Hollywood actor Michael Fassbender talks returning to Le Mans, his passion for motorsport and his special relationship with Porsche.
This is not Michael Fassbender’s first time racing at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The Hollywood actor, known for starring in the X-Men films, Alien series and more, has tackled the iconic track three times before, but his love of racing dates back to his childhood.
Passionate about motorsport since a young age - Fassbender started watching Formula 1 with his grandfather during the Ayrton Senna era - he went go-karting for the first time as a teenager and “understood it straight away.”
Though his career took him in a different direction, Fassbender decided aged 40 to step away from acting and pursue racing.
A chance meeting with Patrick Dempsey on a flight put Fassbender in touch with Sebastian Borowski, Project Manager Motorsports Marketing, and from there, his journey to Le Mans began.
Starting with the Porsche Sports Cup Germany, Fassbender then progressed to the European Le Mans Series in 2020 and 2021 before finally tackling his big goal: the Circuit de la Sarthe and its unforgiving 24 Hour race.
The first time Fassbender raced in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in 2022, was for Porsche customer team Proton Competition alongside Matt Campbell and Zacharie Robichon. After a big crash in qualifying, the team fought hard to make it to the start line after a chassis rebuild.
They fought hard throughout the race, but an incident during the night at Indianapolis forced them into the garage and the team finished 16th in class.
In 2023, he was back at the wheel of the Porsche 911 RSR, this time alongside now six-time class winner Richard Lietz and Martin Rump. Though he suffered another crash, this time at Karting, Fassbender was hooked on the iconic circuit - and the experience was captured in Road to Le Mans - The Film.
This year, he returned once more, but this time to take part in the special Le Mans round of Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil.
Racing in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, Fassbender finished 25th and 14th in races one and two respectively - an impressive feat given it was his first time racing in 2026. But how did it feel to be back driving at Le Mans for the first time in three years?
“It's good,” he said, speaking after Race One at this year’s event. “I get certain triggers, there's a certain amount of trauma. The first experience [in 2022] was very intense for me. It really broke me a little bit - well, quite a lot. And then I knew that I had to come back and go again in 2023.
“[That year I] really went through a big journey in the six hours that I had to do, and then I just had an amazing hour and a half where I was in a flow, and I fell in love with it. It was amazing, and then I crashed with about 17 minutes left of my drive time. But I did a three hour stint, which I was pretty proud of.
“[The crash] happened at Karting on the exit, it was a really silly mistake. I tried to hold track limits, I was on the black and white flag, no more track limits, and I tried to hold it which was a stupid thing - I should have just opened up the wheel.
“But the experience was incredible, and then I had to go back to work. I can't do both at the same time, I can't get insured to go acting if I'm racing at the same time, so my window in terms of doing acting was very small. It would be from the end of October to the end of March, so it was quite restrictive.
“So I’ve gone back to work now, and I'd like to come back racing again, maybe in another couple of years.”
Part of the allure is the track itself, with each corner having a specific characteristic to it.
Fassbender “[loves] Indianapolis, just love the feeling of going in that right hander. I still need to go in faster there, but it's such a great feeling. I love the first section, all through Dunlop. I love Tertre Rouge - when you get that right, just getting the power early there, it’s a great corner.
“The Porsche curves, obviously very challenging to go through there fast, still trying to really eke my way in there faster and get that first left hand, really commit to it, but of course the wall comes quickly. There's just so many different sections, each corner's got its own personality to it.”
Though this may be a one-off appearance for now, Fassbender has taken his return to racing in his stride. His last race was at Interlagos in São Paulo in November, also as part of the Porsche Carrera Cup Brazil, which he said was an “incredible” experience at a “very special place”.
A last-minute change to his acting schedule - he has just finished shooting The Kennedys for Netflix - freed him up to make this appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe, and he jumped at the chance despite his lack of seat time.
Fassbender said: “For São Paulo, I’d never been there, so I rented a sim and just learned the track that way. It's a good way to learn the track, and then it's really just track time, and that is the tricky thing with Le Mans, we don't have much time on the track.
“We were bedding the brakes in the first session, then it rained, so the first session I had one flying lap, I think.
“So just playing catch up, the second session I had a bit of a better run, and then qualifying this morning was just for me to really get another practice session. Bit disappointed that I didn't find more time, considering I've done so many hours here, but that's just the way it is, I guess.
“I also wanted to respect the place and the car, because I've been out of the car for seven months, and just build up speed slowly.”
Speaking after the first of two races, Fassbender said he had been bumped at the first Mulsanne Chicane in race one, spinning him around and leaving the rest of the race as a recovery job which he “really enjoyed actually."
“It was kind of another practice session for me. I managed to claw back a couple of cars, and then just get into trying to find a flow and use that time. So I'm looking forward to Saturday now.”
He added: “The car is great, I’ve gotta say. I have a 991 that I use whenever I get a chance to do some practice on track, which I love. It's a bit raw - there's a few more tools and kits on the 992, which in some ways makes it easier to drive, but it's a fantastic car.
“I was spoiled with the RSR, so I was thinking, oh my god, what's it going to be like now getting into the Cup car, but I absolutely love it. Again, it's just a raw race car. It is one of, I think, from my experience, the best cars to learn in if you can drive it well.”
With Porsche marking 75 Years of Motorsport in 2026, it is a special year for both the brand and those who have a special relationship with it - including Fassbender.
“I’ve always loved Porsche,” he said. “I’ve always loved the 911, it’s my favourite shape and design of a car.”
He continued: “One of my Matchbox cars, or whatever make it was, was the 911. One of our neighbours had a 911, so I was always just drooling over that. The 993 is one of my favourite modern cars, just managed to get one of those two years ago, and yeah I just love it.
“I think the ethos of racing, what it stands for. The car is a sports car, I think it's hard to beat. You can drive it to the shops, you can take it to the track, fling it around the track, and drive it home again. They're very robust, again challenging to drive correctly and on the limit, all those things, and then, of course, the heritage and the history speaks for itself.”
Though for now, racing remains firmly a side project, Fassbender aims to dive back in full-time for another three-year plan, perhaps in a few years’ time, and “commit to it properly.”
With more preparation, his final goal is to once more return to the hallowed ground of the Circuit de la Sarthe and compete in its headline race: The 24 Hours of Le Mans.
