oreca 07 LMP2 car with Louis Delétraz and Robert Kubica to compete in 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans. Ye completed the most overtakes in LMP2 class during the 24 Hours of Le Mans with 315 passes. However, due to an electrical short, was stopped after the Dunlop bridge at the last lap of the race. Car No. 41, which led the LMP2 class at the time with Ye at the wheel, was unable to finish the race, and was therefore unclassified in the final results.[12]
Herberth Motorsport (Asian Le Mans Series)
In January 2022, it was announced that the 21 years old Chinese driver Porsche Motorsport Asian Pacific Selected Driver Ye among Herberth Motorsport crew sharing the Porsche 911 GT3 R with Antares Au and Klaus Bachler.[13]
Cool Racing (European Le Mans Series)
In February 2022, Cool Racing announced its driver line-up for 2022. Reigning European Le Mans Series LMP2 Champion Ye along with the four-time winner in Le Mans Nicolas Lapierre and 2021 European Le Mans Series LMP3 runner up Niklas Krütten. The team also entered the car in the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans with a revised line-up due to Lapierre's commitments with Alpine in the FIA WEC. He was replaced by double IMSA champion Ricky Taylor.
Hertz Team Jota (World Endurance Championship)
Ye will compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2023, becoming part of the Hertz Team Jota Hypercar programme alongside António Félix da Costa and Will Stevens.[14] He made his Hypercar debut for Hertz Team Jota at the 2023 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps and on the teams 2nd race, Ye crashed while leading the 100th running of the 24 hours of Le Mans
Karting record
Karting career summary
Season | Series | Team | Position |
---|---|---|---|
2013 | ROK Cup International Final — Junior ROK | 28th | |
2014 | South Garda Winter Cup — KF3 | 17th | |
WSK Champions Cup — KFJ | ART Grand Prix | 19th | |
CIK-FIA European Championship — KFJ | 48th | ||
ROK Cup International Final — Junior ROK | International Kartronix | 4th | |
2015 | WSK Champions Cup — KFJ | Kartonix International | 25th |
South Garda Winter Cup — KFJ | NC | ||
Vega International Winter Trophy — KFJ | 2nd | ||
WSK Super Master Series — KFJ | RB Racing | 12th | |
CIK-FIA European Championship — KFJ | 46th |
Racing record
Racing career summary
† As Ye was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete French F4 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | LÉD 1 18 |
LÉD 2 11 |
LÉD 3 11 |
LMS 1 13 |
LMS 2 10 |
LMS 3 7 |
PAU 1 10 |
PAU 2 5 |
PAU 3 Ret |
HUN 1 14 |
HUN 2 14 |
HUN 3 11 |
MAG 1 13 |
MAG 2 Ret |
MAG 3 11 |
NAV 1 9 |
NAV 2 1 |
NAV 3 12 |
LEC 1 9 |
LEC 2 1 |
LEC 3 12 |
12th | 73 | ||
2016 | LEC 1 1 |
LEC 2 1 |
LEC 3 1 |
LEC 4 1 |
PAU 1 3 |
PAU 2 4 |
PAU 3 1 |
PAU 4 1 |
LÉD 1 1 |
LÉD 2 1 |
LÉD 3 1 |
LÉD 4 1 |
MAG 1 1 |
MAG 2 7 |
MAG 3 1 |
MAG 4 1 |
LMS 1 1 |
LMS 2 15 |
LMS 3 Ret |
LMS 4 11 |
CAT 1 4 |
CAT 2 12 |
CAT 3 15 |
1st | 420 |
Complete Formula Renault Eurocup results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2017 | Josef Kaufmann Racing | MNZ 1 9 |
MNZ 2 6 |
SIL 1 9 |
SIL 2 14 |
PAU 1 8 |
PAU 2 10 |
MON 1 11 |
MON 2 19 |
HUN 1 24 |
HUN 2 7 |
HUN 3 5 |
NÜR 1 7 |
NÜR 2 3 |
RBR 1 8 |
RBR 2 7 |
LEC 1 2 |
LEC 2 8 |
SPA 1 3 |
SPA 2 7 |
SPA 3 8 |
CAT 1 12 |
CAT 2 10 |
CAT 3 11 |
8th | 106.5 |
2018 | Josef Kaufmann Racing | LEC 1 3 |
LEC 2 2 |
MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 15 |
SIL 1 3 |
SIL 2 3 |
MON 1 4 |
MON 2 4 |
RBR 1 8 |
RBR 2 5 |
SPA 1 2 |
SPA 2 3 |
HUN 1 1 |
HUN 2 11 |
NÜR 1 6 |
NÜR 2 6 |
HOC 1 2 |
HOC 2 3 |
CAT 1 8 |
CAT 2 8 |
3rd | 239 |
Complete FIA Formula 3 Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate points for the fastest lap of top ten finishers)
Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2019 | Hitech Grand Prix | CAT FEA 22 |
CAT SPR Ret |
LEC FEA 13 |
LEC SPR 22 |
RBR FEA 20 |
RBR SPR Ret |
