LIVE: 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 Updates - #83 Ferrari AF Corse Win ahead of Porsche
- DIVEBOMB Motorsport
- Jun 14
- 45 min read
Updated: Jun 16
Updates from DIVEBOMB Endurance Team
https://www.dive-bomb.com/article/83-ferrari-af-corse-claim-le-mans-24-hours-2025-victory-le-mans-2025-race-report - FULL RACE STORY HERE!
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24 Hours of Le Mans 2025
The FIA World Endurance Championship returns for the iconic Le Mans 24 Hours this weekend, starting at 15:00 UK time on Saturday and finishing exactly one day later. Here, you will find every single update in the race, along with the current running order at the end of each hour for all three classes of Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3.
Many familiar names and faces add to a star-studded grid, the likes of MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi starts from 3rd in his No.46 BMW in the LMGT3 class, marking his second appearance in this event. Mick Schumacher also returns to Le Mans, driving the No.36 Alpine and starting from 9th position. Kevin Magnussen also returns to Le Mans and starts in 4th place with the No.15 BMW team in the Hypercar class. Jenson Button is also competing in the No.38 Jota Cadillac, starting on the front row alongside the sister No.12 Jota Cadillac.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 Starting Grid
Hypercar Top 10
1st No.12 Jota Cadillac
2nd No.38 Jota Cadillac
3rd No.5 Porsche Penske
4th No.15 BMW
5th No.4 Porsche Penske
6th No.20 BMW
7th No.50 Ferrari
8th No.311 Whelen Cadillac
9th No.36 Alpine
10th No.8 Toyota
LMP2 Top 10
1st No.29 TDS Racing
2nd No.43 Inter Europol Competition
3rd No.199 AO by TF
4th No.23 United Autosports
5th No.22 United Autosports
6th No.37 CLX Pure Racing
7th No.183 AF Corse
8th No.16 RLR M Sport
9th No.28 IDEC Sport
10th No.45 Algarve Pro Racing
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.27 Heart of Racing, Aston Martin
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse, Ferrari
3rd No.46 Team WRT, BMW
4th No.61 Iron Lynx, Mercedes
5th No.92 Manthey Phorm, Porsche
Race Start: 15:00 UK time Saturday 14th June - Updates will be in UK time.
24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 LIVE Updates
Key Points
62 car grid (21 Hypercars, 17 LMP2s, 24 LMGT3s), 51 remain
A handful of LMGT3's have been retired with mechanical trouble
Several cars have been hit with penalties for yellow flag and pit lane infringements, including both factory Ferraris.
Fully into the morning now, in the last phase of the race
Valentino Rossi's No.46 BMW retired with a mechanical issue during the night
A big shunt for the No.24 LMP2 just before halfway brought out the first and only SC of the race so far.
This Result ensures that Ferrari have won with all three Hypercars at the 24 Hours of Le Mans consecutively since 2023. The No.51 Ferrari winning in '23, the No.50 Ferrari winning in '24 and now the No.83 Ferrari AF Corse winning in '25.
15:05 - The No.43 Inter Europol squad WIN the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 class, and the No.92 Manthey Porsche WIN the 24 Hours of Le Mans LMGT3 class.
15:03 - ROBERT KUBICA BRINGS THE NO.83 Ferrari AF CORSE TO 2025 LE MANS 24 HOURS VICTORY
15:00 - FINAL LAP - No.83 Ferrari AF Corse leads the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
14:59 - The No.6 Porsche, who are currently in 2nd place and look to take home a phenomenal podium finish, initially started from 21st on the grid, an extraordinary race.
14:57 - The Ferrari team have instructed both the No.51 Ferrari and the No.50 Ferrari to ensure that they do not race one another or risk anything in the final couple of laps.
14:52 - The No.83 Ferrari AF Corse still lead this race ahead of the No.6 Porsche Penske, with the No.51 Ferrari currently claiming the final podium spot. This is likely to be the final result.
14:44 - The No.51 Ferrari is experiencing some issues, meaning the No.50 Ferrari might still have an opportunity to take the final step on the podium. They're only one second behind, as the No.83 AF Corse Ferrari of Kubica leads from the No.6 Porsche Penske car.
14:41 - In LMP2, despite the No.43 Inter Europol car having a drive-through penalty and losing the lead earlier, they have reclaimed the lead due to the No.48 VDS Panis Racing car slowing dramatically, the Panis Racing squad have lose around 8 seconds on this lap.
14:39 - The No.50 Ferrari initially overtook the No.51 Ferrari, but team orders from Ferrari have put the No.51 Ferrari ahead, and the Scuderia team are saying to both cars that they will finish in these positions due to both cars having minor issues.
14:38 - The No.51 Ferrari has come out ahead of the No.50 Ferrari for 3rd place, they're separated by less than a second, with the No.6 Porsche another 8 seconds up the road in 2nd place.
14:35 - The No.51 Ferrari now comes in for their final pit stop, they are also challenging for the podium against their sister No.50 Ferrari team, as well as the No.6 Porsche Penske. The Porsche currently sits in 2nd place.
14:33 - There are now less than 10 laps remaining.
14:30 - The No.6 Porsche has an 8-second lead over the No.50 Ferrari, the Ferrari being forced to run off the circuit and over the grass after nearly colliding with LMGT3 traffic. They lost 7 seconds on their out lap.
14:27 - No.43 Inter Europol, the LMP2 leaders - DRIVE THROUGH PENALTY for pit lane speeding, this will give the No.48 VDS Panis Racing squad the lead of LMP2.
14:26 - The No.6 Porsche Penske team and the No.50 Ferrari team have both come in for their final stops, the No.50 Ferrari have added an extra amount of fuel but have cost themselves an extra couple of seconds.
14:21 - More penalties for FCY infringements in the LMP2 and LMGT3 field, none for any cars threatening the class victories, as all classes enter the pits for the final time.
14:20 - No.83 Ferrari AF Corse of Kubica comes into the pits for their final stop, they will lead this race as we go into the final stage.
14:18 - No.009 Aston Martin, No.7 Toyota, No.87 Akkodis Lexus - DRIVE-THROUGH penalties for FCY infringements.
14:17 - The No.50 Ferrari and the No.6 Porsche Penske are now legitimately fighting for second place as the No.51 Ferrari is beginning to seriously slip away, despite having over 20% extra fuel energy.
14:15 - LMP2 Leaders, the No.43 Inter Europol, are under investigation for pit lane speeding
14:11 - Both the No.50 Ferrari and the No.51 Ferrari are currently behind the No.6 Porsche Penske, which sits in 2nd place. The No.50 Ferrari squad are just one second behind, but with the leading No.83 Ferrari AF Corse saving fuel, it looks as though Kubica's No.83 entry might be about to take victory at Le Mans, with the other Ferrari's now trying to battle the Porsche.
14:08 - Giovinazzi's No.51 Ferrari is seemingly struggling with upshifts and downshifts as an issue might be hitting Ferrari in the final hour. Giovinazzi has lost a lot of time to the cars ahead, and the No.83 Ferrari AF Corse of Kubica now has a crucial advantage.
FINAL HOUR - TOP 5 IN EACH CLASS
Hypercar
1st No.83 AF Corse Ferrari, Kubica
2nd No.6 Porsche Penske, Estre
3rd No.50 Ferrari, Fuoco
4th No.51 Ferrari, Giovinazzi
5th No.12 Jota Cadillac, Stevens
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol, Yelloly
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing, Masson
3rd No.9 Iron Lynx, Capietto
4th No.199 AO by TF, Deletraz
5th No.11 Proton Competition, Viscaal
LMGT3
1st No.92 Manthey Porsche, Pera
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari, Rovera
3rd No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, Drudi
4th No.81 TF Sport Corvette, Eastwood
5th No.87 Akkodis Lexus, Lopez
14:02 - GREEN FLAG
14:00 - ONE HOUR REMAINING
13:59 - FULL COURSE YELLOW
13:59 - The No.59 McLaren United Autosports LMGT3 has slowed on the Porsche Curves, bringing out a yellow flag.
13:57 - The No.51 Ferrari has now swapped with the No.50 Ferrari for track position, and they have held each other up slightly, the No.6 Porsche has extended a bit of a lead over the pair of them, as the No.83 Ferrari AF Corse leads the way.
13:53 - The No.51 Ferrari was jumped by the No.6 Porsche Penske who are narrowly ahead and are worse off on fuel, but they remain within distance, as the No.50 Ferrari now gets held up by the No.51 Ferrari, who is on cold tyres.
