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BMW’s pole advantage didn’t last long. As the French Tricolore flew in the hands of Sir Mark Cavendish, the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota V-Series.R vaulted past the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8, with the #20 BMW close behind. On their race debut, the pair of Genesis GMR-001s made strong progress gaining positions in the first few corners, as BMW retook the lead by the time the 18-strong Hypercar field reached the first chicane.
Thankfully, it was a clean start in all classes, with the LMP2 and LMGT3 fields being mindful of the old adage that Le Mans can’t be won on the first lap – only lost. The opening salvo saw multiple cars scrapping for positions along the Mulsanne straight, with cars going three-wide along what’s usually a public road. The #27 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo of The Heart of Racing held on to its LMGT3 pole position, edging a small gap over the chasing field, and despite being the oldest car on the grid, the pair of Lexus RCFs run by Akkodis ASP moved forwards through the production-based class, settling into the lead as the first hour passed.
It took just 25 minutes for the Hypercar field to catch the GT3s, and so started the challenge of passing slower traffic while maintaining pace and position. Toyota made the first strategy gamble by pulling both the #7 and #8 TR010s in for fuel within a lap of each other. The Japanese manufacturer was the only one electing to go off-cycle, with the rest of the leading class staying out for the full 11-12-lap stint. Toyota’s bet paid off, as once the top six exited the pit lane for the first time, Sebastien Buemi’s #8 had already shot past into the lead. This would continue to oscillate between the BMW M WRT team and Toyota Racing entries between pit stops, with strong pace from the updated Cadillac V-Series.Rs and Alpine A424s behind.
Despite door-to-door racing in all classes, the first two hours were contact free, with no collisions recorded – and the only penalties handed out were for race start procedure infringements. The #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo was the first to face the wrong way, spinning at Tertre Rouge before hitting a barrier, and damaging the front bumper on its way back to the pits. There’s never a good time to have a problem at Le Mans, but having one early in the race does at least mean there’s plenty of time to recover.
LMP2s return to the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar exclusively at Le Mans, with the class having become a de-facto spec series owing to all teams using the Oreca 07. They utilise the same 4.2-litre V8 from Derby-based Gibson Technology, and all run the same low downforce aerodynamic kit for the 24 Hours. Pre-race favourites IDEC Sport and Duqueine Team ran together with their #28 and #30 for much of the first two hours, only becoming separated when their pit strategies diverged.
The race settled into its rhythm by the third hour, with driver changes taking place in all classes, and packs of Hypercars running together and slicing through traffic metronomically, save for Antonio Fuoco spinning at Tertre Rouge following contact with the #30 LMP2. Toyota’s #8 stretched its lead at the head of the field, being able to run at pace in dirty air and follow other cars much closer than its Hypercar competitors.
It eventually relinquished the lead to the #20 BMW of Team WRT once more, but this time the Sheldon Van Der Linde was being reeled in by Jack Aitken in the #38 Cadillac. The pair of V8 hybrids ran nose to tail between lapped traffic, before Aitken made a decisive move for the lead into the second chicane, and quickly built a four-second gap over the BMW.
A relentless pace in all classes meant nobody could afford any mistakes, or attract any penalties from race control. The first big contact point of the race came as the #51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar collided with the #9 Proton Competition LMP2 at the Forest Esses, pushing the lapped Oreca across the kerb and dislodging two bollards. The 2023 race-winning car would be hit with a drive-through penalty, costing it three positions in class, and prompting Race Engineer Bapiste Allain to tell Allesandro Pier Guidi to “Focus, no complaining” for the rest of his stint.
With six hours elapsed, the length of a standard WEC race had passed and the leading contenders remained steadfast. A rotating three-horse race between BMW, Cadillac and Toyota for the overall lead continued unabated, with the two-pronged attack from Inter Europol seeing the #43 and #343 gaining on the leading #30 Duqueine Team in LMP2. Meanwhile in LMGT3, the pair of Lexus RCFs ran 1-2 ahead of the #33 TF Sport Corvette that gradually advanced through the ranks in the first quarter of the race.
