This year, German giant Audi lost top spot at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since 2009. In spite of this setback, the constructor has no plans to give up. New challenges await.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

The Algarve International Circuit is all set to host the climax of the 2025 European Le Mans Series. With 44 cars on the grid and six titles up for grabs, the 4 Hours of Portimão is shaping up to provide a thrilling conclusion to the season. Three classes, three titanic tussles... and golden tickets for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans waiting to be won!

The curtain will come down on the 2025 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) this Sunday 19 October in Portim&atilde;o. For the grand finale held at the Aut&oacute;dromo Internacional do Algarve,&nbsp;44 cars, 129 drivers and 31 teams from 27 countries&nbsp;are preparing to fight tooth and nail for the final points of the season. The ELMS LMP2, LMP2 Pro/Am and LMGT3 champions will be crowned following the 4 Hours of Portim&atilde;o with the main class winners picking up precious invites to the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans (10-14 June 2026).

<h2>LMP3 &ndash; GOING DOWN TO THE WIRE</h2>

The top class in the series promises a tense three-way fight for the 2025 title. The #48 Oreca 07-Gibson of VDS Panis Racing&nbsp;(Oliver Gray, Charles Milesi, Esteban Masson) sits in top spot but with&nbsp;a mere seven-point lead over the #18 Oreca of IDEC Sport&nbsp;(Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert, Daniel Juncadella) and the #43 Oreca of Inter Europol Competition&nbsp;(Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann, Nick Yelloly). To add extra spice to the showdown, the top two teams will be rewarded with an automatic invite to the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Meanwhile, the Portuguese crowd will be sure to get behind their national favourites.&nbsp;Filipe Albuquerque, sharing the wheel of the Nielsen Racing #24 Oreca with Cem B&ouml;l&uuml;kbaşı et Ferdinand Habsburg, will be eager to clinch another podium in his homeland. Manuel Esp&iacute;rito Santo, an LMP3 winner at Portim&atilde;o in 2024, will be appearing this time in the #47 Oreca entered in LMP2 by CLX Motorsport, along with Enzo Fittipaldi. A third Portuguese driver, Pedro Perino, will defend the colours of Inter Europol Competition. Finally, local outfit Algarve Pro Racing, the former ELMS champion, will be counting on Matthias Kaiser, Lorenzo Fluxa and Th&eacute;o Pourchaire to shine on their own patch.

<h2>LMP2 Pro/Am &ndash; Algarve Pro Racing to be crowned at home?</h2>

Three teams are also tussling for the LMP2 Pro/Am title. Table toppers Algarve Pro Racing&nbsp;(Kriton Lentoudis, Alex Quinn, Olli Caldwell) will hope to be crowned in front of their own supporters. The Portuguese outfit will however have to see off the AO by TF trio of PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron and Louis Del&eacute;traz in the #99 Oreca, just nine points in arrears. Three-time ELMS champion Del&eacute;traz is gunning for a fourth title in five years!

Reigning champions Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo, Alessio Rovera and Matthieu Vaxiviere (AF Corse #83) are still in with a shout but lie 25 points behind the leaders. To retain their crown, they must win the race from pole position, and hope that their rivals fail to perform on the day &ndash; a tall order.

In LMP3, the pressure if off Theodor Jensen, Paul Lanch&egrave;re and Adrien Closmenil (#17 CLX Motorsport) who wrapped up the title at the 4 Hours of Silverstone. They will nonetheless be determined to pick up a fifth win in six races. The M Racing #68 and Inter Europol Competition #88 entries, level on points, will be looking to finish the season on a high note with a final podium.

<h2>LMGT3&nbsp;&ndash; seven still in WITH A SHOUT!</h2>

A thrilling finale is on the cards in the LMGT3 class with no fewer than seven line-ups still entertaining hopes of the title &ndash; albeit slim for some. Leaders Lilou Wadoux, Custodio Toledo and Riccardo Agostini (Richard Mille AF Corse&nbsp;#50 Ferrari) hold a 12-point edge over Cl&eacute;ment Mateu, Erwan Bastard and Valentin Hasse-Clot (Racing Spirit of L&eacute;man&nbsp;#59 Aston Martin).

