Heir to an empire, Ferdinand Habsburg seeks new crown at Le Mans

Ferdinand Habsburg poses prior to the 24 Hours of Le Mans where he will drive in the elite class for Alpine (JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER)
If the Austro-Hungarian Empire still existed, Ferdinand Habsburg would be next in line to sit on the throne, instead he will be sharing a driver's seat this weekend in the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
The 27-year-old Ferdinand Zvonimir Maria Balthus Keith Michael Otto Antal Bahnam Leonhard Habsburg-Lothringen is the great-grandson of Charles I, who stood aside as the last Emperor of Austria and King of Hungary in November 1918 on the day World War I ended.
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"Ferdi" will start his fifth Le Mans on Saturday, his second in the premier Hypercar class, sharing driving duties in an Alpine with Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin.
"The goal is to win. Of course. But for me personally, it's to just enjoy it. You know, in the end, it's such a cool experience to be in Le Mans," he told AFP.
The heir apparent to the House of Habsburg-Lothringen was born in Salzburg. As a child he dabbled in music, football, fencing and horse riding.
"I was a child that was not able to sit still," he said. "It was torture for me!"
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Then he discovered karting.
"And I was like, OK, finished. Finished with everything else," he said. "My parents taught me something: If you like something, you follow it."
He started competing.
"I had no clue about anything. Then it just went step by step by step," he said. "I won the Austrian championship. It was a surprise for everyone."
He rose through the motor-racing classes, reaching Formula 3 in 2017.
"It became clear that I was too old or not successful enough for F1," he said good-naturedly.
In 2019, he switched to the German Touring Car Championship without making a splash.
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In 2021, he moved to the World Endurance Championship and in his first 24 Hours of Le Mans, finished first in his class.
His relaxed manner makes him popular in his team.
"He's the one who always sets the mood, no matter what the situation," said Milesi.
"He's quite sunny," said Chatin. "He has a great capacity for concentration, regardless of the results."
- 'Everything I could ever want' -
Ferdinand's father Karl Habsburg-Lothringen long ago formally surrendered all claim to the Austrian throne but remains the head of the Habsburg family.
Karl is coming to Le Mans for the first time to watch his son, the royal racing driver.
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"It was a surprise for a lot of my family, but mainly because I will become the head of the house. My father is the head of the house Habsburg and I will inherit this title. For example, if someone in our family wants to get married, they have to ask my father for permission. This is still a tradition. I will inherit this role and for them to think that I'm a racing driver and not something a bit more serious... is a shock."
Ferdinand says that despite the illustrious name, his father's family, whose assets were taken over by Austria in 1919, are not in a position to underwrite his career.
"After World War I, when my great-grandfather was in exile, he started with zero again. From being the emperor to being zero," Habsburg said.
His mother, on the other hand, is from the Thyssen industrial dynasty.
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"I was lucky that my mother's family came from wealth and I was able to financially support my racing career in the beginning."
Ferdinand, a devout Catholic, recently passed his bus driving test so he can do more in his work with young people "like the Boy Scouts".
"We have a lot of prayer together, but also hiking in nature," he said. "The idea is to bring boys from all different backgrounds together to show kind of role models in life."
He is driving for charity this weekend.
"The idea is for every lap in Le Mans to feed one child extra for a whole year.
"If I win the race, all of my prize money goes as well," he said.
"I have more than I need. I have everything I could ever want for."
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