The World Endurance Championship opener at Silverstone turned out to be a missed opportunity for Beno

Toyota executed a perfect, textbook strategy throughout the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans to claim its first victory since 2022, securing a sixth overall triumph and equalling the tally of British marque Bentley.

To spectacular fanfare, Japanese powerhouse Toyota Racing lifted the iconic trophy at a sun-kissed Circuit de la Sarthe for the first time in four years, in front of hundreds of thousands of spectators at the venue and millions more watching around the world. Drivers Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway emerged as the team to beat at the end of the race, guiding the #7 Toyota to victory ahead of the sister #8 Toyota Racing entry, the #20 BMW M Team WRT and the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA machine in an epic four-way battle to the chequered flag &ndash; underlining the &quot;Platinum Era&quot; status that the Hypercar category is building.

For Kobayashi, it was a second Le Mans victory. It marked a second triumph for British star Mike Conway and, for the first time in 38 years, a historic win for the Netherlands as Nyck de Vries became the latest Dutch driver to conquer Le Mans.

It looked set to be another Toyota one-two, but BMW&#39;s never-say-die attitude ensured that the FIA World Endurance Championship points leaders &ndash; the #20 crew of Robin Frijns, Ren&eacute; Rast and Sheldon van der Linde &ndash; claimed second overall and a valuable haul of championship points.

Toyota could still be delighted with third place, although a few costly mistakes and strategy calls denied the #8 Toyota of S&eacute;bastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryō Hirakawa another victory.

Meanwhile, Cadillac can take plenty of plaudits once again. A crowd favourite throughout the week, the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA crew gave everything in pursuit of victory, and the pace they demonstrated at Le Mans suggests they will remain contenders for years to come.

<h2>Inter Europol Competiton&nbsp;lock-out LMP2&nbsp;</h2>

It was a grandstand finish in LMP2 as Inter Europol Competition worked well overnight to bring both cars into the rostrum contention, but a second day charge from Forestier Racing by Panis had everyone on the edge of their seats, but after 24 hours of racing the Polish #43 ORECA with pilots Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann and Nicholas Yelloly win the penultimate race at Le Mans for this specification LMP2 car!

<h2>Corvette charge back to the top!</h2>

Corvette capture the magic of Le Mans once again with iconic yellow #33 Corvette run by TF Sport took LMGT3 laurels with Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar, Nicky Catsburg taking a popular leap onto the top step of the podium. Akkodis ASP Team put Lexus on the podium for the first time at Le Mans with the #78 car second and the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin joins in the celebrations in third.

Top 5 Results - 24 Hours of Le Mans:

Toyota TR010 Hybrid #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing &ndash; Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries &ndash; 381&nbsp;Laps 
BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 BMW M Team WRT &ndash; Robin Frijns / Rene Rast / Sheldon van der Linde &ndash; + 10.913 
Toyota TR010 Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa &ndash; + 20.417 
Cadillac V-Series.R #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; Louis Del&eacute;traz / Will Stevens / Norman Nato &ndash; +32.381 
Ferrari 499P #51 Ferrari-AF Corse &ndash; Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi &ndash; +2:22.423

Category Winners:

<ul>
	<li>LMP2: Oreca 07-Gibson #43 Inter Europol Competition &ndash; Jakub Smiechowski / Tom Dillmann / Nicholas Yelloly - 361 Laps</li>
	<li>LMGT3: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #33 TF Sport &ndash; Ben Keating / Jonny Edgar / Nicky Catsburg &ndash; 336&nbsp;laps</li>
</ul>

Fastest Lap: Rio Hirakawa (Toyota TR010 &ndash; Hybrid #8 Toyota Racing) &ndash; 3:25.041 - Lap 306

Retirements:

