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It’s time for one of the most-awaited racing events of the year. The iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year, and some of the biggest names in the auto industry, including Toyota, Ferrari, Porsche and Cadillac, will be battling it out for top honours.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is widely regarded as the ultimate endurance test of man and machine in motorsport. To win here, you need more than just a fast car and a great driver line-up. Moreover, it’s a race that can flip the script of the World Endurance Championship since double points are on offer. This means the winning crew can collect a maximum 50 points.
Hypercar entries: Toyota, Ferrari and more
The top class of the World Endurance Championship features cars built to both, LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h) specifications. A Balance of Performance system (that adjusts weight, horsepower, aerodynamics etc) is applied to level the playing field between the two technical rules and across brands.
As the LMP1 class saw dwindling entries, this shift in philosophy is meant to offer greater variety, while also keeping costs in check. And it has worked, with this year’s Hypercar class seeing 16 entries from seven brands.
Toyota dominated the first three rounds of the championship, and until just a few weeks ago, they seemed poised to win this year’s Le Mans race as well. However, organisers have since tweaked the Balance of Performance parameters, giving two LMH cars (Toyota, Ferrari) and two LMDh cars (Cadillac and Porsche) a weight increase for Le Mans.
This has hit Toyota the hardest with their cars now 37Kg heavier. As a result, it’s game on for outright victory.
Ferrari on pole for 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours
Ferrari has locked out the front row, with the No. 50 Ferrari 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen setting the fastest time of 3mins 22.982secs to start from pole. The No. 51 Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi are second with a time of 3mins 23.755secs.
This is the first time in 50 years that Ferrari has secured overall pole position for Le Mans. They’re now perfectly primed to end Toyota’s run of consecutive wins.
Toyota’s Brendon Hartley improved his time just before the chequered flag was waved, but it wasn’t enough to beat the two Ferraris. This means the No. 8 Toyota crew of Hartley, Sebastien Buemi and Ryo Hirakawa will start from third on the grid. The sister No. 7 Toyota of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez are fifth. Splitting the two Toyotas is the No. 75 Porsche of Felipe Nasr, Mathieu Jaminet and Nick Tandy in fourth.
The Hyperpole session was red flagged when the No. 3 Cadillac, driven by Sebastien Bourdais, stopped in flames on the Mulsanne Straight. Cadillac revealed the fire was caused by a burst in the high-pressure fuel hose. Bourdais was up to P3 at the time, but Hyperpole regulations mean his fastest lap was scratched and the No. 3 car will be starting from eighth on the grid.
Other entries in the Hypercar class include Peugeot with their radical ‘wingless’ 9X8. Vanwall and Glickenhaus are also fielding non-hybrid LMH cars, while IMSA squad Action Express is fielding a third Cadillac.
LMP2, LMGTE Am classes
All cars in the LMP2 class use the ORECA 07 chassis and are powered by 4.2-litre Gibson engines. The No. 48 IDEC Sport crew of Paul Lafargue, Paul-Loup Chatin and Laurents Horr will start pole position in this class.
Then we have the LMGTE Am class, featuring racing cars derived from road-going models. Heavy-hitters like Corvette, Ferrari and Aston Martin are competing in this class. The No. 33 Corvette is on LMGTE Am pole, with drivers Nicky Catsburg, Ben Keating and Nicolas Varrone.
NASCAR Le Mans entry
Yes, there is a NASCAR entry in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. General Motors, Goodyear and Hendrick Motorsports have collaborated to adapt a Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 to compete in the 24 hour endurance race. And they’ve come all guns blazing with a star-studded line-up comprising 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, seven-time NASCAR Cup champion Jimmie Johnson and 2009 F1 champion Jenson Button.
They’re competing as the Garage 56 entry, reserved for an innovative car.
Where to watch Le Mans 24 Hours
For those tuning in from India, the 24 Hours of Le Mans race kicks off at 7:30pm (IST) on Saturday, June 10. Eurosport will broadcast sections of the race in India. But for now, this will just be a three-hour coverage from 5-8am on Sunday.
The race will also be streamed live on the FIA WEC TV and 24H Le Mans TV app. There’s a Le Mans-only stream for €12.99 (approximately Rs 1,153), or users can purchase a full WEC season pass for €39.99 (approximately Rs 3,551).
2023 Le Mans 24 Hours starting grid
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