Leena Gade

British motorsport engineer who became the first woman to serve as lead race engineer for a Le Mans 24 Hours winning team, achieving three consecutive victories

Leena Gade was born in Perivale, England, in the mid-1970s, and studied at the University of Manchester before building a career as a race engineer in top-level sports car and open-wheel racing. Gade made history in 2011, becoming the first female race engineer ever to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, leading her Audi crew to victory in one of the most demanding and prestigious races in motorsport, a role in which she was responsible for the car's setup, strategy, and communication with her drivers throughout the gruelling 24-hour event. Gade went on to win Le Mans on multiple further occasions with Audi, and was honoured with the FIA World Endurance Championship's "Man of the Year" award in 2012, alongside the C&R Racing Woman in Technology Award, in recognition of her groundbreaking achievements in a technical role traditionally dominated by men. Gade has continued to work as a lead race engineer across the World Endurance Championship and IndyCar, and serves as an ambassador for the FIA Commission for Women in Motorsport, helping to open pathways for women into engineering and technical roles within the sport.

Pioneering female motorsport engineer who broke barriers in endurance racing

• Le Mans 24 Hours winner as lead engineer 2011, 2012, 2013
• First woman lead engineer to win Le Mans
• FIA Hall of Fame nominee