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There will be thrills, drama and excitement (and thankfully no VAR) as the 94th edition of the oldest active endurance race in the world takes place at Circuit de la Sarthe, live on TNT Sports and HBO Max.Ferrari have won the last three editions of Le Mans, but will they make it four in a row?
They will be up against a new challenger in the Hypercar class as South Korean manufacturer Genesis make their debut.
When does 24 Hours of Le Mans start and finish? When are the practice sessions? What is Hyperpole? How can you watch and live stream in the UK? Read on for all you need to know.
When is 24 Hours of Le Mans?
The first competitive action at Le Mans takes place on Wednesday, June 10, with free practice and qualifying.
Hyperpole, which is used to decide the grid positions for 24 Hours of Le Mans, takes place across two sessions on Thursday, June 11.
The 24-hour race starts at 15:00 UK time on Saturday, June 13, and finishes at 15:00 on Sunday, June 14.
Highlights: Ferrari dominate 24 Hours of Le Mans as Kubica steers AF Corse #83 car to win
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24 Hours of Le Mans schedule (All times UK)
Wednesday, June 10
13:00 – Free practice 1
17:45 – Qualifying LMP2 and LMGT3
18:30 – Qualifying Hypercar
21:00 – Free practice 2
Thursday, June 11
13:45 – Free practice 3
19:00 – Hyperpole 1 LMP2 and LMGT3
19:35 – Hyperpole 2 LMP2 and LMGT3
20:05 – Hyperpole 1 Hypercar
20:40 – Hyperpole 2 Hypercar
22:00 – Free practice 4
Saturday, June 13
11:00 – Warm-up
15:00 – 24 Hours of Le Mans starts
Sunday, June 14
15:00 – 24 Hours of Le Mans finishes
How to watch and live stream 24 Hours of Le Mans
You can watch all the action from 24 Hours of Le Mans, including free practice, qualifying, and Hyperpole, live on TNT Sports.
It will be available to stream both live and on-demand on HBO Max.
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How does 24 Hours of Le Mans work and what is Hyperpole?
The race itself is simple: race continuously over a 24-hour period and the team (each made up of three drivers) that covers the most distance over the course of the race will win.
No driver can race for more than 14 hours in total and there are three different classes of cars: Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3. The Hypercars are the fastest cars in endurance racing.
Grid positions for 24 Hours of Le Mans are decided across three qualifying sessions (qualifying, Hyperpole 1, and Hyperpole 2).
What is a Hypercar?Hypercar is the premier class in endurance racing and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Hypercars are the fastest in the field and the category is made up of two types of car: LMH (Le Mans Hypercar), where manufacturers build the car from scratch, and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h), where the backbone of the car is provided by one of four chassis manufacturers: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier and Oreca. The minimum weight of a Hypercar is 1,030 kg and the maximum power is 500 kW (680 hp).
Hypercar is the premier class in endurance racing and the FIA World Endurance Championship. Hypercars are the fastest in the field and the category is made up of two types of car: LMH (Le Mans Hypercar), where manufacturers build the car from scratch, and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona h), where the backbone of the car is provided by one of four chassis manufacturers: Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier and Oreca. The minimum weight of a Hypercar is 1,030 kg and the maximum power is 500 kW (680 hp).
Wednesday’s qualifying session lasts 30 minutes and the fastest 15 cars in each class earn a place in Hyperpole 1.
In Hyperpole 1 on Thursday, the top 10 fastest cars from a 20-minute session will advance to Hyperpole 2.
The remaining 10 contenders will then contest Hyperpole 2 over 15 minutes to see who gets top spot on the grid.
Who is racing at 24 Hours of Le Mans?
There will be 18 Hypercars competing at this year’s edition of Le Mans.
The manufacturers entering the race are Aston Martin, Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Genesis, Peugeot and Toyota.
The Hypercar driver line-up features 17 past winners and there are several ex-Formula 1 drivers in the field. Among them are Kevin Magnussen, Britain’s Paul di Resta, and Nyck de Vries.
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