Simon François Gachet (born 14 October 1993) is a French racing driver who currently competes in the GT World Challenge Europe for CSA Racing. Since 2025, Gachet has been employed as a factory driver for McLaren's GT3 program.
Career Early career An avid rugby player as a young boy, Gachet was not heavily involved with motorsports in his youth. He was introduced to motorsport through car magazines, and discovered single-seater racing while attending the Formula Motorsport school at the Circuit du Laquais. In 2011, he began competing in the V de V Challenge Monoplace, completely forgoing the karting process.
Junior formulae In his opening season of single-seater competition, Gachet was crowned champion, taking two wins and 11 podiums in 15 races. That winter, Gachet won the Euroformula Volant test, awarding him a €60,000 bursary which allowed him to compete in the French F4 Championship for 2012. Scoring six podiums in 14 races, Gachet finished third in the overall points classification. For 2013, Gachet stepped up to the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps series, joining French team ARTA Engineering. He had a quiet start in his first season in the series, scoring his first points in July at Misano and finishing 14th in the championship. He returned to the team in 2014, adding a full-season effort in the Formula Renault Eurocup to his Alps series commitment. Gachet's second season in the Alps series proved more successful, as he scored a podium in each of his first three races en route to a fifth-place finish in the championship. Prior to the Hungaroring round of the 2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 season, Gachet joined ART Junior Team. He would finish the Eurocup season in 19th, scoring just ten points. For 2015, he joined Tech 1 Racing for a full-season campaign in the Formula Renault Eurocup, topping the charts in the series' preseason tests at MotorLand Aragón. However, it was another quiet season for Gachet, securing just one podium at Le Mans and finishing 16th overall.
Sports car racing For 2016, Gachet moved to endurance racing, joining Panis Barthez Competition's entry into the LMP3 class of the European Le Mans Series. The entry scored its first and only podium of the season at Imola, before taking pole position the following week at the Red Bull Ring. Entering five of the six races that season, Gachet and co-drivers Eric Debard and Valentin Moineault finished ninth in the LMP3 class championship. He returned to the team in 2017, finishing 14th in the drivers' championship. Alongside his European Le Mans Series campaign, Gachet joined Energy by ART's entry into the GT4 European Series Southern Cup, taking one podium at Magny-Cours en route to a 20th-place finish in the Pro-Am class championship. Gachet completed 2017 with a pair of one-off appearances for Saintéloc Racing in the GT World Challenge Europe Sprint and Endurance cups, finishing outside of the points in both appearances.
2018 saw Gachet move full-time into the GT World Challenge Europe with Saintéloc. Pairing with Christopher Haase in the Sprint Cup, Gachet scored three overall podiums, including a second-placed finish at Hungaroring, placing eighth in the championship. Gachet began the Endurance Cup season with Saintéloc's Pro entry, scoring a sixth-place finish at Circuit Paul Ricard before joining the team's Am-class entry for the Spa 24 Hours. He would finish 37th in the overall Endurance Cup classification. He returned to the team in both championships for 2019, joining Haase once again in the Sprint Cup and returning to the team's Pro-class entry in the Endurance Cup. Gachet and Haase had their best statistical season to date, finishing fifth in the championship after taking four podiums and Gachet's first win in the series at Zandvoort. He had another quiet season in the Endurance Cup, finishing 33rd overall.
Gachet played a diminished role for the team in 2020, joining Steven Palette in Saintéloc's Silver-class Sprint Cup entry. The duo found immediate success, taking class victory in the opening two races of the season and adding a podium to complete the opening weekend at Misano. The following round at Magny-Cours saw Gachet take the overall pole and victory in race #2, despite being classified in the Silver Cup class. Following the second race at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Gachet and Palette clinched the Silver Cup title. The following season saw Gachet switch his focus back to the Endurance Cup, joining Mercedes-AMG entrant AKKA-ASP in their Silver Cup entry. Claiming class victories at Paul Ricard and Barcelona, Gachet finished second in the Silver class championship alongside teammates Konstantin Tereshchenko and Thomas Drouet.
For 2022, Gachet returned to Audi, joining Tresor by Car Collection's Sprint Cup entry. Reunited with Christopher Haase, Gachet scored his first podium of the season at Magny-Cours after taking pole for race #1. He would go on to collect four podium finishes that season, claiming third in the overall championship. Gachet also embarked on full-season campaigns in the FFSA GT Championship and GT4 European Series for Akkodis-ASP. In October, he joined Eric Debard behind the wheel of Team France's GT Relay entry into the 2022 FIA Motorsport Games. The duo finished second in both qualifying races, before scoring the gold medal in the main race.
In 2023, Gachet was promoted to Audi Sport factory driver status. In his first full season as a factory driver, Gachet took on a drive with Saintéloc's Pro class entry in the GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup, alongside Patric Niederhauser and Christopher Mies, as well as a Sprint Cup entry in the Gold Cup class, paired with Paul Evrard.