SIL FEA 12 |
SIL SPR 11 |
HUN FEA 18 |
HUN SPR 22 |
SPA FEA 15 |
SPA SPR 10 |
MNZ FEA Ret |
MNZ SPR 19 |
SOC FEA 13 |
SOC SPR 6 |
21st | 4 |
Complete Euroformula Open Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Pos | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2020 | CryptoTower Racing | HUN 1 1 |
HUN 2 1 |
LEC 1 2 |
LEC 2 1 |
RBR 1 1 |
RBR 2 1 |
MNZ 1 1 |
MNZ 2 2 |
MNZ 3 2 |
MUG 1 (5) |
MUG 2 (3) |
SPA 1 1 |
SPA 2 11 |
SPA 3 3 |
CAT 1 1 |
CAT 2 1 |
CAT 3 1 |
CAT 4 1 |
1st | 369 |
Complete European Le Mans Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Team WRT | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | CAT 1 |
RBR 1 |
LEC 5 |
MNZ 4 |
SPA 1 |
ALG 2 |
1st | 118 |
2022 | Cool Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | LEC 5 |
IMO 3 |
MNZ 8 |
CAT 3 |
SPA 5 |
ALG 3 |
5th | 70 |
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Team WRT | Louis Delétraz Robert Kubica |
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 362 | NC | NC |
2022 | Cool Racing | Niklas Krütten Ricky Taylor |
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 367 | 11th | 7th |
2023 | Hertz Team Jota | António Félix da Costa Will Stevens |
Porsche 963 | Hypercar | 244 | 40th | 13th |
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Year | Entrant | Class | Chassis | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Rank | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2021 | Team WRT | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SPA | ALG | MNZ | LMS NC |
BHR | BHR | NC | 0 | |
2022 | Cool Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SEB | SPA | LMS 7 |
MNZ | FUJ | BHR | NC | 0 | |
2023 | Hertz Team Jota | Hypercar | Porsche 963 | Porsche 4.6 L Turbo V8 | SEB | ALG | SPA 6 |
LMS 10 |
MNZ 9 |
FUJ 6 |
BHR |
12th* | 20* |
* Season still in progress.
References
- 法国F4:中国车手叶一飞获得年度总冠军. Motorsport.com. 12 September 2016. Archived from the original on 21 August 2017. Retrieved 21 August 2017.
- "Ye Yifei Continues Championship March at Magny-Cours". 12 July 2016. Retrieved 12 December 2016.
- Allen, Peter (11 April 2019). "Yifei Ye joins Renault Sport Academy ahead of FIA F3". FormulaScout. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- "16 pilotes à l'assaut du Castellet" [16 drivers on the attack of Le Castellet] (in French). Fédération Française du Sport Automobile. 30 March 2016. Archived from the original on 11 February 2017. Retrieved 1 April 2016.
- "Yifei Ye joins Josef Kaufmann Racing for Formula Renault step". 15 December 2016. Retrieved 15 December 2016.
- "27 drivers with many contenders for victory!". renaultsport.com. Renault Sport. 10 April 2018. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- "Absolute Racing signs Chinese hot prospect Ye Yifei for Asian F3". 29 October 2018. Archived from the original on 11 April 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- "Ye Yifei joins Hitech Grand Prix for 2019 season". 27 February 2019. Archived from the original on 13 March 2019. Retrieved 11 April 2019.
- "CryptoTower Racing Team, first Japanese team to enter the Euroformula". www.euroformulaopen.net. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- "Yifei Ye (CryptoTower) wins the 2020 Euroformula title in style at Barcelona". www.euroformulaopen.net. Retrieved 2 November 2020.
- Lloyd, Daniel (2 March 2021). "Deletraz, Ye Join Kubica in WRT's Completed LMP2 Lineup – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 5 March 2021.
- "WRT identifies cause of Le Mans retirement". racer. 30 August 2021. Retrieved 1 November 2021.
- "Porsche Selected Driver Ye Among Herberth Crew". racer. 25 January 2022. Retrieved 25 January 2022.
- "Yifei Ye in a Porsche 963 LMDh in 2023". Endurance Info. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
External links
- Ye Yifei career summary at DriverDB.com
- Ye Yifei on Weibo
- Ye Yifei on Twitter
- Profile on Euroformula Open Championship