13:50 - The No.51 Ferrari now comes into the pits from the lead, they've run the fuel tank completely empty and now will take a full refuel, meaning they will lose the overall race lead, but have the advantage in strategy, they may attempt to not pit again.
13:46 - The No.15 BMW is stuck in the pit lane with bodywork being taken off, it looks like they may be heading to retirement, with Kevin Magnussen currently in the car.
13:44 - The No.6 Porsche Penske did not change tyres at the last pit stop and therefore have managed to jump ahead of the No.50 Ferrari for 3rd place on track. They are at a disadvantage and are separated by just over one second, but with everyone needing to make at least one more pit stop, the race for the podium is on.
13:41 - No.9 Iron Lynx DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY for track limits infringements, they will drop from 4th in class.
13:35 - No.36 Alpine of Mick Schumacher moves into 11th place after overtaking the No.94 Peugeot of Stoffel Vandoorne down the Mulsanne straight, Schumacher then runs too deep into Turn 14 and cedes the position back to the Peugeot.
13:31 - No.20 BMW - 20 SECONDS added to their next pit stop for a pit lane infringement
13:30 - No.43 Inter Europol and the No.48 VDS Panis Racing teams are battling for the lead in LMP2, Nick Yelloly inside the No.43 leads ahead of Esteban Masson in the No.48 Panis Racing machine.
13:26 - The No.83 Ferrari AF Corse leads with just over 90 minutes remaining, with the No.51 Ferrari currently sitting in 4th place, with a net race position of 2nd. The fight is likely going to come down to the No.83 and the No.51, as the No.83 Ferrari AF Corse attempts to make it three different Ferrari victories at Le Mans consecutively.
13:16 - No.34 Inter Europol 65-SECOND PENALTY
Less than 2 Hours remaining - Update
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.51 Ferrari, Calado
2nd No.83 Ferrari AF Corse, Kubica
3rd No.6 Porsche Penske, Campbell
4th No.50 Ferrari, Fuoco
5th No.12 Jota Cadillac, Nato
LMP2 Top 5
1st No.43 Inter Europol, Dillmann
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing, Gray
3rd No.199 AO by TF, Cameron
4th No.9 Iron Lynx, De Gerus
5th No.34 Inter Europol, Simmenauer
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.92 Manthey Porsche, Pera
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari, Rovera
3rd No.81 TF Sport Corvette, Eastwood
4th No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin
5th No.87 Akkodis Lexus, Schmid
13:02 - No.38 Jota Cadillac is under investigation for pit lane speeding
12:56 - No.83 is out, ahead of the No.6 now who has jumped the No.50 too.
12:55 - No.83 in the pits, as is the No.50 and No.6. Kubica stays in the car, as he takes on fuel and no tyres.
12:49 - Campbell has half a look at the first chicane, thinks better of it. But he gets the move done at the next Chicane, the No.6 onto the podium for now
12:48 - Matt Campbell has found more pace, now cruising up to the back of Calado in the No.51. The No.50 is only five seconds down the road too, Kubica leads by 40 seconds.
12:47 - Small touch between the No.21 and No.63 in the pit entrance, looks very likely to be the fault of the Mercedes.
12:42 - Green Flag - That seems to be the case as we get back up to speed
12:40 - Unclear at the moment the reason for the FCY, could possibly be just debris clean up
12:39 - Full Course Yellow
12:36 - "No way we cannot win" says Robert Kubica on the radio, he doesn't seem to be confident in the No.83s chances at the moment.
12:35 - The gaps at the front have once again stayed pretty stagnant, no one gaining too much time
12:32 - With two and a half hours to go, I'll give a mention to the Aston Martins, both cars are still running. The No.009 in 15th and No.007 in 17th, they might not be in the points but so far the two cars have been reliable. Exactly what the British marque wanted in the Valkyries first 24 hour race.
12:23 - The No.83 goes through, and the No.50. The No.51 is about 20 seconds behind the No.50 and around six seconds ahead of the No.6
12:22 - The No.51 car in for fuel and an oil fill, no tyres or no driver change
12:17 - Reports are saying there was a wheel gun issue for the No.6 too, that would've cost them a few more seconds
12:15 - The No.6 is now the best bit of 30 seconds behind the No.50, but should be quicker on this stint, and be able to go to the end on this set of tyres.
12:12 - No.83 is out ahead, then the No.50 slightly later and finally the No.6. The Porsche has lost a lot of time on pit lane, but they have taken tyres.
12:10 - Those three do all pit now, lets see what the pit crews can do.
12:08 - The No.83, No.50 and No.6 are due to pit this lap or the next, as all of the gaps have stayed stagnant for the last four or so laps
12:01 - The No.6 Porsche is still slightly behind the Ferraris, but still catching the leader too
12:00 - The lead gap is coming down, but Nielsen has pulled a gap on Calado slightly. Kubica in the No.83 has been told the cars behind are catching, but sounds cool and collected at the wheel of his 499P
3 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.83 Ferrari
2nd No.50 Ferrari
3rd No.51 Ferrari
4th No.6 Porsche
5th No.12 Cadillac
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.199 AO by TF
4th No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
5th No.34 Inter Europol
LMGT3
1st No.92 Porsche
2nd No.21 Ferrari
3rd No.27 Aston Martin
4th No.81 TF Sport
5th No.87 Lexus
11:53 - James Calado in the No.51 has been told not to fight Nielsen now that he is ahead, just to take the tow and try to catch the No.83
11:52 - Nielsen has made the move on his teammate at Indianapolis, the No.50 is now in second.
11:49 - In saying that, Vanthoor has dropped off ever so slightly, as the two Ferraris are properly together now.
11:47 - The two Ferraris are right together on track, with the Porsche slightly further back. It's not clear if Ferrari will let the No.51 and No.50 fight, but if they don't get a move on Laurens Vanthoor will be on them soon.
11:43 - There is now a problem for the No.22 United Autosports LMP2, as Renger Van Der Zande is slow on the Mulsanne.
11:42 - The No.83 leads by 16 seconds, but second, third and fourth are covered by just three seconds.
11:40 - So what we've missed was a short FCY, along with the slow zone for the IDEC LMP2. This meant that the order has stayed the same, but the gaps in the top four have closed.
Apologies as we deal with technical issues on our end, we are now back with the updates!
11:27 - The No.83 and No.50 come into the pits, so the No.51 leads. The No.6 follows the Ferraris in.
11:23 - Emotions flowing in the IDEC garage as the driver steps out of the car, it is the end for IDEC Sport this year in Le Mans.
11:21 - That is also both IDEC Sport cars out after a wheel has come loose. The incident will be contained under a slow zone.
11:20 - The No.28 LMP2 is in the gravel, missing a wheel. Yet another wheel flying off a car, that is multiple incidents during the race and the weekend.
11:18 - The No.8 Toyota is back out on track, with completely brand new front left suspension. Out of contention, but still looking to make it to the end.
11:16 - The lead gap has stabilised at around 30 seconds. Ye in the No.83 has upped his pace slightly, to match that of Nielsen in the No.50
11:07 - Looks to be suspension damage for the No.8, mechanics taking off the front left portion of the car
11:03 - The No.8 Toyota is in the pits, and in the garage now. Frantic repairs going on, as they drop off the lead lap.
4 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.83 Ferrari
2nd No.50 Ferrari
3rd No.51 Ferrari
4th No.6 Porsche
5th No.12 Cadillac
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.28 IDEC Sport
4th No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
5th No.199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No.92 Porsche
2nd No.21 Ferrari
3rd No.81 Corvette
4th No.27 Aston Martin
5th No.87 Lexus
10:58 - everything has settled after that round of pits stops now, the lead gap is 34 seconds, but last time around Nicklas Nielsen in the No.50 was over a second quicker than Ye.
10:53 - So from the replays, it looks like the wheel nut came off as he hit the brakes, and the tyre then punctured as it bounced off the bodywork. Disaster for the team that was running in and around the lead group for the majority.
10:50 - Trip through the gravel for the No.8 Toyota as he left the pits. The front left wheel nut was not attached properly, the wheel is just hanging on, Ryo Hirakawa will have to painfully limp back to the pits.
10:47 - Crucially, Ye didn't take tyres, the No.50 did. The gap between the two will grow, but Molina should be quicker during the stint.
