# Nicklas Nielsen

Nicklas Ganshorn Nielsen (born 6 February 1997) is a Danish racing driver who competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship for Ferrari AF Corse, driving a Ferrari 499P in the Hypercar class. He won the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans together with Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, becoming the third Dane to win the contest.

## Early career
### Karting

Nielsen began karting when he was four years old, back in 2001. He competed in many international events and championships, winning ten major titles.

### Lower formula

In 2016, Nielsen made his single-seater debut in the ADAC Formula 4 Championship in Germany, finishing 8th and winning the Rookie's championship while racing for the Austrian Neuhauser Racing team, scoring three podiums and two fastest laps.
In 2017, Nielsen returned to the ADAC championship, this time with the US Racing team. Although he did win a race and scored three podiums, a team disqualification at the Lausitzring event and a major accident induced by a competitor which caused irreparable damage to his car for the rest of the event at the Nürburgring deprived him of a proper chance to fight for the title.

## Sportscar career
### GT

At the end of 2017, not having the budget to continue in single-seater competitions, Nielsen was given a chance to race in the final round of the Ferrari Challenge Europe by gentleman driver and Formula Racing team owner Johnny Laursen, whose son Conrad Nielsen had coached in karting. Nielsen took the opportunity and won both races at Mugello, leading to him contesting the Ferrari Challenge season in 2018. There, the Dane dominated, winning the title with Formula Racing after taking ten victories from 14 races, never finishing off the podium. He also ended up taking home the Finali Mondiali trophy at Monza to conclude his season.
In 2019, Nielsen stepped into the LMGTE category, driving for Luzich Racing in the European Le Mans Series and partaking in the 2019–20 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign at AF Corse. In the former championship, the Dane would help Ferrari factory driver Alessandro Pier Guidi and amateur Fabien Lavergne to win four races, which allowed the trio to clinch the title with a race to spare. He was awarded the accolade of ELMS Rookie of the Year as a result. During the WEC campaign, one that Nielsen contested alongside François Perrodo and Emmanuel Collard, he finished third in class at the Le Mans 24 Hours, on his way to win the title with two victories and five podiums to their name.
Having been promoted to FIA Gold ranking ahead of 2021, Nielsen returned to the WEC's LMGTE Am class with AF Corse, partnering youngster Alessio Rovera and gentleman driver Perrodo. The trio dominated, winning early at Spa and then Monza, with Nielsen setting the fastest lap in both races. They subsequently performed well at Le Mans, winning the race in their class and putting themselves into a controlling championship lead. With another win at Bahrain, Nielsen and his teammates became champions, with the Dane and Perrodo defending their title. The same season also saw Nielsen triumph at the 24 Hours of Spa, in a performance which helped him, Alessandro Pier Guidi, and Côme Ledogar to take home the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup championship.

### Prototypes

For the 2022 season, Nielsen moved into prototype racing, competing in the LMP2 category of the WEC and ELMS respectively, remaining with AF Corse, Rovera, and Perrodo in the series's Pro-Am subclasses. Their campaign in the WEC proved to be successful, as four subclass wins, as well as a pole at Sebring scored by Nielsen, earned them the Pro-Am title. In the ELMS meanwhile, the Dane and his teammates lost out on the title to Racing Team Turkey, winning just one race in their class at Barcelona.
Nielsen was one of the six drivers chosen to debut for Ferrari in the burgeoning Hypercar category in 2023, driving its 499P #50 entry alongside Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina in the WEC. Though the team showed bursts of pace, as proven by Fuoco's two poles, they ended up third in the championship behind both Toyota entries, having scored podiums in four events. Nielsen, Fuoco, and Molina managed to beat their sister car in the standings, despite the latter winning the Centenary Le Mans, a race in which the #50's hopes of victory were dashed due to a radiator leak during the night. At the end of the season, Nielsen committed to Ferrari by signing a contract extension.
In 2024, Nielsen remained with Ferrari in the WEC. The season began with points finishes in Qatar and Imola, though the team missed out on the win in the latter due to a strategic error in changing weather conditions. The podium came at Spa, where the #50 crew completed a comeback from being disqualified in qualifying to finish third in a red flag-interrupted event. Nielsen's highlight performance came at Le Mans: having already taken the lead once during the opening lap, Nielsen re-entered the car for the final stints on Sunday. A pit stop to fix the right-front door, which would not close, put the #50 entry onto an alternate strategy relative to its competitors, with Nielsen being tasked to save fuel to remain in the lead once his rivals had pitted. Having managed his car's so-called virtual energy tank during the final thirty minutes, Nielsen crossed the line in first place, earning him, Fuoco, and Molina their first ever overall victories at the Sarthe, as well as defending Ferrari's Le Mans crown from the previous year.

