When the assassination of one of your royal ancestors played a big role in triggering World War I – not to mention inspiring the nomenclature of one of the mid-2000s’ biggest breakthrough bands – it’s difficult to stay incognito. That’s why Ferdinand Habsburg, who shares at least part of his name with the aforementioned Archduke Franz Ferdinand, loves motor racing.

“There were some years where I was struggling more with it,” he admits of his inherited legacy, “and some where I could have the best of both worlds. You could do an act in your family requirements and duties towards history, politics and society, in your own way, and then you have this privilege to be working in a race environment where most people have never heard of the Habsburg monarchy. They probably think Habsburg comes from a burger joint!”

Just to explain: Habsburg would, after his father Karl, be the next king of Austria should there be an unexpected restoration of the throne. But he also happens to be a highly regarded racing driver in the World Endurance Championship with Alpine. Alongside Frenchmen Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin, he scored an emotional victory in last year’s Fuji 6 Hours. With Chatin off to the new Genesis team for 2026, in comes Formula E superstar António Félix da Costa to join the crew of the No35 car.

The Renault group has already confirmed Alpine’s exit from the WEC at the end of this season. But first, there’s the small matter of success in this series and the big one – the Le Mans 24 Hours – to attack with the A424 machines throughout 2026.

“We’ve been doing a lot of pre-season calls, chatting about updates, how to improve communication, iron out everything we’ve learned,” relates Habsburg. “And after every call we all kind of have this moment where we look at each other on the screen and… we’re all aware it’s coming to an end, but we are so aware of each other’s desire to do well. We might as well go out and give everything. We have nothing to lose in a way.

“We’ve got updates from last year because they were all developed without the knowledge of the desire of the board of Renault to cut the programme, so everything is in line for going forward. I’m enjoying this just-go-out-and-send-it attitude we’ve got.”

The Milesi-Habsburg relationship is an enduring one. Together, they won the WEC’s LMP2 title in 2021, including victory at Le Mans after a last-lap heartbreak for Robert Kubica, described elsewhere in this issue. And they’ve teamed up in the Hypercar ranks with Alpine since 2024. Of the diminutive redhead from eastern France, Habsburg laughs: “A proper firecracker of a personality. Huge attitude but the funniest guy ever. He’s rapid, he’s got that fighting mentality. I love sharing the car with him, except the seat inserts – we have quite opposite lengths of legs! It’s the only issue we have.”

“Fuji came along. Our heads were exploding and it was just the most wonderful experience”

He knows da Costa of old too, after they teamed up in LMP2 for the Daytona 24 Hours at the start of 2018. This was before Habsburg’s final season of single-seaters, in Formula 3: “My first ever race that was longer than 35 minutes. António was just the best possible team-mate I could have asked for. There’s nothing you can doubt about his abilities as a driver. He’s got that pit bull in him.”

If you’re getting the impression that Habsburg loves everyone, you wouldn’t be far wrong. It’s a habit he’s exhibited since his late teens in Formula Renault and F3. “I’m chirpy and joyful rather than introverted and acting like a bully, and sometimes people would say, ‘You’re not going to make it – you’re too nice,’” he reflects. “That’s one of the things I’m most proud of: you can be a nice guy and win races, and I think there are quite a few people in F1 now who represent that as well, which I think is awesome.” He doesn’t mention him by name, but reigning world champion Lando Norris was a team-mate in Habsburg’s F3 days.

Such enthusiasm extends beyond his fellow drivers. Ask about that Fuji victory, and Habsburg recalls: “It was completely insane and unexpected, because in many ways the race was, for me, one of the worst I had all year. All year long, we didn’t have the pace in the car, so what we did was save tyres in the beginning in the hope that a safety car would come at the end and then we’d be able to fight with a tyre advantage. Just get through the first half, then we’ve got to try to maximise everything with whatever we’ve pulled out with tyres and fuel.

“Fuji came along and the safety car came at the right moment. We had the tyre advantage, the strategy worked out for us, and Charles got in and we went from the back to second place. Then we had a quicker stop and jumped the [leading] Peugeot in the pitlane. Our heads were exploding and it was just the most wonderful experience.

“It was also feeling like a testimony to a team that hadn’t been doing so well. Everyone is trying their hardest, so not succeeding is heartbreaking. You don’t do 24-hour races as a mechanic for fun or to make big money, so you’ve got to be passionate to do this thing. To get that win, especially for the mechanics… They’re not responsible at all for the development or the performance package – they have to work with what they’ve got, and I was just so happy for them. They’re the unsung heroes for me. It was great to party with them in the evening.”

In a way, it’s a Habsburg trait to propound on such unity. His grandfather Otto von Habsburg grew up in exile after the dissolution of the monarchy, but as an adult moved onto the political stage, campaigning against nationalism. As a result of his involvement in occupied Austria’s anti-Nazi resistance, he was subject to an execution order by Hitler henchman Rudolf Hess and went into exile again, this time in the US. After the war, he campaigned for refugees, became an MEP (as did Ferdinand’s father Karl) and was even instrumental in the Pan-European Picnic peace demonstration, where an opening of the Austro-Hungarian border was a trigger point to bringing down the Iron Curtain.

“Balance of Performance doesn’t matter to me. Just enjoy every race”

“What better example could you have when describing someone as a European?” admires Habsburg. “Someone who was looking for unity and shared values in how to treat and look out for people. When somebody asks about my role model, he’s the one I mention. He was just ruthless about being honest and honourable. He was willing to die for it. He would not speak a lie even when there was a gun pointed to his head, and he survived it. That’s something that we miss in the world today.

“It’s a very difficult burden he must have carried as the crown prince, being groomed to take over in a sincere way. On paper I’m the crown prince, but I never had to go through what he did. I’m grateful for how honest and courageous he was. It would have been very easy for him to become a playboy in New York and live out his life.”

At least Otto never had to deal with Hypercar Balance of Performance. Habsburg scoffs: “It doesn’t matter to me. Really shit cars have won races before with a lot of heart and spirit. And if you get the best BOP you can still screw it up. I wish we didn’t even get told what it was. Just enjoy every race.”

You can bet he’ll do just that – and carry on spreading that bonhomie.