10:46 - Leader in now, Ye brings the No.83 in. The No.51 stays out as does the No.6
10:44 - Through that whole stint, the lead gap was stagnant at just under 20 seconds. It will be interesting to see if the pit crews can make any difference.
10:42 - No.50 Ferrari is in the pits, all of the top seven are due in in the next couple of laps.
10:38 - LMGT3 stops now, both the No.92 Porsche and No.21 Ferrari in from first and second. The Porsche is absolutely dominating, with over a minute lead
10:29 - LMP2 leader in the pits, as is third place. Both the No.43 and No.199, the car which also leads the Pro-Am subcategory.
10:28 - Yet another quiet period in the race. Four and a half hours to go, some things with strategy are still yet to play out. This race is far from done yet, with still over two and a half Grand Prixs left to go
10:25 - The lead gap is down to 19 seconds now, Miguel Molina slowly reeling in the sister car. Sebastian Bourdais in the No.38 is flying, setting the fastest lap of the race
10:16 - Yifei Ye has been told on the radio his fight is with the No.50, 21 seconds back.
10:12 - Since I've done that update, the leaders haven taken pit stops so the order is ever changing. No.83 leads now, from the No.50 and No.51, and then its Kevin Estre in the No.6 Porsche
10:10 - Spin for the No.51 on pit entry, bouncing over the kerbs into the gravel. He had to come in for emergency fuel during the FCY, and was coming in again for a full fuel
5 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.6 Porsche
3rd No.83 Ferrari
4th No.50 Ferrari
5th No.12 Cadillac
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.28 IDEC Sport
4th No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
5th No.199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No.92 Porsche
2nd No.21 Ferrari
3rd No.81 Corvette
4th No.27 Aston Martin
5th No.87 Lexus
10:06 - Green Flag
10:04 - The replays look like either driver error or a failure of some sort. He went straight on into the gravel in the Porsche Curves, and clattered the wall on drivers left/
10:03 - Full Course Yellow
10:02 - Left rear puncture for the No.78 Lexus, looks to be some damage there too, possibly suspension
It's Aaron back with you for the next little bit, while Vyas sorts out a few technical gremlins.
09:53: Replays show the 183 AF Corse LMP2 of da Costa skipping over the gravel at the Porsche curves, rejoining dangerously close on the racetrack.
Back to green flag running, then! A short full course yellow.
FULL COURSE YELLOW! Just as the No. 38 Cadillac JOTA comes into the pits, just missing the 40m brake marker, and scampering across the pit entry, before making it in.
09:38: Further ahead in the grid order, Frijns and Jaminet are challenging for tenth on the road, with Frijns being encouraged to keep the No .5 Porsche behind. Panis Racing's Ollie Gray pits from second in class, swapping seats with Esteban Masson for the next stint.
09:35: Elsewhere, Antonio Felix da Costa jumps into the No. 183 AF Corse LMP2 machine. How will Wehrlein's Porsche Formula E teammate fare as the race goes on?
Over 18 hours into the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari continue to hold the status quo, locking out the top three spots as they look to make it three Le Mans wins in a row. Will it be a glorious hat trick for Ferrari in the hypercar class, or do Porsche, or anyone else have an answer to stop the Scuderia? Only time will tell us.
09:26: More driver changes see Robin Frijns jump into the No. 20 BMW for Rene Rast, while Mathieu Jaminet takes over the No. 5 Porsche. Meanwhile, in the No. 6 Porsche, Matt Campbell relinquishes his seat to the speedy Kevin Estre. With three Ferraris ahead, Estre has a big charge ahead if he wants to add to Porsche's 19 wins around Le Mans.
09:23: Replays show the No. 4 Porsche of Pascal Wehrlein having a lock up into Mulsanne corner, as they run down in 12th on the road. Wehrlein rejoins without any incident.
09:21: The race-leading No. 51 Ferrari comes into the pits, with Giovinazzi swapping out for Alessandro Pier Guidi during the stop.
More driver changes ringing in, as Raffaele Marciello jumps into the No. 15 BMW, while Kobayashi jumps back into the No. 7 Toyota. Yifei Ye jumps in the yellow No. 83 customer Ferrari, while Brendon Hartley takes over the wheel of the No. 8 Toyota once again.
09:15: The No. 50 Ferrari pits from third on the road. A driver change sees Miguel Molina jump in for Antonio Fuoco, as the Ferrari hypercar now rejoins in fifth.
Thanks Ben, for your stint. Vyas here, and I will be taking you through the next couple of hours!
6 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.83 Ferrari
3rd No.50 Ferrari
4th No.6 Porsche
5th No.8 Toyota
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.199 AO by TF
4th No.9 Iron Lynx - Proton
5th No.28 IDEC Sport
LMGT3
1st No.92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari
3rd No.81 TF Sport
4th No.87 Akkodis ASP Team
5th No.78 Akkodis ASP Team
08:57 - The No.27 LMGT3 car made his move on the No.87 Lexus on the inside of the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight. The Lexus got the switch back and re-took the place, just to lose it again at the second chicane after the No.27 put a brave move on the outside this time.
08:56 - The No.51 Ferrari now leads by seven seconds to the No.83. The No.50 is third, but 40 seconds back, ahead of the No.6 Porsche and the No.8 Toyota.
08:52 - Having overtaken him earlier, the No.78 car is under attack from the No.27 Aston Martin. The two cars are fighting for third place in the LMGT3 class.
08:48 - The No.183 (currently 10th in the LMP2 class) has been told it must fix its broken light panel in the next pit stop.
08:42 - The No.6 Porsche has come into the pits. It dropped behind the No.50 Ferrari meaning it is once again a Ferrari 1-2-3.
08:38 - After 282 laps, the No.51 Ferrari has pit for the 26th time. The Ferrari pit crew chose to not change tyres in order to ensure they still came out ahead of the No.83, which they did.
08:37 - The No.8 Toyota has pit as well, it's having a quiet race sat in fifth place behind the No.6 Porsche.
08:34 - Once again a lap before the leader, the No.83 has come into the pit lane.
08:32 - The No.50 Ferrari has pit from third place.
08:26 - Kubica is still being told to continue pushing, as Kubica is suffering from "thermal deg". The gap is at 1.3 seconds.
08:24 - Fourth place in LMGT3, the No.87 Lexus has received a drive through penalty after a FCY infringement.
08:19 - The gap at the front is now back to 1.5 seconds as the No.83 got a better restart.
08:18 - Green Flag
08:16 - The full course yellow has come out for the mashalls to collect debris.
08:16 - Full Course Yellow
08:14 - Giovonazzi and Kubica are having a 'lap time battle', as the No.83 is trying to get close enough to the No.51 to be let through, but the No.51 is trying to avoid this. After a big slide for the private car at the Mulsanne corner, the No.83 has dropped back a few seconds.
08:05 - Contrasting the AF Corse radio message, the No.51 pit crew have just told Giovinazzi to stretch the gap to the No.83.
08:04 - The AF Corse crew have come on the radio to tell Kubica that if he gets close to the No.51, the factory Ferrari will let the privateer by.
7 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.83 Ferrari
3rd No.50 Ferrari
4th No.6 Porsche
5th No.8 Toyota
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.28 IDEC Sport
4th No.9 Iron Lynx - Proton
5th No.199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No.92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari
3rd No.81 TF Sport
4th No.87 Akkodis ASP Team
5th No.78 Akkodis ASP Team
08:00 - Green Flag
07:58 - AF Corse have tried to suggest Kubica does not try to get the sister Ferrari on the restart, but Kubica has argued against it. The No.83 is currently a second back from the lead.
07:53 - Full Course Yellow
07:52 - Gounon is beached in the gravel trap after a big lock up into Mulsanne corner. The yellow flags have come out at marshal post 20 as it does not look as though the No.36 Alpine can escape.
07:51 - The lead Ferrari, the No.51, and the No.6 Porsche have pit. The leaders have left the pits in the same order they entered, but the No.6 and No.50 have swapped spots.
07:49 - The leader in LMP2, the No.43 Inter Europol car, is under investigation for leaving the track and gaining an advantage. It has a gap to second place of less than a second, so any penalty will be race changing.
07:47 - The No.83 Ferrari has made his 23rd pit stop, Kubica stayed in the car so he can continue to chase the leader.
07:44 - The No.15 BMW caught the No.12 Cadillac, but came into the pit lane before it could mount an overtake.
07:41 - The No.10 Aston Martin in LMGT3 has been spun round at the final chicane after contact with another LMGT3 car.