## Racing record
### Career summary

| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
| 2016 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | Neuhauser Racing | 24 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 106 | 8th |
| 2016 | Audi Sport TT Cup | — | 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 7 | 238 | 3rd |
| 2017 | ADAC Formula 4 Championship | US Racing | 19 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | 128 | 6th |
| 2017 | Ferrari Challenge Europe – Trofeo Pirelli (Pro) | Formula Racing | 2 | 2 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 34 | 8th |
| 2018 | Ferrari Challenge Europe – Trofeo Pirelli (Pro) | Formula Racing | 14 | 10 | 8 | 10 | 14 | 282 | 1st |
| 2018 | Finali Mondiali – Trofeo Pirelli (Pro) | Formula Racing | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2018 | FIA GT Nations Cup | Team Denmark | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd |
| 2018 | International GT Open | Luzich Racing | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 31st |
| 2019 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | Luzich Racing | 6 | 4 | 0 | 2 | 5 | 127 | 1st |
| 2019–20 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | AF Corse | 8 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 167 | 1st |
| 2020 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | AF Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd |
| 2020 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | AF Corse | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 46 | 6th |
| 2020 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | AF Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 15th |
| 2020 | European Le Mans Series - LMGTE | Iron Lynx | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 16th |
| 2020 | Le Mans Cup - GT3 | Iron Lynx | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 15 | 12th |
| 2021 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | Formula Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 23.5 | 9th |
| 2021 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMGTE Am | AF Corse | 6 | 4 | 0 | 3 | 4 | 150 | 1st |
| 2021 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMGTE Am | AF Corse | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2021 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD | AF Corse | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 246 | 55th |
| 2021 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Iron Lynx | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 83 | 1st |
| 2021 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | Iron Lynx Motorsport Lab | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 6th |
| 2021 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 37 | 6th |
| 2022 | FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 | AF Corse | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 18th |
| 2022 | European Le Mans Series - LMP2 | AF Corse | 6 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 25 | 12th |
| 2022 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - GTD | AF Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 294 | 53rd |
| 2022 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | AF Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 19th |
| 2022 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | Iron Lynx | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 37 | 10th |
| 2022 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | Iron Lynx | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 26 | 10th |
| 2022 | Intercontinental GT Challenge | AF Corse - Francorchamps | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 26 | 10th |
| 2023 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | Formula Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 17th |
| 2023 | European Le Mans Series - GTE | Formula Racing | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 24 | 12th |
| 2023 | FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar | Ferrari AF Corse | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 120 | 3rd |
| 2023 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - Hypercar | Ferrari AF Corse | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 5th |
| 2023 | GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup | AF Corse | 5 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 36 | 8th |
| 2023 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 | AF Corse | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 250 | 29th |
| 2024 | FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar | Ferrari AF Corse | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 90* | 3rd* |
| 2024 | 24 Hours of Le Mans - Hypercar | Ferrari AF Corse | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 1st |
| 2024 | IMSA SportsCar Championship - LMP2 | Richard Mille AF Corse | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 414* | 13th* |
| 2024 | European Le Mans Series - LMGT3 | Formula Racing | 5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 44 | 10th |
| 2025 | FIA World Endurance Championship - Hypercar | Ferrari AF Corse | | | | | | | |

### Complete ADAC Formula 4 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 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Pos | Points |
| 2016 | Neuhauser Racing | OSC1 1 10 | OSC1 2 9 | OSC1 3 8 | SAC 1 7 | SAC 2 5 | SAC 3 3 | LAU 1 Ret | LAU 2 15 | LAU 3 17 | OSC2 1 Ret | OSC2 2 15 | OSC2 3 25 | RBR 1 5 | RBR 2 3 | RBR 3 4 | NÜR 1 4 | NÜR 2 3 | NÜR 3 17 | ZAN 1 16 | ZAN 2 11 | ZAN 3 15 | HOC 1 16 | HOC 2 27 | HOC 3 8 | 8th | 106 |
| 2017 | US Racing | OSC1 1 2 | OSC1 2 1 | OSC1 3 9 | LAU 1 DSQ | LAU 2 DSQ | LAU 3 DSQ | RBR 1 3 | RBR 2 8 | RBR 3 2 | OSC2 1 15 | OSC2 2 5 | OSC2 3 12 | NÜR 1 Ret | NÜR 2 DNS | NÜR 3 DNS | SAC 1 4 | SAC 2 4 | SAC 3 9 | HOC 1 5 | HOC 2 Ret | HOC 3 Ret | | | | 6th | 128 |

### Complete Ferrari Challenge results
#### Complete Ferrari Challenge Europe results

(Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Rank | Points |
| 2018 | Formula Racing | Pro | MUG 1 1 | MUG 2 1 | SIL 1 2 | SIL 2 1 | SPA 1 3 | SPA 2 1 | MIS 1 1 | MIS 2 2 | BRN 1 1 | BRN 2 1 | BAR 1 1 | BAR 2 1 | MNZ 1 1 | MNZ 2 2 | 1st | 282 |

#### Ferrari Challenge Finali Mondiali results

| Year | Class | Team | Car | Circuit | Pos. |
| 2018 | Trofeo Pirelli Pro | Formula Racing | Ferrari 488 Challenge | Autodromo Nazionale di Monza | 1st |