No shortage of outsiders will be ready to take advantage should they slip up.&nbsp;TF Sport&nbsp;(#82 Corvette),&nbsp;Iron Dames&nbsp;(#85 Porsche) and Kessel Racing&nbsp;(#57 Ferrari) will be among the crews seeking to upset the apple cart. Three years on from their first success in Portim&atilde;o, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting will be looking to repeat the feat with their teammate C&eacute;lia Martin.

You can follow the qualifying and race action live on <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@EuropeanLeMansSeriesOfficial/streams" target="_blank">the ELMS YouTube channel</a>.

Check out the full entry list for the 2025 4 Hours of Portim&atilde;o <a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/doc-prod/t-bl2vT1167_H5IKTX3_iP2-.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.

ELMS – All to play for this weekend at the 4 Hours of Portimão!

The 24 Hours of Le Mans has just released a stunning line of four precision watches for every racing fan and timepiece enthusiast on your gift list - including yourself!

Each running of Le&nbsp;Mans writes its own unique page in the history of the race. This year, we&#39;re commemorating the 24 Hours with an unprecedented&nbsp;<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/content/52-exclusive-24-hours-of-le-mans-watch-collection" target="_blank">official&nbsp;24 Hours of Le Mans watch&nbsp;collection</a>.&nbsp;Designed for racing fans and amateurs&nbsp;of fine timepieces, these watches&nbsp;embody the power, precision and spirit of endurance that fuel&nbsp;the most iconic&nbsp;race in the world.

<h2>FOUR WATCHES BEFITTING&nbsp;THE LEGENDARY RACE&nbsp;</h2>

From trackside&nbsp;to the day-to-day, each model is&nbsp;designed to reflect a singular facet of racing.

<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/watches/4527-Smartwatch-24h-le-mans.html" target="_blank">Connected Watch</a>&nbsp;&ndash; When legacy meets innovation

Fitted with an AMOLED dial and smart functions.

Price: &euro;150

<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/watches/4526-Mens-Sports-Watch-24H-Le-Mans.html">Sports Watch</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Design inspired by&nbsp;performance

Inspired by raw engine&nbsp;power, the sports watch is powered by a Japanese Seiko VD53 movement. Its black steel case and pedal-shaped buttons&nbsp;make it the perfect choice for thrill-seekers.

Price: &euro;150

<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/watches/4525-Classic-Mens-Watch-24H-Le-Mans.html" target="_blank">Classic Watch</a>&nbsp;&ndash; Pure elegance

The high-quality Japanese movement and leather strap make this&nbsp;an ideal selection&nbsp;for those who appreciate understated refinement.

Price: 120&euro;

<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/watches/4528-Childrens-Watch-24H-Le-Mans.html" target="_blank">Children&#39;s Watch&nbsp;</a>&ndash; Perfect for young fans

Thanks to its Seiko SII PC21 movement and illustrated strap, the children&#39;s watch introduces youngsters to the legend of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Price: &euro;40

<h2>Where to find the Collection</h2>

The 24 Hours of Le Mans watch collection is available starting Thursday 9 October at 17:00 local time in all official shops and&nbsp;<a href="https://boutique.lemans.org/en/content/52-exclusive-24-hours-of-le-mans-watch-collection" target="_blank">online</a>.

<h4>Brick and Mortar Shops</h4>

<ul>
	<li>Le Mans &ndash; South Gate of the Circuit des 24 Heures</li>
	<li>Paris &ndash; 118 boulevard Haussmann (8th)</li>
	<li>Tours &ndash; 32 rue Marceau</li>
	<li>Rouen &ndash; 24 rue de l&rsquo;H&ocirc;pital</li>
</ul>

Exclusive collection of 24 Hours of Le Mans watches available now!

