Bold moves

At 12, Ye began traveling alone to Japan for tougher competition. "Karting is about building muscle memory — training your body to instinctively feel what the vehicle is doing," he explained.

"In Europe, kids my age were already racing against fields of 100 or more drivers. By 14 or 15, they were preparing for Formula cars."

So Ye made his boldest move yet. At 14, he left China for Le Mans, the spiritual home of endurance racing. He barely spoke a word of French. "I had to learn it through English — it felt impossible at first."

Homesick and exhausted, Ye would tune into Chinese radio broadcasts on his phone, the familiar voices providing an emotional lifeline. By his second year, he spoke enough French to resume his studies, and even outscore his classmates in the national exams.

Balancing school and racing, Ye's persistence paid off. In 2016, he won the French F4 Championship, and by 2019 he had joined the Renault Sport Academy, driving in F3.

The next step was F2 and a shot at F1. However, in 2020, Ye made another bold choice: to switch to endurance racing.

"At the time, I knew many top manufacturers were preparing to join Le Mans' top class. I saw it as a great opportunity to step onto the world stage as a professional racing driver," he explained.

The transition proved fruitful. Ye collected multiple wins across endurance events, but, his Le Mans debut in 2021 delivered what he calls the darkest moment of his career.

Taking over in the final two hours of the race, Ye clawed back a 20-second deficit to seize the lead. By the last lap, he was 40 seconds ahead of second place, poised to make history. But, as he exited Turn 1, his car suddenly broke down. Unable to restart, he and his teammates were forced to retire.

"It was unbearable. The car just stopped on the last lap. If we had crossed the line, it would've been historic," Ye said. "I couldn't recover. I just kept crying."

Instead of breaking him, the desolation of victory snatched away at the last moment steeled Ye's resolve. "I kept reminding myself to stick to my original dream and keep working. Setbacks make you stronger — they prepare you for bigger challenges ahead."

That display of skill and determination didn't go unnoticed. Soon after, Ye secured a contract with endurance racing royalty Porsche. It was the step that led him to, arguably, the most famous motor racing marque of them all and another lifelong dream. By 2024 he was an official factory driver for Ferrari.

In his second season with the marque, Ye finally conquered Le Mans.

Since its inception in 1923, the 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a linchpin of the motorsports calendar — endurance racing's equivalent of the Monaco Grand Prix in Formula One or the Rallye Monte-Carlo in the World Rally Championship. Its grueling 24-hour nonstop format places extraordinary physical demands on drivers, particularly their necks.

To prepare, Ye revealed that he regularly trains his neck by wearing a helmet with an additional 20 to 30 kilograms of weight, repeating a single exercise up to 200 or 300 times.

Ye incorporates mental training too, often engaging in reaction-based drills with his coach. "We play games under pressure, where I have to focus entirely on my movements instead of the outcome. It helps me handle emergency situations in the car when the pressure is on," he explained.

When he's not racing, Ye spends time in the Alps — across France, Switzerland and Austria — working on his physical endurance. He enjoys cycling and mountain hiking.

"These outdoor workouts not only improve my physical condition, but also help me find a sense of inner calm during races," Ye said.