Luca Ibáñez

Ibáñez in 2025

Rosario, Santa Fe, Argentina

**Luca Mateo Ibáñez Díaz** (born 9th January 2006) is an Argentine professional racing driver competing in Formula A for the 2025 season with Motech Kruse Motorsport. He previously competed in Formula C from 2022-2023, and in the 2021 World Karting Championship where he ended the season in 3rd and as the best rookie. He is also the 2024 Formula B champion.

## Early life

Luca Ibáñez was born on the 9th of January 2006 in Rosario, Santa Fe. His father Mateo is the CEO of semiconductor manufacturers Fulgora, and his mother, Camila, née Díaz, is a rally driver who participated in the World Rally Championship from 1992-1996. Luca originally expressed a passion for football, primarily playing as a central midfielder, and at the age of 9 he joined local club Central Córdoba de Rosario. However, he quickly developed an interest for motorsports, and when taken to his first karting event it was clear he was gifted as a driver too. At 11 he was faced with the choice of joining Rosario Central and continuing his football career, or focusing on a career in karting- he chose the latter.

## Karting career

Ibáñez began karting in 2017. He competed in the national Rotax Micro Max series, recording multiple podiums in his debut season. In 2019, he competed in the European Karting Championships, in the OKJ class. He recorded 2 race wins and finished the campaign in 7th place. He remained in the series for 2020, however was suspended from the final 2 rounds after a paddock altercation with rival Linus Wesselink, following a collision that took them both out of the race. Despite the suspension, he placed 4th in the final standings, and would secure a deal with Viridis Motorsports to compete in the premier class of the WKC in 2021. In his rookie season, aged just 15, he recorded 3rd place in the standings, having led the championship up until the final round, where a mechanical issue saw him lose out on his maiden karting title.

## Racing career

### European Formula C

In January 2022, Ibáñez announced via Twitter that he would be competing in European Formula C with Nevis MRT for the upcoming season, with financial backing from his father. He qualified 4th on his debut, but would then crash out of the sprint race on the 3rd lap. Throughout the season, he built a reputation for being extremely fast but incident prone; recording a total of 7 DNFs from 18 starts. He took pole in the final round of the season at Jerez and delivered his best performance yet- finishing 5th in the sprint race and taking his only win of the season in the feature race. He ended the season 8th, but his flashes of pace, along with the financial support he provided, he secured a seat in the 2023 Formula C World Championship.

### Formula C World Championship

Ibáñez partnered with Cazador Racing for the start of the 2023 season, taking a podium in the first round in Sakhir. However, in the feature race of the 3rd round in Monaco, he spun and hit the wall on the outside of Turn 15, obtaining a fractured wrist which ruled him out of the next 2 rounds. Upon his return in Silverstone, he scored another podium, along with the fastest lap in the feature race. He finished the season strongly, with 2 wins, a P2 and a pole from the next 6 races, to be classified in 6th place at the end of the season.

### Formula B

Ibáñez competed in the 2024 Formula B championship with Eurosilva Motorsport alongside compatriot Victor Flores. His season got off to a strong start, with 4/6 podiums and 2 pole positions from the first 3 rounds, putting him in the championship lead. He secured his first FB victory in the feature round at Silverstone, before retiring from the sprint race. He failed to score points in the Italy round, narrowing his title lead to just 18 points, before bouncing back with a sprint race win at Spa.

Heading into the title decider at Interlagos, Ibáñez was 5 points ahead of rival Emil Håkansson. Ibáñez took pole for the feature race, but would be overtaken by Håkansson on Lap 1. He fought his way back through with the help of a poor pit stop for Håkansson, but retired after a collision with Süleyman Körkmaz. However, his position in the title race was unaffected by this as Håkansson also ended up retiring due to a similar incident with Danique De Lange. Starting from the back in the sprint, Ibáñez recovered to an 8th place finish- with rival Håkansson finishing 6th, it was enough to secure the Formula B title for Ibáñez - his first ever single seater title.

### Formula A (2025-)

After qualifying for the FA Brazilian Grand Prix, Motech Kruse Motorsport announced that Luca Ibáñez would join the team for 2025. He will be partnering 2024 World Champion, Kalle Rantanen.

## Personal life

Ibáñez has an older sister, Beatriz, who works as a sports journalist.

Ibáñez's hobbies are football, golf, and music. He idolised Lionel Messi and Angel Di Maria as a child. His favourite football club is FC Barcelona.

Off track, Ibáñez is known for his publicised marijuana use. In January 2024, while in Barcelona, Spain, Ibáñez was arrested for public consumption of marijuana, and was forced to pay a fine. After winning the 2024 Formula B title at Interlagos, Ibáñez was photographed smoking what appeared to be a joint in his motorhome. Ibáñez and WMA later clarified that Ibáñez had successfully passed his routine drug test pre-race, after the photo sparked allegations that Ibáñez was doping.