Two up-and-coming British drivers will have a chance to showcase their talent at the 2025 FIA WEC Rookie Test. Ollie Gray will take the wheel of the championship-winning Hypercar while Tom Fleming will climb aboard the Champagne-popping LMGT3. A golden opportunity for the two hopefuls.

Every season, the FIA World Endurance Championship concludes with the Rookie Test &ndash; a tremendous opportunity for promising youngsters to show off their potential at the wheel of the best cars on the international endurance scene. The 2025 edition, held in Bahrain on the day after the final round of the season, will spotlight two rising stars:&nbsp;former Formula racing driver Ollie Gray, now a mainstay of the European Le Mans Series grid, and Tom Fleming, a GT specialist whose career has really taken off.

<h2>Ollie Gray &ndash; from single-seaters to Hypercar</h2>

Twenty-year-old Gray has quickly worked his way up from promotion formulas to the European Le Mans Series. Runner-up in the British F4 Championship in 2022, he has enjoyed a remarkable ELMS season with VDS Panis Racing, winning the Imola and Spa-Francorchamps rounds, before putting in a bright performance on his 24 Hours of Le Mans d&eacute;but.

The young Englishman cannot wait to get behind the wheel of the World Championship-winning Hypercar.&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m over-the-moon to be selected for this year&rsquo;s Rookie Test,&rdquo; he enthused. &quot;The opportunity to drive the winning Hypercar is amazing, and it&rsquo;s a step forward in my career as that&rsquo;s where I want to be in the future (...) My long-term objective is to race in the top class in FIA WEC, so hopefully I can show what I&rsquo;m made of in Bahrain and take a step closer to that goal!&rdquo;

<h2>Tom Fleming&rsquo;s rapid rise</h2>

Fleming (23) caught the eye as soon as he began racing, finishing runner-up in the 2023 Ferrari Challenge Europe. He has competed in this season&rsquo;s ELMS, notching up two podiums at the wheel of a Ferrari 296 LMGT3 for GR Racing. A varied campaign comprising the GT World Challenge and the Michelin Le Mans Cup has given Fleming precious experience before this first outing outside Europe.

Bahrain will be a major landmark in his burgeoning career.&nbsp;&ldquo;I&rsquo;m honoured to be selected for the FIA WEC Rookie Test,&rdquo; he said.&nbsp; &ldquo;To be part of such an exclusive and prestigious event is an incredible privilege and an opportunity I&rsquo;m looking forward to making the most of.&nbsp;I&rsquo;ve enjoyed an extremely busy, fruitful and diverse racing programme this year.&nbsp; (...) The Rookie Test will be the cherry on the cake to conclude what has been a successful 2025. Over the years, I&rsquo;ve seen many FIA WEC and Formula One races take place at the [Bahrain] circuit, so it&rsquo;s simply surreal to think I will be heading there myself.&rdquo;

<h2>A platform for the future</h2>

Since it was created in 2015, the FIA WEC Rookie Test has provided a platform for many talented drivers including Julien Andlauer,&nbsp;Norman Nato&nbsp;and Mathieu Jaminet, to take their first crucial steps towards the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the Hypercar class. In Gray and Fleming, two new faces will hope to line up alongside them very soon.

<a href="https://fiawec.tv/page/679a56921229db49627128a6" target="_blank">Watch all the action from the FIA World Endurance Championship</a>&nbsp;live or on demand with the FIA WEC TV official app! Don&rsquo;t miss a thing! Check out the app for further information.

Gray and Fleming picked for FIA WEC Bahrain Rookie Test

Alpine climbed back to the summit of the FIA World Championship podium in the series’ milestone 100th race at Fuji Speedway today, as Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin emerged on top in an epic encounter to claim the French manufacturer’s first victory in more than three years.