The first Hypercar to falter was the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 that made contact with the #3 DKR Engineering LMP2 in the Porsche Curves. As the BMW reached the Mulsanne Straight, the right rear tyre deflated and delaminated, causing damage to the rear of the car and an eight-minute in-lap. Losing three laps to the leaders, the car made another trip to the garage to fix a steering issue. Despite emerging from the pit lane, its run was curtailed and its next visit to pit lane would be its final one.
Unable to recover from earlier issues were the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo and the #13 Corvette Z06 GT3.R of 13 Autosport. The AMG succumbed to suspension damage from a spin and subsequent barrier contact, while the Corvette became the second retirement of the race after suffering bodywork damage.
Lap times began tumbling in the cooler temperatures as the Hypercars switched to soft tyres after sunset. Cadillac’s outright pace, BMW’s fuel saving stretching the #20’s stint lengths out to 13 laps, and Toyota’s speed in clear air continued to keep all guessing as to who would prevail the following afternoon. The action was only paused to recover the #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo that was punted into the gravel at the Forest Esses, with a Safety Car period called to allow the track to be cleared of the debris from eight hours of uninterrupted racing.
With 44 minutes behind the trio of Porsche 911 Turbo S pace cars, the field merged and took the green flag once more, with the #8 Toyota TR010 leading the way, capitalising on having clear track ahead to prevent the Jota Cadillacs from closing in. LMP2 continued to be led by the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca, and the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage retook the lead in LMGT3.
Nighttime running always affects cars differently, with the cooler climate causing the Alpine A424s to drop out of contention in Hypercar, while the Corvettes that struggled to top the timing sheets in qualifying rose to the sharp end of the LMGT3 category. Even the most experienced drivers can make mistakes as fatigue sets in, with three-time winner Brendon Hartley out-braking himself at Mulsanne Corner. The subsequent trip around a roundabout to rejoin the circuit allowed Will Stevens’ #12 Cadillac to catch the Toyota, with Earl Bamber joining the two-pronged attack in the #38 V-Series.R a short while later.
The Toyota edged away in the Porsche Curves and the twisty first sector of the lap, but the superior straight line pace of the Cadillac kept it in the tow along the Mulsanne Straight and the run to Indianapolis. Pitting for fuel and tyres while the Cadillacs opted for fuel only, the Toyota handed the lead to the Jotas, leaving Stevens in the lead with 14 hours left to race.
The Cadillacs made the most of their late night pace, running 1-2 as the race passed the halfway mark, but the formation flying wouldn’t last forever. Having passed the #12, the #38 suffered a power steering failure that forced its retirement, leaving the #12 to fight alone for the next 11 hours. The #33 TF Sport Corvette took control of the LMGT3 class – a position it would maintain as dawn encroached. Two-time LMP2 class winners Inter Europol briefly cycled to the lead, before Duqueine retook first place in what was looking like a dominant showing for the #30 Oreca.
With the sky turning blue, track temperatures rose and lap times fell once more. Relishing the warmer conditions, the #8 Toyota set the fastest lap of the day, and the #20 BMW regained its daytime pace. The #8, #12 and #20 continued to rotate through the lead into the final quarter of the race. With six hours to go, it was anyone’s guess as to who would prevail. The race was neutralised to repair barriers on the Mulsanne Straight as the #91 Manthey DK Engineering 911 GT3 R suffered a steering failure exiting the first chicane. While touring the French countryside behind the safety car, Ferrari’s #50 499P experienced a powertrain failure, ending the 2024 Le Mans winner’s race at Tertre Rouge.
The race restarted with just under five hours to go, with the #20 and #12 quickly clearing GT3 traffic to run in clear air. The chasing Toyotas bridged the gap to the second place Cadillac, as Robin Frijns’s BMW departed the scene with a four-second advantage. Pit stops ushered in another change of lead, with the #12 valiantly defending from the chasing #8 and #7 Toyotas. The action would soon be paused again as disaster struck the LMP2 leader. The #30 Duqueine Team Oreca ground to a halt after suspension and brake failure, ending 21 hours in the lead of the category.