Racing record Career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition 2011 V de V Challenge Monoplace Formula Motorsport1521?11525 1st 2012 French F4 Championship Auto Sport Academy140006148 3rd 2013 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 ARTA Engineering200000NC† Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series1400002814th V de V Challenge Monoplace Formula Motorsport3000014419th 2014 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 ARTA Engineering800001019th ART Junior Team60000 Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series ARTA Engineering140003785th 2015 Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 Tech 1 Racing1700111916th Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series600120NC† 2016 European Le Mans Series - LMP3 Panis Barthez Competition6010130.59th 2017 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Saintéloc Racing100000NC Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup200000NC European Le Mans Series - LMP3 Panis Barthez Competition6000012.514th GT4 European Series Southern Cup - Pro-Am Energy by ART1200012120th 2018 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Saintéloc Racing50000937th Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Am100000NC Blancpain GT Series Sprint Cup10000344.58th French GT4 Cup - Pro-Am200000NC 2019 Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup Saintéloc Racing50000233rd Blancpain GT Series Endurance Cup - Pro-Am10000822nd French GT4 Cup - Pro-Am1100111519th GT4 South European Series - Pro-Am20000246th 24H GT Series - A6 2020 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Attempto Racing100000NC GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver100000NC GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Saintéloc Racing10110233.59th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - SIlver103206108.5 1st French GT4 Cup120002847th Ultimate Cup Series - Monoplace F3-T318 Formula Motorsport33??31686th 2021 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup AKKA ASP Team50000132nd GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup - Silver5200274 2nd French GT4 Cup - Pro-Am121003986th Intercontinental GT Challenge Saintéloc Racing100001016th 2022 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup Tresor by Car Collection10010467 3rd French GT4 Cup - Pro-Am AKKODIS ASP Team1201?2827th GT4 European Series - Pro-Am1201?2679th 24H GT Series - GT3 Am Saintéloc Racing30000??* Intercontinental GT Challenge Saintéloc Junior Team100000NC FIA Motorsport Games GT Cup Team France11001N/A1st2022-23 Middle East Trophy - GT3 Saintéloc Racing 2023 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Saintéloc Junior Team50000416th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup1000005.518th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Silver101105905th Ultimate Cup Series - Sprint GT Touring Challenge - 3A Racetivity42123765th2024 GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup CSA Racing10000012.514th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup - Gold10242797.53rd French GT4 Cup - Pro-Am Debard Automobiles by Racetivity4001146*3rd* Lamborghini Super Trofeo Europe Schumacher CLRT GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup HAAS RT100000NC CSA Racing100002025 GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup CSA Racing50000919th GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup1000003.523rd2026GT World Challenge Europe Endurance CupCSA RacingGT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup1000000.530thItalian GT Championship Endurance Cup - GT3 † As Gachet was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship 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 DC Points2012LÉD1LÉD2PAU1PAU2VDV1VDV2MAG1MAG2NAV1NAV2LMS1LMS2LEC1LEC2 3rd 148
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 DC Points 2013 ARTA EngineeringALC1ALC2SPA1SPA2MSC1MSC2RBR1RBR2HUN1HUN2LEC1LEC2CAT1CAT2 NC† 0 2014 ARTA EngineeringALC1ALC2SPA1SPA2MSC1MSC2NÜR1NÜR2 19th 10 ART Junior TeamHUN1HUN2LEC1LEC2JER1JER2 2015 Tech 1 Racing ALC1 ALC2 ALC3 SPA1 SPA2 HUN1 HUN2 SIL1 SIL2 SIL3 NÜR1 NÜR2 LMS1 LMS2 JER1 JER2 JER3 16th 19
† As Gachet was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series 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 Pos Points 2013 ARTA Engineering VLL1 VLL2 IMO11 IMO12 SPA1 SPA2 MNZ1 MNZ2 MIS1 MIS2 MUG1 MUG2 IMO21 IMO22 14th 28 2014 ARTA Engineering IMO1 IMO2 PAU1 PAU2 RBR1 RBR2 SPA1 SPA2 MNZ1 MNZ2 MUG1 MUG2 JER1 JER2 5th 78 2015 Tech 1 Racing IMO1 IMO2 PAU1 PAU2RBR1RBR2RBR3SPA1SPA2MNZ1MNZ2MNZ3MIS1MIS2 JER1 JER2 NC† 0
† As Gachet was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
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 2016 Panis Barthez Competition LMP3 Ligier JS P3 Nissan VK50VE 5.0 L V8 SIL IMO RBR LECSPA EST 9th 30.5 2017 Panis Barthez Competition LMP3 Ligier JS P3 Nissan VK50VE 5.0 L V8 SIL MNZ RBR LEC SPA ALG 14th 12.5
Complete GT World Challenge Europe results GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup Year Team Car Class 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Pos. Points 2017 Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Pro MON SIL LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H CAT NC 0 2018 Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Pro MON SIL LEC CAT 37th 9 Am SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NC 0 2019 Saintéloc Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo Pro MON SIL LEC CAT 33rd 2 Pro-Am SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H 22nd 8 2020 Attempto Racing Audi R8 LMS Evo SilverIMONÜR SPA6H SPA12H SPA24HLEC NC 0 2021 AKKA ASP Team Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo Silver MON LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR CAT 2nd 74 2023 Saintéloc Junior Team Audi R8 LMS Evo II Pro MNZ LEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR CAT 6th 41 2024 HAAS RT Audi R8 LMS Evo II ProLEC SPA6H SPA12H SPA24HNÜRMNZ NC 0 CSA Racing GoldJED NC 0 2025 CSA Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo GoldLECMNZSPA6HSPA12HSPA24HNÜRCAT 3rd 94 2026 CSA Racing McLaren 720S GT3 Evo Gold LEC MNZ SPA6H SPA12H SPA24H NÜR ALG 4th* 64*
GT World Challenge Europe Sprint Cup