07:38 - The No.83 Ferrari is now two seconds off the leader. These two cars have been giving Ferrari and AF Corse management a head ache for most the race in terms of team orders.
07:35 - Down in LMGT3, the No.78 Lexus has overtaken the No.27 Aston Martin in a drag race to Indianapolis.
07:30 - Kubica in the No.83 Ferrari is starting to reel the No.51 back towards him, the gap has dropped from five seconds to three.
07:27 - The No.38 Cadillac of Earl Bamber has come into the pits with a front left puncture. They were sat in eleventh place but will drop a few places dealing with the issue.
07:23 - Dries Vanthoor has set a fastest lap of 3:26.390 in his No.15 BMW as he chases down the No.12 Cadillac for sixth place.
07:21 - Nick Tandy has come into the pit lane in the No.4 Porsche.
07:16 - The No.6 Porsche has broken the Ferrari 1-2-3, sitting nicely in third place having started at the back of the Hypercar grid. The gap between the top two is now five seconds, lead by the No.51.
07:09 - The Cadillac has been cleared and the track is green again.
07:04 - The No.311 Cadillac has stopped at turn one prompting a slow zone in the first sector. The car has been pulled away by a tractor. Meanwhile Dries Vanthoor, in the No.15 BMW, has gone deep at the Mulsanne corner and rejoined through the gravel.
8 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.83 Ferrari
3rd No.8 Toyota
4th No.12 Cadillac
5th No.6 Porsche
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.28 IDEC Sport
4th No.9 Iron Lynx - Proton
5th No.199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No.92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari
3rd No.81 TF Sport
4th No.27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin
5th No.87 Akkodis ASP Team
06:53 - Showing his annoyance to the back markers, the No.50 Ferrari is weaving down the Mulsanne straight behind the No.94 Peugeot.
06:51 - After a few laps of trying, the No.35 Alpine goes round the outside of the No.94 Peugeot at the Porsche Curves. Immediately after he pulled into the pit lane.
06:49 - The Iron Dames car is out the garage, but dead last on track.
06:45 - The No.009 Aston Martin has had a moment at Mulsanne corner. After taking the weird rejoin method about the roundabout, he has rejoined, lucky to have not lost too much time.
06:42 - The No.38 Cadillac has gone round the outside of the No.7 Toyota at Indianapolis - a brave move for eighth place.
06:39 - It's now a Ferrari 1-2-3, lead by Calado in the No.51. The closest competitor to the Italian brand is 30 seconds off third place.
06:34 - Only a few laps later, the No.6 car has come in and Estre has jumped out for Vanthoor.
06:28 - The No.5 Hypercar has pit to get Christensen in the car. The team have also opted to change tyres on one side of the car.
06:22 - The lead Ferrari, the No.51, peels into the pit lane. He has kept his lead, but the gap is now half a second to the No.83.
06:17 - The No.8 Toyota lost half a minute in the pit lane, with issues fitting it's left rear tyre. A lap later the No.83 Ferrari pulled into the pit lane in an attempt to undercut the leader.
06:15 - The Iron Dames crew are in the damage trying to fix their gearbox issue, as it has been confirmed they were stuck in sixth gear. If they are able to solve their issues, they will be laps down from the lead anyway.
06:10 - The No.51 continues to lead the race, but only 1.3 seconds ahead of the privateer 499P. The No.8 Toyota and No.50 Ferrari share the track 50 seconds further back and the No.6 Porsche is another 40 seconds behind them to round out the top five, although with an offset strategy.
06:03 - Good morning everybody, it's Benjamin here taking over Trina as we continue racing through the morning.
9 Hours to Go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.51 Ferrari
2nd No.83 Ferrari
3rd No.8 Toyota
4th No.50 Ferrari
5th No.6 Porsche
LMP2
1st No.48 VDS Panis
2nd No.43 Inter Europol
3rd No.9 Iron Lynx
4th No.28 IDEC Sport
5th No.199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No.92 Porsche
2nd No.21 Ferrari
3rd No.81 Corvette
4th No.78 Lexus
5th No.90 Porsche
05:58 - No.18 IDEC Sport confirmed to be out of the race. Meanwhile, Frey drove her No.85 Iron Dames into the pits for repairs.
05:55 - No.85 Iron Dames suffered another halt after the first chicane. It reportedly had a gearbox issue earlier on, before the collision with the No.87 Lexus. Fortunately, she returned to the tarmac.
05:49 - Track temperatures rise to 21.4 °C, the pressure rises, and battles throughout the classes grew more intense, particularly among the Hypercars.
05:46 - Being such a dominant force on the French circuit, the Ferrari intra-battle bounds to occur. The No.83 and No.51 go head-to-head for the Hypercar lead. No.8 Toyota followed behind in third.
05:42 - Green Flag
05:42 - Replays showed the No.36 Alpine was also affected by the Iron Dames-Lexus collision as Makowiecki ended up spinning his Alpine to avoid it. Luckily, he managed to make his way back to the track.
05:38 - Full Course Yellow
05:36 - Not the ideal scenario for the No. 85 Iron Dames as Frey's car is left beached in the gravel down in the second chicane, due to contact with the No.87 Lexus.
05:35 - As for Ferrari's LMGT3 counterpart, their No.21 is also in the pits. The crew cleared debris due to tyre buildup from Rovera.
05:33 - It is race leader No.51 Ferrari's turn in the pits, also for fuel. Unsurprisingly, the Italian marque is still comfortably in the lead.
05:29 - The 2nd, 3rd, and 4th placers of No.83 Ferrari, No.8 Toyota and No.50 Ferrari all into the pits together for refueling. Preparing for more intense battles heading their way as there's 9 and a half hours remaining in Le Mans.
05:26 - No.50 Ferrari of Nielsen putting more pressure on Buemi in the No.8 Toyota from the tail as they battle for 3rd place.
05:18 - No.99 Proton of Neel Jani seen to be temporarily stationary at the final corner, before resuming his race. It was the result of a lockup.
05:14 - No.92 Porsche of Richard Lietz attempts to reduce the gap between him and current LMGT3 leader No.21 Ferrari of Alessio Rovera, though it seems challenging for the runner-up at the moment.
05:09 - Replays showing the No.99 Proton and the No.311 Cadillac got into contact earlier on, potentially risking No.99 Proton's right rear wheel and an investigation.
05:08 - Sarah Bovy's stint in the No.85 Iron Dames ends, allowing Rahel Frey to take over.
05:05 - The battle of two Kevins ensued as Kevin Magnussen in the No.15 BMW chases Kevin Estre in the No.6 Porsche for 6th.
05:00 - Daylight has arrived on the track as Matt Campbell pass over the No.6 Porsche to Kevin Estre.
10 Hours to Go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.83 Ferrari
2nd No.51 Ferrari
3rd No.8 Toyota
4th No.50 Ferrari
5th No.12 Cadillac
LMP2
1st No.48 VDS Panis
2nd No.43 Inter Europol
3rd No.28 IDEC Sport
4th No.9 Iron Lynx
5th No.199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No.21 Ferrari
2nd No.92 Porsche
3rd No.81 Corvette
4th No.78 Lexus
5th No.85 Iron Dames
04:57 - Still no confirmation of No.18 of IDEC's fate in the French enduro yet.
04:55 - No.27 Aston Martin being chased down by No.87 Lexus for 6th place, though the Lexus defended its position well.
04:50 - No.51 Ferrari spotted in the pits as James Calado is now in the wheel.
04:49 - Green Flag
04:45 - Interesting strategy by Toyota as No.8 of Hirakawa passed over the wheel to Sebastien Buemi. Only a driver change., but not the tyres.
04:43- The field is now in the slow zone. Several cars took this opportunity for another pitstop for fuel and tyre changes.
04:40 - Yellow Flag
04:40 - Despair for the IDEC Sport crew as No. 18 of Andre Lotterer suffered a loose tyre as replays showed him took a trip into the gravel, abruptly ended his race. The missing tyre was spotted in the second chicane.
04:37 - No.38 Cadillac into pits for fuel and car checkup. Meanwhile, No.99 Proton was awarded a 5 second penalty for pit stop infringement.
04:35 - Currently in Lap 215, the No.7 Toyota secured the fastest lap. As for the sister car, Hirakawa has five laps to go for his stint in the No.8 Toyota, according to his engineer.
04:31 - No.28 IDEC in the pits as it's now Sebastian Alvarez's turn behind the wheel.