The #35 crew began the 6 Hours of Fuji from ninth on the 18-strong Hypercar grid, and initially fell down the field after picking up penalties for contact and a pit-stop infringement. The trio gained a crucial break shortly after the race entered its second half, however, when they benefitted from the fortuitous timing of a safety car intervention.

That elevated Milesi up the order into second, with the Frenchman subsequently settling into a three-way fight for supremacy with Peugeot&rsquo;s Mikkel Jensen &ndash; the #93 9X8 Hypercar the Dane shares with Jean-&Eacute;ric Vergne and Paul di Resta a long-time leader in Japan &ndash; and defending world champion K&eacute;vin Estre in the #6 Porsche.

With an hour remaining, Alpine Endurance Team rolled the dice. As the top three came into the pits to make their final stops, the French manufacturer elected to save time by changing only the left-hand side tyres on the #35 car, whereas Peugeot and Porsche replaced the full set.

That promoted Milesi to the lead, and the Frenchman produced a flawless performance to keep his pursuers comfortably at bay and take the chequered flag 7.682 seconds ahead of Jensen &ndash; to the clear delight of his team-mates and crew.

&ldquo;This means everything,&rdquo; confessed an emotional Habsburg. &ldquo;Holding this trophy has been in my dreams for quite some time. It&rsquo;s the coolest thing to win a race with two of your best friends in the paddock. Charles and Paul-Loup are not only some of the best drivers, but also the best people I know. They have motivated me so much through my own mistakes and moments when I was not doing so well. It&rsquo;s because of them really that we were able to win together as a team.&rdquo;

The result represented Alpine&rsquo;s third overall triumph in FIA WEC, and impressively, the #35 car is the only one in the 2025 Hypercar field not to include a top-level Platinum-graded driver. It also means that for the first time in the championship&rsquo;s history, four different marques have won in succession &ndash; Ferrari at Le Mans, Cadillac in S&atilde;o Paulo, Porsche at COTA and now Alpine at Fuji.

<h2>Corvette claims glory after late drama in LMGT3</h2>

For the second race in a row, VISTA AF Corse took the chequered flag first in the LMGT3 category &ndash; and for the second race in a row, another crew stood atop the rostrum, as TF Sport&rsquo;s #81 Corvette benefitted from a post-race penalty for the Ferrari to usurp the win.

&gt;&gt;&gt; <a href="https://www.fiawec.com/en/page/resultats-1/56" target="_blank">Race result</a> &lt;&lt;&lt;

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&nbsp;

Alpine unleashes peak performance at Fuji to win milestone 100th race

Solidarity, passion and experience &ndash; that&rsquo;s what the 24 Hours of Le Mans means to Audi Sport. Solidarity as we saw in 2011 when the German constructor, who had lost two of its three cars in accidents, managed to clinch the overall title by just 13 seconds with the entire driver squad pulling together to urge on the winning crew.

	Passion as seen in the tear-filled eyes of Dr Wolfgang Ullrich, Head of Audi Motorsport, when on the brink of victory. And experience... well, thirteen wins since 2000 speak for themselves. This year, all of these ingredients were not quite enough to come out on top for a fourteenth time. But, as Audi says, each moment makes you wiser and stronger. Now and in the future. The challenge continues... #welcomechallenges

	<img class="imgVideo" id="4061" src="/wpphpFichiers/video/4061.jpg" />

	Video commentary in English

	C&eacute;cile Bonardel / ACO &ndash; English translation by David Goward

	Video: YouTube &ndash; Audi Deutschland 
	&nbsp;

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans - The challenge continues for Audi (video)

Related News

ELMS – All to play for this weekend at the 4 Hours of Portimão!

Exclusive collection of 24 Hours of Le Mans watches available now!

Gray and Fleming picked for FIA WEC Bahrain Rookie Test

Alpine unleashes peak performance at Fuji to win milestone 100th race

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