### Complete European Le Mans Series results

(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 |
| 2019 | Luzich Racing | LMGTE | Ferrari 488 GTE | Ferrari F154CB | LEC 1 | MNZ 3 | | | | | 1st | 127 |
| 2019 | Luzich Racing | LMGTE | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB | | | CAT 1 | SIL 4 | SPA 1 | ALG 1 | 1st | 127 |
| 2020 | Iron Lynx | LMGTE | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | LEC | SPA | LEC 5 | MNZ | ALG | | 16th | 10 |
| 2022 | AF Corse | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | LEC 8 | IMO 14 | MNZ 12 | CAT 5 | SPA 7 | ALG 8 | 12th | 25 |
| 2022 | AF Corse | Pro-Am Cup | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | 2 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 3rd | 101 |
| 2023 | Formula Racing | LMGTE | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | CAT | LEC 8 | ARA Ret | SPA 2 | PRT 12 | ALG 9 | 12th | 24 |
| 2024 | Formula Racing | LMGT3 | Ferrari 296 GT3 | Ferrari F163 3.0 L Turbo V6 | CAT 1 | LEC 9 | IMO 9 | SPA | MUG | ALG | 6th* | 29* |
| Source: |||||||||||||

### Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

| Year | Entrant | Class | Car | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Rank | Points |
| 2019–20 | AF Corse | LMGTE Am | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | SIL 1 | FUJ 2 | SHA 4 | BHR 4 | COA 4 | SPA 1 | LMS 3 | BHR 2 | 1st | 167 |
| 2021 | AF Corse | LMGTE Am | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | SPA 1 | POR 11 | MON 1 | LMS 1 | BHR 5 | BHR 1 | | | 1st | 150 |
| 2022 | AF Corse | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SEB 9 | SPA 9 | LMS 11 | MNZ 9 | FUJ 10 | BHR 10 | | | 18th | 12 |
| 2022 | AF Corse | Pro-Am Cup | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 1 | | | 1st | 177 |
| 2023 | Ferrari AF Corse | Hypercar | Ferrari 499P | Ferrari 3.0 L Turbo V6 | SEB 3 | ALG 2 | SPA Ret | LMS 4 | MNZ 2 | FUJ 4 | BHR 3 | | 3rd | 120 |
| 2024 | Ferrari AF Corse | Hypercar | Ferrari 499P | Ferrari 3.0 L Turbo V6 | QAT 6 | ITA 4 | SPA 3 | LMS 1 | SÃO 6 | COA 3 | FUJ 9 | BHR 11 | 2nd | 115 |
| Sources: |||||||||||||||
$^*$ Season still in progress.

### Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results

| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
| 2020 | AF Corse | François Perrodo Emmanuel Collard | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Am | 339 | 26th | 3rd |
| 2021 | AF Corse | François Perrodo Alessio Rovera | Ferrari 488 GTE Evo | GTE Am | 340 | 25th | 1st |
| 2022 | AF Corse | François Perrodo Alessio Rovera | Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 361 | 24th | 19th |
| 2023 | Ferrari AF Corse | Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina | Ferrari 499P | Hypercar | 337 | 5th | 5th |
| 2024 | Ferrari AF Corse | Antonio Fuoco Miguel Molina | Ferrari 499P | Hypercar | 311 | 1st | 1st |
| Sources: ||||||||

### Complete GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Car | Class | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | Pos. | Points |
| 2020 | AF Corse | Ferrari 488 GT3 | Pro | IMO 7 | NÜR Ret | SPA 6H 4 | SPA 12H 1 | SPA 24H 5 | LEC | | 6th | 46 |
| 2021 | Iron Lynx | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Pro | MNZ 5 | LEC 5 | SPA 6H 1 | SPA 12H 1 | SPA 24H 1 | NÜR 7 | CAT 7 | 1st | 83 |
| 2022 | Iron Lynx | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Pro | IMO 7 | LEC 2 | SPA 6H 5 | SPA 12H 11 | SPA 24H 9 | HOC 43† | CAT 20 | 10th | 37 |
| 2023 | AF Corse - Francorchamps Motors | Ferrari 296 GT3 | Pro | MNZ 8 | LEC 7 | SPA 6H 29 | SPA 12H 25 | SPA 24H 44† | NÜR 22 | CAT 1 | 8th | 36 |

### Complete WeatherTech SportsCar Championship results

(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Team | Class | Make | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Pos. | Points |
| 2021 | AF Corse | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | DAY 8 | SEB | MDO | DET | WGL | WGL | LIM | ELK | LGA | LBH | VIR | PET | 55th | 246 |
| 2022 | AF Corse | GTD | Ferrari 488 GT3 Evo 2020 | Ferrari F154CB 3.9 L Turbo V8 | DAY 4 | SEB | LBH | LGA | MDO | DET | WGL | MOS | LIM | ELK | VIR | PET | 53rd | 294 |
| 2023 | AF Corse | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 3 | SEB | MON | WGL 6 | ELK | IMS | PET | | | | | | 29th | 250 |
| 2024 | Richard Mille AF Corse | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | DAY 12 | SEB 13 | WGL | MOS | ELK | IMS | ATL | | | | | | 13th* | 414* |
| Source: ||||||||||||||||||||