04:26 - It's a Porsche vs Toyota battle as the charging Hirakawa in the No.8 Toyota hunts down No.6 Porsche of Campbell for 4th.
04:24 - Blue tinges began to paint the dark sky as it slowly welcomes the grid into the dawn.
04:21 - De Vries in the No.7 Toyota continues the hunt for 8th, though No.38 Cadillac of Jenson Button managed to build a sizable gap between them throughout the chase.
04:18 - Green Flag
04:17 - It's a Ferrari dominance as all three cars took up the top three spots. Campbell in the No.6 Porsche, attempted an overtake, hoping to break through the top 3.
04:15 - Yellow Flag
04:14 - Small debris, presumably from No.34 Inter Europol's early damage, spotted at the first chicane. Cars approaching that section navigating around the debris.
04:11 - Sister car No.83 Ferrari also headed into the pits for fuel, still remaining in the lead thanks to its large gap from the rest of the grid.
04:08 - No.51 Ferrari and No.8 Toyota spotted in the pits for fuel and tyre changes. Now dropped in 7th, can Hirakawa catch up to the lead anytime soon?
04:05 - All calm and serene in La Sarthe for now. Small attempts of overtaking throughout the classes including, No.7 Toyota of de Vries chasing No.38 of Button for 11th.
04:01 - Thanks Aaron, it's Sharifah taking over for the next few hours, heading over into the early hours of the morning.
11 Hours to go - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.83 Ferrari
2nd No.8 Toyota
3rd No.51 Ferrari
4th No.15 BMW
5th No.50 Ferrari
LMP2
1st No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
2nd No.43 Inter Europol
3rd No.199 AO by TF
4th No.28 IDEC Sport
5th No.18 IDEC Sport
LMGT3
1st No.92 Porsche
2nd No.21 Ferrari
3rd No.81 Corvette
4th No.78 Lexus
5th No.27 Aston Martin
03:50 - Ye goes for the move at the second chicane... and he takes the lead! But only briefly has Hirakawa tries to come back, but Ye gets the side draft and holds the lead through Mulsanne corner.
03:49 - Just as I said that, Hirakawa made a small mistake in the Porsche Curves, but was just able to hang onto the positions, as Ye tried to go up the inside.
03:48 - The cars are close together, with multiple battles throughout the classes. But nobody seems to be able to make a move to get past at this stage.
03:38 - The race seems to have calmed slightly now since the restart. The lead gap is now down to 1.2 seconds however, Yifei Ye in the Ferrari chasing Ryo Hirakawa in the No.8
03:31 - So it seems the No.6 may have taken tyres, hence why it has lost positions. Either way Matt Campbell has some work ahead of him to get back to the front.
03:29 - The No.6 Porsche has been in and out, now in fourth! The No.8 leads from the No83 who has also pit, with the No.51 in third
03:26 - In the Hypercar stops, the No.51 has jumped past the No.15 with a quicker stop
03:24 - The No.13 AWA Corvette gas got a 100 second stop-go peanlty for a technical infringement
03:24 - It's pit stop time for the No.8, No.15, No.51 and No.12 too. All four come in for scheduled stops.
03:23 - Most of the front running LMGT3s pit now, so the No.87 takes over the lead but owes us a stop.
03:18 - Molina in the No.50 lies in wait behind this battle too, this trio are about 14 seconds behind the No.83 in third.
03:17 - Side by side between the No.15 and No.51 for fourth overall, Maricello in the BMW fends off Pier Guidi for now.
03:15 - A few LMP2s in the pits, including the former leading No.48 car of Oliver Grey.
03:13 - The No.21 Ferrari also goes through, as the No.8 and No.83 battle for second overall, but the Toyota holds on for now
03:10 - The No.78 Lexus has made the move on the Corvette for second, around the outside at the second chicane.
03:08 - Battle for second in LMGT3 between the No.81, No.78 and No.21.
03:05 - Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No.51 is on the back of the No.15 BMW for fourth.
Meanwhile it has been reported that the No.31 WRT BMW is in the garage because it hit a rabbit on circuit.
03:04 - Both the No.4 and No.5 Porsche Penske cars have got a drive-through penalty for slow zone infringements. The No.13 and No.57 also got penalties.
Halfway Mark - Race Update
Hypercar
1st No.6 Porsche
2nd No.8 Toyota
3rd No.83 Ferrari
4th No.4 Porsche
5th No.15 BMW
LMP2
1st No.48 VDS Panis
2nd No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
3rd No.43 Inter Europol
4th No.18 IDEC Sport
5th No.28 IDEC Sport
LMGT3
1st No.92 Porsche
2nd No.81 Corvette
3rd No.78 Lexus
4th No.21 Ferrari
5th No.87 Lexus
02:58 - The No.101 WTR Cadillac has parked up behind the barriers with a mechanical issue, looks to be day done for that crew.
02:57 - Molina in the No.50 gets by Lynn in the No.12 at the chicane, as the two Ferraris now go side by side. Molina gets the position from his teammate.
02:55 - The No.36 Alpine is under investigation for a pit stop infringement.
Meanwhile, the Ferraris are working their way up, the No.50 now in sixth past the No.12 Cadillac, with the No.51 looking for a way by
02:55 - More drama for the WRT Team, the No.31 is in the garage for repairs
02:53 - So we are away cleanly then. Despite the SC bunching the pack up, lower classed cars still get in the way, so gaps will still open up on this lap
02:52 - Green Flag
02:50 - Safety Car in this lap
02:46 - This should be the final lap under SC. Going through the order, the No.6 still leads now from the No.8 and No.83. Then it is the No.4 Porsche, No.20 BMW and the No.12 Cadillac in sixth. The No.15 BMW is in seventh, and then the big losers. The two factory Ferraris are in eighth and ninth.
02:44 - So as it worked out, the class leaders were at the back of the queue, so the vast majority of the field have gone around to rejoin the queue.
02:42 - So the pass-around is underway. Essentially, if your class leader is behind you in the queue, you can pass the safety car and rejoin the back of the queue. This is done to ensure no one gains an unfair advantage from the 3-Safety Car system
02:39 - The driver from the incident that caused this incident is shown to be getting out of the car unaided, but he will be sent to the medical centre for precautionary checks.
01:55 - NO.50 FERRARI 5-SECOND PENALTY ADDED TO NEXT PIT STOP
01:53 - The No.50 Ferrari has managed to overtake the No.8 Toyota for 3rd place, as Fuoco overtakes Hartley at Turn 17.
01:50 - The No.46 WRT BMW that brought out that FCY period, has lost 3 laps to the LMGT3 class leader.
01:47 - GREEN FLAG
01:47 - This FCY is for debris that was likely kicked up by the No.46 Team WRT BMW, and allegedly further debris at Tertre Rouge.
01:45 - FULL COURSE YELLOW
01:41 - The No.46 Team WRT BMW that had been leading the LMGT3 class for most of this race, was beached in the gravel with a suspected power steering issue, but has now rejoined the race - they are now one lap down. Heartbreak for a second year in a row for the No.46 team.
01:36 - The No.46 Team WRT BMW has gone off into the gravel and is seemingly beached, this has brought out a slow zone. Kubica has pitted and then rejoined the race for the No.83 Ferrari AF Corse.
01:27 - The No.50 Ferrari is under investigation for cutting across marshal post 3.
01:21 - The No.48 VDS Panis Racing car leads the LMP2 field by over an entire minute, as Jamie Chadwick brings the IDEC Sport No.18 car into the pit lane from 4th place in class.
01:18 - 3-WIDE between several LMP2 cars down the Mulsanne straight in the darkness!
01:14 - The No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari, the net race leader of LMGT3, has come into the pits, as the No.46 Team WRT BMW now claims the lead of the race temporarily.
01:12 - The race at the front of Hypercar is between the No.6 Porsche Penske and the No.83 Ferrari AF Corse. The Porsche currently leads by a decent margin despite being at a disadvantage on fuel and energy. It's a strategic battle for track position currently.
01:03 - Alessio Rovera in the No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari has taken the lead of LMGT3 from the No.46 Team WRT BMW currently being driven by Ahmad Al-Harthy coming down the Mulsanne straight, Rovera leads LMGT3 for Ferrari.
