24h Le Mans
A four-way battle for the lead is finely poised at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, as BMW, Cadillac and Toyota go toe-to-toe as all lead throughout the opening four hours of the race.
Tour de France cycling legend Sir Mark Cavendish started the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans – the 94th edition of the great race – to great fanfare. The platinum era of sports car racing was living up to its billing, with the eight Hypercar manufacturers creating a spectacular sight to behold: 18 Hypercars leading 19 LMP2 and 25 LMGT3 cars, all charging into Turn One.
Sixty-two teams. Sixty-two dreams. Here is what happened from hours two to four.
Missed the opening hour? We have you covered.
In the first hour, the opening six laps were nothing short of frantic as the Hypercars fought for every position in the pecking order with a clear track ahead of them. Those battles became even more intense when the leading cars encountered traffic for the first time on lap seven.
As the hour progressed, five cars emerged at the front. The #8 Toyota Racing car elected to run a completely different strategy from the rest of the leading pack. Pitting on lap eight, while those around them were going three to four laps longer, raised eyebrows. However, in clear air, with Sébastien Buemi at the wheel, the Swiss driver was able to put his head down and produce rapid lap times. He worked his way through the field and leapt from 15th into the lead while his rivals contended with traffic from the slower classes.
With every stop, the #8 Toyota gradually extended its advantage, from a handful of seconds to 19, then 27, and counting. The Japanese powerhouse was banking on uninterrupted running and, so far, a clean race.
The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 had to respond. The Bavarian team were matching Toyota blow for blow, trying to stay within touching distance. On the stroke of the three-hour mark, a Full Course Yellow was deployed – disaster for the pack chasing the Toyota, as the #8 car had already completed its stop. Diving into the pits for an emergency splash of fuel put the #20 BMW and #12 Cadillac on the back foot, as both had to return a lap later for a full pit stop, compromising the strategies of the chasing pack.
The gold Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA cars ran line astern as they leapfrogged the struggling Alpine, the Anglo-American outfit showing it had the pace. The #38 appeared to be the quicker car at this stage with Jack Aitken at the wheel. The #12, driven by Louis Delétraz, offered little resistance as it allowed its sister car through in pursuit of the BMW ahead.
Aitken was on a mission. He had reduced the deficit from 10 seconds to five over the previous hour before appearing on the gearbox of the German M Hybrid V8.
The lead changed at the three-and-a-half-hour mark. Approaching the second chicane, Aitken swooped past Sheldon van der Linde's BMW in the gold Cadillac. However, the Michigan-built V8 monster was running lighter fuel loads, with the BMW believed to have around 20 per cent more energy than the Cadillac. This battle is going to become very interesting as the race heads into the night – and it is the one to watch. Cadillac and BMW may be on similar strategies, but Toyota is giving both LMDh cars plenty to think about.
The #35 Alpine, which looked promising in the opening hour, was beginning to struggle. It had the one-lap pace, but in the summer heat and with heavy fuel loads, it could not maintain the same speed. With Charles Milesi at the controls, fifth place was where the French team found itself, waiting to pounce should the four cars ahead falter. However, it also needs to keep an eye on its mirrors, with the fast-approaching #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P closing in.
The #51 Ferrari 499P was in the wars after underestimating an overtake on the inside of the #9 Proton Competition LMP2 entry. The Ferrari was deemed not to have left sufficient room for the ORECA, with both cars colliding and running off the circuit in the Esses before Tertre Rouge, sending track bollards flying. A drive-through penalty was subsequently handed to the Scuderia.
Elsewhere, Genesis had a car in the top 10 in ninth, while the #83 AF Corse Ferrari continued to struggle at Le Mans this year, battling the pair of Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyries on the wrong side of the top 10 in 12th, 13th and 14th. The other Toyota on the opposite side of the garage was also struggling, yo-yoing in and out of the top 10.
The LMP2 prototypes, aside from the leading Toyota, were the first class to dive into the pits. The early leaders were the #18 IDEC Sport machine, with the French team converting pole position into an early advantage.
The #30 Duqueine Team and #29 Forestier Racing by Panis enjoyed a ding-dong battle throughout the opening four hours, while the pair of Inter Europol Competition cars were able to go longer between pit stops, making them a thorn in the side of the top three.
Keep an eye on the #37 CLX Motorsport entry as well, quietly going about its business in fourth place.
Jack Hawksworth and Akkodis ASP Team were the stars of the opening four hours in the GT category. The British driver was the big mover in the Lexus, carving his way through the field and into the lead. He underlined his impressive form by building a healthy advantage before handing over to Bronze-rated driver Tom Van Rompuy.
Demonstrating that their strong free practice pace was no flash in the pan, Van Rompuy continued to push against his fellow Bronze drivers before being overtaken by the more experienced José María López in the sister Lexus. Grabbing the advantage as four hours lapsed, the #91 Manthey Porsche heads to the front, while the pole-sitting #27 Aston Martin, which had slipped down the order, is now back in a battle for the podium.
The #13 Autosport Corvette is in the garage, undergoing repairs. However, all of the other 61 cars remain on track, circulating without major issues. Aside from one brief Full Course Yellow to clear debris and displaced bollards, the race has run remarkably cleanly so far.
Top 5 with 20 Hours to go:
1. Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa – 66 laps
2. BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 BMW M Team WRT – Robin Frijns / Rene Rast / Sheldon van der Linde – + 29:616
3. Cadillac V-Series.R #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – Sébastien Bourdais / Earl Bamber / Jack Aitken – +31:694
4. Cadillac V-Series.R #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – Louis Delétraz / Will Stevens / Norman Nato – +58:607
5. Alpine A424 #35 Alpine Endurance Team – António Félix Da Costa / Charles Milesi / Ferdinand Habsburg – +1:24.549
Category Leaders:
