Cast your mind back to earlier this year, when we broke down - in exhaustive detail - how the revamped Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying system worked.
Five years after the introduction of Hyperpole, the ACO opted to split it in two, with the clear objective of creating an ever-more-television-friendly format.
But if you thought that system was now settled, think again. There will be another subtle tweak for the 2026 edition of the World Endurance Championship's big race next June, and here's exactly what is changing.
A quick recap
In a bid to further spice up the spectacle, last year's format introduced a two-stage Hyperpole. Qualifying practices were split into three distinct sessions: qualifying (Q) on Wednesday, followed on Thursday by two Hyperpole sessions, H1 and H2.
That overall structure remains for 2026. So on Wednesday 10 June, LMP2 and LMGT3 competitors will take part in a 30-minute qualifying session. The 12 fastest cars in each category progress to Hyperpole 1. Hypercars then run a similar session, except that the top 15 cars advance to H1.
On Thursday 11 June, the 24 qualified LMP2 and LMGT3 cars (12 per class) fight it out over 20 minutes in H1, with only the top eight earning a place in H2. The same knockout format applies to Hypercar: 15 cars enter H1, but only the fastest 10 move on to the final shootout.
In H2, the remaining contenders have 15 minutes to go for pole position - first in LMP2 and LMGT3, then in Hypercar.
What changes for 2026?
The key change compared to this year concerns driver allocation. A new restriction has been introduced: the driver qualifying the car in the Q session cannot qualify the car in H1. However, in 2025, a driver who ran in Q could also be nominated for either H1 or H2. It won't be the case anymore.
In addition, the drivers qualifying the cars in Q and H1 cannot qualify the car in H2. As a consequence, under the new rule, if a car reaches H2, all three nominated drivers must be used across the three sessions, regardless of category.
There is one important exception to remember in LMGT3: only a Bronze-rated driver may qualify the car during the first qualifying session (Q). That was already the case in 2025 and remains unchanged for 2026.
A good idea - or not?
Opinion is likely to be split. Some will argue that endurance racing is, by definition, a team sport. This year, several felt that if two drivers were already being called upon for qualifying, involving all three simply made sense.
However, competitors have also highlighted several drawbacks.
"Having to change drivers between H1 and H2 complicates things," explained Sebastien Buemi. "It means both drivers need to prepare for flying laps, and that takes up more time in free practice. Given how little grid position affects the race result at Le Mans, I'm not sure it's necessary."
With the new rule, all three drivers must now be prepared for qualifying runs - even though teams generally prioritise race preparation in free practice, fully aware of starting position having little influence during a 24-hour race. Last year's podium finishers started 13th, 21st and 11th respectively.
Kevin Estre echoed similar concerns: "Having to change drivers between H1 and H2 makes things more complicated. You don't want to sacrifice your free practice and race prep just to do low-fuel, new-tyre qualifying runs. Another issue is the ballast, which is based on the lighter driver. If Matt [Campbell] is selected for one of the Hyperpole sessions, I'll have to carry 10kg extra. That's not ideal."
A bit of history
Interestingly, this approach echoes the system used in 1980, when pole position was awarded to the crew with the best average laptime across its drivers. That year, John Fitzpatrick set the outright fastest lap in Dick Barbour Racing's Porsche 935, yet the car started only second on the grid, behind the Rondeau M379B of Henri Pescarolo and Jean Ragnotti.
From 1923 to 1962, grid positions at Le Mans were determined by engine capacity. Since 1963, pole position has been awarded to the car whose driver sets the fastest qualifying time - with two notable exceptions.
The first was 1980, as outlined above. The second came in 1991, when the front rows were reserved for naturally aspirated 3.5-litre prototypes complying with the new WSC regulations. As a result, fastest qualifier Jean-Louis Schlesser, in a turbocharged Sauber-Mercedes, started only on the sixth row, behind the 10 WSC cars, led by the Peugeot 905 crew of Philippe Alliot, Mauro Baldi and Jean-Pierre Jabouille.
There were other unusual grid formats too, notably in 1996 and 1997, when prototypes lined up on the left side of the grid and GT cars on the right.
More recently, two major changes have shaped the modern era. Since 2020, cars have been arranged on the grid first by category and then by laptime, in the following order: Hypercar, LMP2 and GT. And, of course, that same year saw the introduction of Hyperpole. We know what happened next...
