The qualifying format for the Le Mans 24 Hours has changed this year. In Hypercar, six cars were knocked out on Wednesday night, with a few surprises along the way. Let’s take a look.
Leading times from each manufacturer
1. Cadillac V-Series #12 3m22.847s
2. BMW M Hybrid V8 #15 +0.040s
3. Ferrari 499P #51 +0.316s
6. Porsche 963 #5 +0.697s
9. Alpine A424 #36 +1.098s
10. Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8 +1.141s
15. Aston Martin Valkyrie #009 +2.022s
17. Peugeot 9X8 #94 +2.393s
Peugeot missing in action
No, we weren’t expecting both 9X8s to make it into Hyperpole. But we were hoping the gap to the competition would be smaller.
From the very first flying lap, though, the result was clear: for Peugeot, qualifying practice turned into an extra free practice session.
In the end, Stoffel Vandoorne was 2.3 seconds off the benchmark time, which explains the downcast expressions in the French camp last night.
“With the package we have under the 2025 Le Mans regulations, I didn't expect to set these times [of the leaders],” said Jean-Marc Finot, Senior VP of Stellantis Motorsport.
“I didn't think we could break the 3m26s barrier. A Hyperpole appearance would have been unthinkable.
“We know we have a disadvantage in terms of pace due to the specific regulations [implicitly referring to the Balance of Performance].
“We're going to fight to have the cleanest race possible and do our best within the constraints we've been given. It's disappointing not to be at the front for the biggest race of the year.”
Mixed fortunes at Porsche
Last night, Porsche Penske Motorsport didn’t know what to think. In the final seconds of qualifying, Felipe Nasr managed, just in time, to push the #4 963 into the top 15, allowing Porsche to get all three cars into Hyperpole 1.
But just before midnight came the blow: disqualification for the #6 car, with which Kévin Estre had set the fourth fastest time, just 0.513 seconds off the pace.
“The stewards considered the minimum car weight did not comply with the relevant regulations,” said a statement from the officials.
That means the #6 Porsche will start from the back of the Hypercar field - bad news for the team and 2024 polesitter Kévin Estre.
Toyota in distress
Last year, after a spin by car #7, no Toyotas made it to Hyperpole. This year, one will. Brendon Hartley posted the 11th best time in car #8, 1.141s off the fastest. A big gap, but nothing compared to the disappointment suffered by Nyck de Vries.
Over two seconds off the pace (2.215s), the Dutchman ended up 17th, denying team-mate Kamui Kobayashi a chance at a record fifth Le Mans pole.
“I got a yellow flag in the Porsche Curves with the Alpine (#35), and on the second lap you lose the peak of the tyre,” De Vries explained.
“I was still on a decent lap, but I caught up with the Alpine too early in the last chicane. We could have finished 10th or 11th, but no better than that. Brendon got the maximum out of the car.”
Not exactly reassuring...
Cadillac on top
Second and third in Hyperpole last year, the Cadillac V-Series.R once again showed its strength at Le Mans.
Alex Lynn set the best time with a 3m22.847s, while Sébastien Bourdais, Jack Aitken and Filipe Albuquerque finished (prior to the Porsche’s disqualification) fourth, ninth, and 13th respectively.
“That was lovely,” said Lynn. “The car was great. Honestly, no complaints. I didn’t make any set-up changes between runs and just improved my performance. It’s a strong start, we’ll take that.”
On Thursday afternoon, Cadillac will have four V-Series.Rs in Hyperpole 1. Will that be enough to earn its first-ever Le Mans pole position?
Ferrari looking strong
Since the test day, Ferrari has been claiming it doesn't have the fastest car... while every one of its rivals says otherwise. Still, last night, the three 499Ps once again made a very strong impression.
Though they posted “only” the third, sixth, and 12th best times, the Ferraris did so using just a single set of tyres, unlike many of their competitors in the qualifying practice. Combined with consistent free practice pace, Ferrari has reinforced its status as the heavy favorite to repeat its 2023 and its 2024 wins.
BMW scares itself
For a long time, the #15 BMW was stuck in the pitlane. But when it finally got out, Dries Vanthoor showed his speed once more. Remember, last year, he had set the fastest lap of the week in qualifying.
The Belgian clocked the second-best time, just 0.040s behind the #12 Cadillac. BMW’s strong showing was confirmed by Robin Frijns, who took eighth in the #20.
“Super happy with the qualifying,” said BMW Motorsport Head Andreas Roos. “We easily got both cars into Hyperpole 1 and hope to reach Hyperpole 2.”
Alpine slightly off pace
Tenth place for the #36 A424 and 15th for the #35 (before the disqualification of the Porsche #6). Still, a bit more was expected from the two French LMDhs.
“It was tougher than expected,” admitted Mick Schumacher. “We maximised our package in this case, but there is still work to be done. It's very hard at the moment to know what the others are doing…”
But both cars are in Hyperpole, and that’s what matters most.
Aston Martin, the pleasant surprise
One of the highlights of the qualifying practice was the promising performance of the Valkyrie LMH. For a long time, Marco Sorensen kept the 1009 in the top 15, before being bumped out by the #4 Porsche.
However, the disqualification of the #6 Porsche 963 ultimately hands a Hyperpole 1 spot to Aston Martin THOR - excellent news after its tough start to 2025.
“I'm really happy, because I think we deserve to be in,” Sorensen said. “We definitely had the pace to be in Hyperpole 1.”
Hypercars eliminated before Hyperpole 1:
#7 Toyota (Conway/Kobayashi/De Vries)
#94 Peugeot (Duval/Jakobsen/Vandoorne)
#93 Peugeot (Di Resta/Jensen/Vergne)
#99 Porsche (Jani/Pino/Varrone)
#007 Aston Martin (Tincknell/Gamble/Gunn)
#6 Porsche (Estre/Vanthoor/Campbell)
Team WRT and AO Racing lead in LMP2 and LMGT3
In LMGT3, Team WRT dominated a qualifying session reserved for FIA Bronze-rated drivers.
Driving the #46 BMW M4 he shares with Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harthy beat Ian James (Aston Martin #27) and Ryan Hardwick (Porsche #92) by 0.208s and 0.380s respectively. Now it’s up to the Silver and professional drivers.
In LMP2, last year’s poleman made headlines again. Driving the #199 AO Racing ORECA 07, Louis Delétraz set the best time, ahead of Ben Hanley (#22 United Autosports ORECA) and Alex Quinn (#45 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA).
But to hope for a second consecutive pole position, the Swiss driver will need Dane Cameron to set one of the eight fastest times in Hyperpole 1.