Race Update - 10th Hour
Hypercar Top 5
1st No.6 Porsche Penske, Estre
2nd No.83 Ferrari AF Corse, Kubica
3rd No.8 Toyota, Hartley
4th No.50 Ferrari, Fuoco
5th No.4 Porsche Penske, Tandy
LMP2 Top 5
1st No.48 VDS Panis Racing, Perera
2nd No.43 Inter Europol, Dillmann
3rd No.9 Iron Lynx, Capietto
4th No.28 IDEC Sport, Lafargue
5th No.18 IDEC Sport, Chadwick
LMGT3 Top 5
1st No.46 Team WRT BMW, Al-Harthy
2nd No.21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari, Rovera
3rd No.92 Manthey Porsche, Pera
4th No.87 Akkodis Lexus ASP, Lopez
5th No.78 Akkodis Lexus ASP, Hawksworth
00:56 - The No.51 Ferrari has now come into the pits to take the 20 second stop/go penalty and rejoins the race in 9th position.
00:53 - The No.83 Ferrari AF Corse of Robert Kubica now comes into the pits for refuelling, and does lose the lead to the No.6 Porsche Penske of Estre, who has a minor deficit on fuel, but a major advantage on track.
00:51 - No.51 Ferrari - 20 SECONDS STOP AND GO PENALTY for pit lane speeding
00:51 - Antonio Fuoco brings the No.50 Ferrari into the pits, as the No.6 Porsche Penske car of Kevin Estre will become the net race leader, with over 70% of energy remaining.
00:48 - The No.51 Ferrari of James Calado has come in for yet another pit stop, the leaders are in full attack mode and are using up a lot of fuel and energy, subsequently pitting more.
00:47 - Your current class leaders are
Hypercar - No.83 Ferrari AF Corse, Robert Kubica
LMP2 - No.48 VDS Panis Racing, Franck Perera
LMGT3 - No.92 Manthey Porsche, Rob Lietz
.
20:50 - The No.29 TDS LMP2 and No.150 AF Corse Ferrari LMGT3 receive dirve-through penalties for violating the full course yellow procedure.
20:42 - Green Flag as the No.95 McLaren has been retreated behind the guardrails with what looks like a mechanical failure on its rear axle.
Meanwhile the LMGT3 leading No.46 BMW pits again as Kelvin van der Linde takes over from Valentino Rossi.
20:41 - Full Course Yellow
20:40 - The No.38 Cadillac overtakes the No.311 Whelen Cadillac for 9th.
20:39 - Yellow flags as the No.95 McLaren has stopped at the side of the track near the end of the Mulsanne straight. The car is stationary between the barriers but still making attempts to get going again.
20:35 - The last remaining LMP2's are pitting for fuel, which leaves the No.43 Inter Europol in the lead with well over 40 seconds to the car behind.
20:33 - The No.7 Toyota has been dealt a massive 50 second stop-go penalty for a major pit speed violation from an hour ago.
20:30 - The top 3 in LMP2 all pit at the same time, putting the No.43 Inter Europol and No.29 TDS Racing cars in front followed by the group that pitted.
20:26 - After having to cut one of the chicanes the No.5 has lost its pace, dropping behind the No.38 Cadillac and No.7 Toyota that are now fighting each other.
20:25 - The No.311 Cadillac has to take evasive action in traffic, nearly causing the No.5 to run into him from behind.
20:22 - After being stuck behind the No.4 Porsche the No.311 Whelen Cadillac is now under full attack from the No.5 Porsche behind instead. Right behind them the No.38 Cadillac and No.7 Toyota are looking to join in as well.
20:18 - The No.7 Toyota has been called to the stewards, though no reason has been given.
20:09 - The No.37 CLX Pure Rxcing LMP2 has hit mechanical trouble as the car is now being looked at in the garage.
20:07 - The Hypercars are hitting the end of their stints, with the No.15 BMW and No.38 Cadillac being the first to stop again.
20:01 - Rossi's No.46 BMW pits from the lead in LMGT3 as the No.92 Manthey Porsche's strategy has cycled them to the front.
Update - After 5 Hours
Hypercar
1st No.50 Ferrari
2nd No.51 Ferrari
3rd No.83 Ferrari
4th No.15 BMW
5th No.6 Penske Porsche
LMP2
1st No.48 VDS Panis Racing
2nd No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
3rd No.43 Inter Europol
4th No.199 AO by TF
5th No.22 United Autosports
LMGT3
1st No. 46 WRT BMW
2nd No.21 AF Corse Ferrari
3rd No.92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche
4th No.78 Akkodis ASP Lexus
5th No. 87 Akkodis ASP Lexus
19:55 - The sun is getting noticeably lower as the sky begins to turn orange, leading us into the often chaotic first hours of darkness.
19:47 - The No.31 BMW makes its way past the No.81 Corvette and No.85 Iron Dames Porsche, finally putting in in clean air.
19:43 - Down in LMGT3 the fight for 7th has been building up for a while, with the No.85 Iron Dames Porsche being chased down by the battling No.81 Corvette and No.31 BMW, with the No.77 Ford not far behind.
Meanwhile the No.46 BMW of Valentino Rossi now leads the class by 15 seconds over the No.92 Porsche.
19:40 - As the last of the leaders pit the No.50 Ferrari regains the lead, narrowly ahead of the No.94 Peugeot on its alternative fuel saving strategy.
19:36 - The No.38 JOTA Cadillac of Bourdais overtakes Wehrlein's No.4 Porsche for 10th, with the freshly pitted No.311 Whelen Cadillac coming to join the fight right behind them.
19:29 - Kubica now leads in the No.83 Ferrari with an energy advantage over the factory Ferraris, though he still needs to serve his 5-second penalty.
19:22 - The Hypercar and LMGT3 leaders are reaching the ends of their respective stints, with the first cars heading for the pits now. In Hypercar the first cars to stop are the No.38 Cadillac and No.15 BMW, while in LMGT3 the No.46 BMW comes in from second.
19:13 - Giovinazzi in the No.51 Ferrari has opened the attack on Kubica's No.83 in front, but the yellow No.83 is still ahead.
19:10 - The recovering No.5 Porsche Penske overtakes the No.94 Peugeot for 14th, though the Peugeot remains on an alternative strategy to the leaders of the Hypercar field.
19:01 - The No.83 and No.51 Ferrari's team up on and overtake the No.6 to make it a 1-2-3 for Ferrari up front, though the No.83 just received a 5-second penalty for leaving the track and gaining an advantage.
Thanks Vyas, now it's Evan taking over. I will be taking you along for the next four hours, going through sunset into the night at Le Mans.
Update - After 4 Hours
Hypercar
1st No.50 Ferrari
2nd No.6 Porsche
3rd No.83 Ferrari
4th No.51 Ferrari
5th No.20 BMW
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.9 Iron Lynx Proton
4th No.28 IDEC Sport
5th No. 199 AO by TF
LMGT3
1st No. 21 Vista AF Corse
2nd No. 46 BMW WRT
3rd No.92 Manthey 1st Phorm
4th No.85 Iron Dames
5th No. 78 Akkodis ASP Team
18:56: Kubica and Vanthoor now scrapping away once again, as Giovinazzi joins them in his No. 51 Ferrari heading into Indianapolis corner! Running three wide, they somehow stay in the same order, Vanthoor holding on in the No. 6 Porsche.
Both Kubica and Vanthoor now retreat to the pits for their stop, promoting the No. 94 Peugeot into the lead, albeit out of sync with the rest, while Fuoco moves up into second on the road.
18:50: The No. 60 Iron Lynx of Fran Rueda scoots across the run-off on the Mulsanne corner, going through the run-off to return to the track, unharmed. Meanwhile, Kubica manages to move past Laurens Vanthoor to take the lead of the race on track!
18:40: A major name slots into the No. 46 BMW M Team WRT car! After a barnstorming stint, Ahmad Al-Harthy pits from the lead in the LMGT3 class, as Valentino Rossi jumps into the No. 46 BMW, ready for his first race stint in Le Mans today! How will The Doctor fare?
18:36: It's beginning to become a Porsche vs Ferrari fight as the race heads towards the four-hour mark. Fuoco leads in the No. 50 by a dominant 21 seconds, with Laurens Vanthoor in second being chased down by Giovinazzi and Kubica in the No. 51 and No. 83 Ferraris respectively. It's starting to get intense at the front! Ferrari have the straight line speed, can they make it a 1-2-3 for the moment?
FCY removed, green flag racing resumes once again!
FULL COURSE YELLOW! This time to clear up debris on the track, as replays showed the No. 25 Algarve Pro Racing going into the rear of the No. 16 RLR M Sport of Michael Jensen on the run down to Tertre Rouge.