This handed the class lead back to Inter Europol, running first and second with both their #43 and #343 Orecas. In LMGT3, the #33 Corvette maintained the lead, keeping a resurgent #23 Aston Martin and #78 Lexus at arms length. With the race getting underway for the final time, the Toyotas marched forwards into the lead, and maintained a comfortable gap to the chasing BMW and Cadillac. The leading order continued to cycle with pit stops, but the Toyotas ultimately remained in control. Eventually the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota V-Series.R fell out of contention as it made a late stop for fuel, resulting in the 48th change of overall leader and leaving three cars in with a shot of winning.
Splitting the two Toyotas, the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 managed to cut two seconds from the leading #7’s advantage, but it wasn’t enough to bring the trophy to Munich. Managing fuel while maintaining a strong race pace, Kamui Kobayashi remained laser-focused in the final stint. At 24 hours and three minutes after starting from 14th place, he crossed the finish line to secure Toyota’s first Le Mans triumph since 2022, and break Ferrari’s three-year winning streak.
It was the second victory for Le Mans lap record-holder Kobayashi and Mike Conway, with teammate Nyck de Vries taking his first trip to the top step of the podium. With Le Mans being a double-points round of the WEC, the third place for the #8 crew of Sebastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley propelled Toyota to the top of the Manufacturer’s Championship standings, deposing BMW who led coming into the race.
Team WRT can leave Le Mans with their heads held high, with the M Hybrid V8 recording its best Le Mans result since BMW returned to the top class of sportscar racing. Drivers Rene Rast, Robin Frijns and Sheldon van der Linde were consistently fast and efficient, but ultimately came up just 10.621 seconds short of the winning Toyota in the closest finish since 1969.
In LMP2, Inter Europol maintained their 1-2 running order to secure their third victory in four years, and the second consecutive victory for the #43 driver trio of Tom Dillmann, Jakub Śmiechowski and Nick Yelloly. The #29 of Forestier Racing by Panis rounded out the main LMP2 podium. The Pro-Am sub-class featured the three pre-race favourites at the sharp end come Sunday afternoon, with CrowdStrike by Algarve Pro Racing’s #4 taking top honours. George Kurtz, Alex Quinn, and Laurin Heinrich all left Le Mans with a new Rolex, fending off the strong performances from the #183 AF Corse and #99 AO by TF Orecas.
Corvette’s tenth GT-class victory was one few would’ve predicted based on their pre-race pace, but having taken the lead overnight and kept it come sunrise, their position at the head of the production-based category never looked in doubt. Drivers Nicky Catsburg and Ben Keating scored their second class win at La Sarthe, with Jonny Edgar taking his maiden victory in the #33 Corvette Z06 GT3.R. They finished one lap ahead of the #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus RC F GT3, and the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
Of the 62 starters, 49 made it to the end through a gruelling 24 hours. Beyond the action at the front of each class, there were stand-out performances throughout the field, including Genesis scoring points on their Le Mans debut with the surviving #19 GMR-001. In LMGT3, the #92 911 GT3 R of The Bend Manthey never gave up, despite losing time in the early stages of the race to replace a broken tie rod. They fought on, eventually coming home 13th in class and six laps down on the class-winning Corvette.
While reaching the finish of Le Mans is rightly seen as an achievement in itself, that sentiment won’t be going very far with the Peugeot squad. Their pair of 9X8 Hypercars ran isolated for the third year in a row, never looking like challenging the tail end of the top class – let alone the sharp end.
While some will be licking their wounds and replacing broken carbon fibre panels, the four victorious driver crews and teams have already been written into the history of the world’s greatest endurance race. Le Mans once again delivered in 2026, with a nail-biting race that saw the overall lead changing twice every hour right up to the final stint. Having fallen to Ferrari for the last three years, many said Toyota could only win Le Mans if there wasn’t any strong opposition. This year, against the most competitive top class in decades, Toyota silenced those critics in emphatic fashion with their sixth overall victory.
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