Nobody knows the real pecking order
Most likely, nobody can say with certainty which car is the fastest at Circuit de la Sarthe this week.
From the Test Day to Free Practice 4, Le Mans sessions have been topped by five different constructors. The Balance of Performance has been made secret, on top of drivers and other team members being banned from discussing it. The aim was to prevent the BoP from being a distraction from the actual competition, but the consequence is, we have even less of a clue what is happening.
Sure, you can look at the raw lap time table from the event so far. Assuming its Hyperpole 2 quickest time hadn’t been deleted, it would be Cadillac on top in 3m22.559s, followed by BMW (3m22.564s), Alpine (3m23.018s), Genesis (3m23.126s), Ferrari (3m23.406s), Aston Martin (3m23.777s), Toyota (3m23.791s) and Peugeot (3m24.978s).
But apart from Peugeot being slowest – which the French brand is vehemently unhappy about – there is no clear conclusion.
That’s why BMW M Team WRT’s polesetter Dries Vanthoor reckons you cannot rule Ferrari out. “They don’t look fast now, but I’m sure they manage somehow to be there when it counts.” So only the race will provide a definitive answer.
Ben Vinel
LMP2 is competitive as ever – but two cars might have an edge
#30 Duqueine Team Oreca 07 Gibson: Doriane Pin, Julien Andlauer, Richard Verschoor
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
Unlike in Hypercar, there is no BoP in LMP2, so it’s easier to see who actually performs in this very competitive class.
Taking part in his third Le Mans, 21-year-old Esteban Masson gave Forestier Racing by Panis pole position with a blistering 3m32.855s lap in the #29 Oreca, with everyone else some four tenths off.
But no driver can single-handedly win Le Mans, so it is interesting to average out all drivers’ benchmarks in each line-up – especially given the difference is usually made by the mandatory amateur drivers, as there is more variance in their performance.
By that metric, two cars stand out. The first one obviously is the #29, with Masson bringing down the average lap time to 3m34.354s, while team-mates Oliver Gray and Louis Rousset maintain a decent level of performance.
Then there’s the #30 entered by Duqueine Team, with a redoubtable line-up of drivers averaging 24 years old: youngest Le Mans class winner Julien Andlauer, Mercedes Formula 1 junior Doriane Pin and McLaren F1 junior Richard Verschoor. Thanks to Pin being categorised as a Silver by the FIA, they are by far the most homogeneous trio, and average 3m34.392s, so don’t draw conclusions from their lowlier sixth position on the grid.
Other entrants to keep an eye on include the #43 and #343 cars from Inter Europol Competition respectively driven by Dillmann-Smiechowski-Yelloly and de Gerus-Garg-Mueller, as well as the #28 IDEC Sport machine that will start second in class (Lafargue-Rinicella-van Uitert).
But, of course, raw pace doesn’t equal consistency, so let’s see who can maintain this pace without mistakes over the 24 hours.
Ben Vinel
LMGT3 is too close to call
#27 Heart Of Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3: Ian James, Zacharie Robichon, Mattia Drudi
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
Aston Martin may have claimed pole position by over a second on Thursday, but competition in the LMGT3 class is expected to be as fierce as ever. Corvette, Lexus and the Kessel Ferrari all appeared competitive over long runs, while Porsche also looks to be in the mix despite clearly lacking pace over a single lap. If the weather remains as hot as forecast, Corvette could gain a decisive edge, as the higher temperatures would help offset the Z06 GT3.R’s usual tyre warm-up limitations. A potential dark horse could be Mercedes, which could inch closer to the front at night.
Ultimately, gentleman drivers could play a decisive role in deciding the outcome of the race, especially if the race doesn’t feature too many safety car periods. Unlike the Daytona 24 Hours, staying on the lead lap remains crucial, despite the so-called ‘Americanisation’ of the WEC.
Tyre degradation is also expected to play a big role, as it remains unclear how long the Goodyears will last if track temperatures climb towards 30C.
Rachit Thukral
Hyperpole: Spectacle at all costs
Pole sitter Jack Aitken, Cadillac Hertz Team Jota, Sebastien Bourdais
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
Since the introduction of Hyperpole in 2020, the battle for pole position at the Le Mans 24 Hours has become an event in itself. Yet, while the French classic has increasingly turned into a 24-hour sprint, the importance of pole position in WEC remains largely anecdotal, serving primarily as a matter of prestige.
On Thursday evening at Le Mans, however, we saw just how far the Hyperpole format can be pushed toward spectacle at all costs before reaching its limits. With pole position now requiring cars to navigate three separate sessions, including two elimination rounds, before securing the top spot on the grid (any resemblance to Formula 1 is purely coincidental…), the intensity and obsession with every last detail turned the occasion into a mockery.
In the pursuit of every possible advantage, Cadillac made a costly mistake by leaving its garage too early at the start of Hyperpole 2. The American manufacturer was solely responsible and was rightly penalised, but the evening ultimately descended into unprecedented confusion. The #38 drivers briefly celebrated what they believed was pole position, only to hand back their medals later to the drivers of the #15 BMW.
Among spectators, those who had already left the circuit after Hyperpole were likely surprised to find out, once they got home, that the polesetter was no longer the driver they thought it was. The show at all costs, even when some scenes are borderline absurd.
Basile Davoine
Is it the Goodyear Chicane now?
Goodyear bridge, Hypercar action
Photo by: Germain Durand
The bridge over the circuit at the start of the lap may now have Goodyear emblazoned upon it, but the corner below remains named after the former, long-standing sponsor of the pedestrian bridge. It’s still the Dunlop Chicane and, like the Dunlop Curve that precedes it, will remain so.
That’s what Automobile Club de l’Ouest president Pierre Fillon revealed early in the week, putting the kibosh on the idea that 62 cars will now be piling into the Goodyear Chicane come four o’clock on Saturday. He pointed out that the Porsche Curves have never undergone a name change in the 50-plus years since their sweeps bypassed the old Maison Blanche section of public road in 1972.
It’s probably a good job, too – pity the poor TV commentators having to remember to call the corner the Goodyear Chicane deep in the night.
Gary Watkins
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