With the slow zone removed, racing action has resumed once again, as Kobayashi chases down Nicolas Varrone in the No. 99 Proton Competition Porsche hypercar, for 12th on the road.
18:24: The slow zone on the first part of the Mulsanne straight has made for a tricky restart, with drivers quickest to react off the slow zone able to gain positions on the road. Kobyashi in the No. 7 Toyota climbs into 14th on the road, passing the No. 35 Alpine of Charles Milesi into Indianapolis corner. He also becomes the first driver to take the soft tyre in the race!
18:14: SLOW ZONE! The No. 88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang has gone into the barrier at Tertre Rouge! Levorato, at the wheel of the Mustang, experienced a suspension failure that sheared off the wheel, sending the Mustang into the barrier.
The No. 25 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 too has suffered contact in the process, with Matthias Kaiser dragging the punctured tyre along the Mulsanne straight, generating a trail of smoke in the process. Slow zone instated off Tertre Rouge, to clear up the debris.
Vandoorne rejoins the track ahead of the sister Peugeot, No. 93 down in 18th, with two-time Formula E champion Jean-Eric Vergne at the wheel. Both the drivers are two of the eight drivers currently on the Formula E grid — here's a look at the rest of them!
18:10: The No. 94 Peugeot finally pits from third on the road, out of sync with the rest. A driver change sees Stoffel Vandoorne take over from Malthe Jacobsen at the wheel, as Peugeot will be looking for some inspiration to turn around their tough day.
18:05: Stunning overtake from Robert Kubica in the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari, as he moves past Drugovich in the Whelen Cadillac to sixth on the road. Just like the No. 51 Ferrari, he too is bringing the third Ferrari into the picture.
Update - After 3 Hours
Hypercar
1st No.50 Ferrari
2nd No.6 Porsche
3rd No.94 Peugeot
4th No.5 Porsche
5th No.51 Ferrari
LMP2
1st No.43 Inter Europol
2nd No.48 VDS Panis Racing
3rd No.16 RLR M Sport
4th No.28 IDEC Sport
5th No. 9 Iron Lynx Proton
LMGT3
1st No.46 BMW
2nd No. 21 TF Sport
3rd No.92 Manthey 1st Phorm
4th No.87 Akkodis ASP
5th No.85 Iron Dames
17:58: More pit stops on the hour see the No. 8 Toyota, No. 4 Porsche and the No. 35 Alpine come into the pits.
17:54: More pit stops for the hypercars! The No. 51 is among the pit stoppers on this lap, along with the No. 311 Whelen Cadillac, No. 5 Porsche and the No. 15 BMW hypercars.
17:49: Giovinazzi continues to rise! The Italian once again makes a move, this time on the No. 311 Whelen Cadillac, now driven by Felipe Drugovich, to move up into fourth on the road, on his fresh tyres.
17:46: Major lock-up for Kamui Kobayashi in the No. 7 Toyota! The team principal speeds into the run-off at Mulsanne corner, forced to go around the roundabout and rejoin the track. A torrid day for the sister Toyota, whose teammate still runs in the points.
More moves as Vanthoor moves past the No. 5 Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet for second on the road. Jaminet, on used rear tyres, has lost out to the fresh tyres on Fuoco's No. 50 Ferrari, who has moved over five seconds clear.
17:34: CHANGE FOR THE LEAD - Antonio Fuoco shoots the No 50 Ferrari into the race lead, having shadowed the No. 5 Porsche all the way. The scrapping lead duo has brought Laurens Vanthoor in the No. 6 Porsche closer.
17:28: Giovinazzi has moved up into the top 5, moving past Brendon Hartley's No. 8 Toyota. He is slowly bringing himself into contention.
17:20: Deliberations on the team radio between both JOTA Cadillacs eventually mean Bamber swaps positions with Stevens, moving ahead into eighth down to Indianapolis. Meanwhile, Giovinazzi has moved past Dries Vanthoor in the No. 15 BMW to sit sixth, as he slowly brings himself into contention to join teammate Nielsen ahead.
17:15: A four-way hypercar scrap for ninth on the road between the No. 51 Ferrari, both No. 12 and No. 38 JOTA cars, and the No. 20 BMW of Robin Frijns ensues. Antonio Giovinazzi once again uses the straight line speed of the Ferrari to move past Stevens into ninth. A nail-biting scrap between both JOTA cars leaves Earl Bamber in the No. 38 furious, as he calls for his teammate to swap the positions.
Elsewhere, down in the LMP2 class, the much-touted No. 18 IDEC Sport sits sixth in class. A much-hyped line-up consisting of Indy NXT and ELMS racer Jamie Chadwick, endurance legend Andre Lotterer, and Mathys Jaubert, this car was the winner pick for several of our endurance folks here at DIVEBOMB, you can find out more here.
17:07: A 20-second penalty has been issued to the No. 36 Alpine car, piloted by Fred Makowiecki, Jules Gounon and Mick Schumacher, for speeding in the pit lane. Gounon, who has taken over the wheel, currently sits 17th on the road.
17:05: Just as we report our hourly update, pit stops once again shuffle the order, with the No. 46 BMW, No. 81 TF Sport, No. 85 Iron Dames, No. 21 Vista AF Corse and the No. 59 United Autosports McLaren coming in for their pit stops.
Update - After 2 Hours
Hypercar
1st No.5 Porsche
2nd No.50 Ferrari
3rd No.6 Porsche
4th No.311 Whelen Cadillac
5th No.12 Cadillac JOTA
LMP2
1st No.48 Inter Europol
2nd No.11 Proton Competition
3rd No.16 RLR M Sport
4th No.48 VDS Panis Racing
5th No. 28 IDEC Sport
LMGT3
1st No.46 BMW
2nd No. 78 Akkodis ASP
3rd No.77 Proton Competition
4th No.87 Akkodis ASP
5th No.81 TF Sport
16:56: The Porsche No. 4 hypercar is making up ground rapidly in the hands of Nick Tandy. Contact on the Mulsanne straight between the No. 4 works Porsche and the No. 99 Proton Motorsport Porsche of Neel Jani ensues, but Tandy is unfazed, making his way past Mike Conway in the No. 7 Toyota on the run down to Indianapolis.
16:52: Down in the LMP2 class, the No. 48 VDS Panis Racing car of Esteban Masson chases down the No. 28 IDEC Sport ahead for third. 2023's winners Inter Europol lead in the LMP2 class, with Tom Dillmann at the wheel, ahead of Patrick Pilet in the No. 16 RLR M Sport.
16:49: Will Stevens in the pole-sitting No. 12 Cadillac JOTA radioes to the team that he is experiencing plenty of 'washout' in the corners, in the wake of the turbulent air of the No. 311 Whelen Cadillac ahead. He opts to stay in position, as the Cadillac pair navigate plenty of traffic at the Porsche curves and Tertre Rouge
16:46: The gap at the front of the hypercar class field has opened up, as Andlauer has stretched the lead to nine seconds in the No. 5 Porsche. Radio communications to Nielsen earlier also referred to focusing on maintaining the gap behind to Estre, over the gap to the lead for the time being.
16:42: Down in the LMGT3 class, more contact on the run down to Indianapolis sees the No. 21 Ferrari AF Corse of Francois Heriau spin into the gravel, as he attempts to pass the No. 85 Iron Dames Porsche of Celia Martin. Heriau quickly recovers to continue in the race, largely unscathed.
On another note, McLaren revealed their WEC challenger ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans on Saturday. Set to make their entry into endurance's top class in 2027, there's certainly set to be plenty of hype around the papaya manufacturer for the time being. More on this here in our report.
16:35: As the No. 83 Ferrari AF Corse and the No. 94 Peugeot make their pit stops, it relinquishes the No. 5 Porsche into lead, as Andlauer sits in the lead by 7.4 seconds from the No. 50 Ferrari. The Italian team will be motivated by their straight line speed, with Nielsen rapidly closing down the gap, as he takes two seconds out of Estre's lead on the previous tour.
16:33: Nielsen once again moves ahead, getting past Estre's Porsche, who was still on his out lap. Although, he appears unhappy about being blocked by the No. 6 Porsche on the straight.
16:30: Nielsen and Ferrari will have a long road ahead if they are to usurp the No. 5 Porsche of Julien Andlauer, who still leads by ten seconds. Meanwhile, Estre pits the No. 6 Porsche from the overall race lead, with the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari assuming the lead for the time being.
16:25: As both lap the Lexus Akkodis ASP on the Mulsanne straight, the Cadillac appears to be held up, and Nielsen needs no second invitation. Using the superior straight line speed, last year's Le Mans winner now moves ahead, and into a net second position once those ahead pit.
16:22: The closest hypercar battle on the track now moves into the pits, with the No. 12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA of Will Stevens and the No. 50 Ferrari of Nicklas Nielsen diving in too. Both eventually emerge nose to tail from the pits, ready to continue their battle for second on the road.
16:18: Meanwhile, further back, a ferocious scrap for 12th in the hypercar class resulted in the No. 83 Ferrari of Phil Hanson moving past the No. 7 Toyota of Mike Conway and the No. 36 Alpine hypercar of Fred Mackowiecki to move up the order, heading into Indianapolis corner.
Elsewhere, a mention to Kevin Estre in the No. 6 Porsche, who has made a move on the struggling Cadillac No. 38 of Earl Bamber to climb up to fourth. Having started 21st, it's been a stunning recovery so far.
16:14: Bit of wheel bumping down at the Ford chicanes, with the pole-sitter in LMP2 class, the No. 29 forced to take avoiding action to avoid the No. 37 CLX Racing. Both cars scamper over the run-off, no debris scattered on the track.
16:04: The No. 50 Ferrari hypercar made a smooth overtake to move up into the podium places, getting past the No. 38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA car. Early stages in the race, but promising signs for Nicklas Nielsen in last year's Le Mans winner, going ahead.
Cheers, Aaron. Vyas here, and I will be taking you Into Hour 2 of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. While Kevin Estre has checked out in the No. 5 Porsche, the gaps still remain close across the board.
Update - After 1 Hour
Hypercar
1st No.5 Porsche
2nd No.12 Cadillac
3rd No.38 Cadillac
4th No.50 Ferrari
5th No.6 Porsche
LMP2
1st No.48 Inter Europol
2nd No.28 IDEC Sport
3rd No.16 RLR M Sport
4th No.11 Proton Competition
5th No.48 VDS Panis Racing
LMGT3
1st No.78 Lexus
2nd No.46 BMW
3rd No.10 Aston Martin
4th No.77 Ford
5th No.27 Aston Martin
15:58 - Into the wall for the No.93 Peugeot. He had a moment at Indianapolis passing a GT car and hit the wall with the back of his car. The rear wing and engine corner came flying off the car, plenty of damage for the Peugeot team to fix. There is bodywork all over the gravel trap at that corner.
15:57 - Conway has tried to get past Nasr again, still no way through. Conway has been told on the radio that he has a small bit of bodywork damage on his Toyota No.7.
15:55 - A mix up in the order in LMP2 after the stops, the No.43 now leads from the No.28 car. The same can be said in LMGT3 as the No.78 Lexus leads, with the previous leader of the No.27 dropping to fifth.
15:53 - James Calado in the No.51 Ferrari has moved past the No.15 BMW of Kevin Magnussen in the battle for eighth.
15:51 - Wheel banging between the No.7 and No.4 as Conway tries to find a way past Nasr.
15:50 - Back in Hypercar, the No.4 Porsche had a slow pit stop and is now battling with Conway and Habsburg, for 12th place overall. Meanwhile at the front Kevin Estre is now in fifth after his mega first stint
15:48 - The No.22 LMP2 and No.193 LMGT3 collided at turn one, both cars going around. David Heinemier Hansen in the LMP2 attempted to rejoin in front of some other P2s, rejoining unsafely.
15:46 - Side-by-side down to Mulsanne corner with the No.7 Toyota of Mike Conway looking for a way past Ferdinand Habsburg in the No.36 Alpine.
15:45 - The No.22 United Autosports LMP2 has moved up to fifth in class past the No.16, as they fight through LMGT3 traffic for the first time
15:43 - The No.5 is in from the lead now too, and comes out still ahead of the Cadillacs
15:42 - LMGT3 cars in now too, most of the field comes in on the same lap.
15:39 - Hypercars begin to pit now, including both of the Jota Cadillacs. The No.20 BMW, No.36 Alpine, No.7 Toyota and the No.101 Cadillac also came in
15:37 - Only five LMP2s didn't pit, the No.43, No.37, No.183, No.11 and No.45.
15:35 - Many more LMP2s come in now, including the leading No.29. Meanwhile in LMGT3, Eastwood has made the move on Van Der Linde for fourth in class.
15:34 - The No.48, No.18 and No.23 LMP2s have already pit. Most likely all scheduled stops, as the LMP2s cannot run as long as either of the other classes on fuel.
15:33 - Through the traffic, Andlauer has pulled out a seven second lead, with the four cars behind relatively close together. The No.12 and No.38, followed by the No.4 Porsche and No.50 Ferrari
15:29 - Felipe Nasr in the No.4 is right on the back of Bamber in the No.38 for third now, as Estre in the sister car is up to seventh past the No.15 of Kevin Magnussen.
15:28 - Estre is flying still, up to eighth now ahead of the No.20 BMW. The BMWs don't seem to be too electric in this early stage of the race.
15:27 - The No.311 Cadillac driven by Jack Aitken has gotten by the pair of BMWs, and will now get after the No.50 Ferrari in fifth.
15:26 - Aston Martin have confirmed that the No.007's early stop was due to a slow puncture for Ticknell.
15:25 - Kelvin Van Der Linde in the No.46 BMW has dropped from second to fourth, behind the No.78 Lexus and the No.61 Mercedes. Valentino Rossi's teammate is now being challenged by Charlie Eastwood in the No.81 Corvette
15:23 - The Hypercars are getting towards the back of the LMGT3s for the first time. Traffic management will be absolutely crucial here.
15:21 - Theo Pourchaire in the No.25 APR LMP2 isn't too happy with his car on the radio. Struggling for grip compared to other cars
15:19 - The No.007 is in the pits, it looks like a routine pit stop. Although that is strange so early into the race. Harry Ticknell has emerged back out behind all of the LMP2s
15:16 - Generally, the race seems to be settling somewhat now. Drivers getting into a groove and beginning to tick off the laps
15:13 - Stevens in the No,12 has set the fastest lap of the race. The Cadillacs may begin to reel in Andlauer now, unless the Frenchman can respond.
15:10 - The two Vista AF Corse cars go side-by-side. The No.21 of Francois Heriau gets passed by Davide Rigon in the sister No.54. Heriau is the bronze in that car, so will drop through the order as most other cars have chosen to start with their platinum or gold drivers
15:07 - Mathias Beche is in the lead No.29 in LMP2, he also has about a two and a half second lead over the No.199 AO Racing 'Spike the Dragon'
15:06 - Outside of the lead gap, the entire 21 car Hypercar field is stuck nose to tail as they head down to Indianapolis for the second time. This race is going to be extremely competitive
15:05 - At the end of lap one Andlauer has a two second lead ahead of the Cadillacs. Meanwhile the No.6 Porsche which started 21st is up to 14th in the hands of Kevin Estre. The Porsche 963's are flying
15:04 - Back in Hypercar, the No.50 Ferrari sits fifth, ahead of the two BMWs - No.15 ahead of No.20
15:03 - The No.29 TDS Racing held the lead in LMP2, as did the No.27 in LMGT3. No major incidents from the first couple of sectors of the race.
15:02 - Julian Andlauer in the No.5 is through to the lead down the Mulsanne. Its then Cadillac 2-3 and the No.4 Porsche behind.
15:02 - Stevens keeps the lead from pole in the No.12, but the No.5 is up to second
3:00 - Green Flag - We are away for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans
2:59 - Will Stevens in the No.12 and Earl Bamber in the No.38 are lining up alongside each other now as the field forms together to take the start.
2:51 - Green flag waved for the formation lap, immediately cars are weaving to get the always crucial tyre temperature.
2:50 - Engines are fired up on the grid, here we go!
2:48 - The marshalls have shown the three minutes board, and the signal given to clear the grid. Drivers are in the cars now ready to embark on the formation lap
2:45 - So the pre race traditions are all underway, Roger Federer has been handed the French flag to signal the start and people are vacating the grid. The excitement is really building now, we are just moments away from the start of the greatest race in the world.
2:40 - Good afternoon/morning/evening to you wherever you are around the world. It's Aaron here to take you through the build up and first hour of the race on DIVEBOMB's official LIVE coverage of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