<ul>
	<li>Oreca 07-Gibson #30 Duqueine Team &ndash; Doriane Pin / Julien Andlauer / Richard Verschoor</li>
	<li>Ferrari 499P #50 Ferrari-AF Corse &ndash; Antonio Fuoco / Nicklas Nielsen / Miguel Molina</li>
	<li>Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #91 Manthey DK Engineering &ndash; James Cottingham / Timur Boguslavskiy / Ayhancan G&uuml;ven</li>
	<li>Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar #17 Genesis Magma Racing &ndash; Andr&eacute; Lotterer / Luis Felipe Derani / Mathys Jaubert</li>
	<li>Ford Mustang LMGT3 #77 Proton Competition &ndash;&nbsp; Eric Powell / Ben Tuck / Sebastian Priaulx</li>
	<li>Cadillac V-Series.R #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Bourdais / Earl Bamber / Jack Aitken</li>
	<li>Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #79 Iron Lynx &ndash; Johannes Zelger / Matteo Cressoni / Lin Hodenius</li>
	<li>Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo #54 Vista AF Corse &ndash; Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon</li>
	<li>Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #61 Iron Lynx (Martin Berry / Rui Andrade / Maxime Martin</li>
	<li>Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #13 Thirteen Autosport &ndash; Orey Fidani / Lars Kern / Matthew Bell</li>
</ul>

<h2>Here&#39;s how the race unfolded coming into the final hour&hellip;</h2>

After trips around the clock, the relentless competition around the Circuit de la Sarthe, for the 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has delivered everything endurance racing promises, fierce battles, strategic gambles, crushing heartbreak and a fight for outright victory that remained tantalisingly close until the final phase.

From the moment the tricolour dropped on Saturday afternoon, the race refused to settle.

Toyota initially showed its hand, taking control during the opening exchanges as the battle at the front intensified. Its early pit stop gamble in limited traffic enabled them to climb up the order. Ferrari, who were chasing an unprecedented fourth consecutive Le Mans victory, remained in outside contention, while BMW&#39;s pole-sitting challenge looked every bit as potent as expected. Cadillac, meanwhile, quietly lurked within striking distance.

By nightfall, three manufacturers were locked together in a captivating Hypercar contest.

As darkness enveloped Le Mans, Cadillac began to emerge as a genuine threat. The #12 and #38 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.Rs steadily worked its way to the head of the field as Ferrari&#39;s challenge faltered. The Prancing Horse&#39;s hopes suffered a series of setbacks, allowing the gold-liveried American machine to seize the initiative. Behind it, BMW and Toyota remained firmly in touch, refusing to let the leaders escape.

Dawn brought fresh drama.

While the #12 Cadillac strengthened its grip on the race through the early morning hours thanks to assured performances from Norman Nato, Will Stevens and Louis Del&eacute;traz, the sister #38 entry suffered heartbreak. Running at the sharp end with S&eacute;bastien Bourdais aboard, the Cadillac was forced into the garage with mechanical problems. Although it briefly returned to the circuit, its challenge had effectively ended before the car was eventually retired with persistent power steering issues.

Toyota, however, refused to surrender.

A Full Course Yellow transformed the complexion of the race. The leading #12 Cadillac was caught out by Full Course Yellow speed restrictions, forcing an unscheduled extra stop to fulfil a Drive Through Penalty and wiping away its advantage. Suddenly, the fight for victory widened once more.

BMW&#39;s #20 M Hybrid V8 surged into contention, while Toyota&#39;s pair of TR010 Hybrids mounted an inspired comeback. Brendon Hartley attacked relentlessly in the #8, passing the Cadillac before concerns over the car&#39;s front-left corner delayed its progress. That opened the door for the sister #7 machine, with Kamui Kobayashi launching a trademark charge to the front.

Within laps of a later Safety Car restart, Kobayashi had erased the deficit and attached himself to the rear of the leading Cadillac, setting the fastest lap as he hunted down the leaders.

BMW remained equally dangerous. Robin Frijns briefly escaped at the front before a gravel excursion entering the pits compromised the German manufacturer&#39;s momentum. Even so, the pace of the #20 ensured it remained firmly in the hunt.

As the race entered its final four hours, just 10 seconds separated the leading quartet.

Elsewhere, Le Mans delivered its customary share of heartbreak.

Genesis Magma Racing&#39;s impressive debut suffered a major blow when the #17 stopped with suspension failure at Tertre Rouge after already overcoming difficulties with the sister #19. Ferrari&#39;s race unravelled further when the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P ground to a halt with electrical issues, leaving the Italian marque relying on the #51 factory car and the resurgent #83 AF Corse entry to salvage a result.

Alpine&#39;s hopes of a dream home triumph faded as rising temperatures exposed the limitations of the A424&#39;s pace, while Aston Martin Thor Team continued its quiet run towards a top-10 finish with the Valkyrie.

Into the final four hours, Toyota had cycled to the front and when the opportunity was right - it turned on the afterburners to bring both cars into one, two. However, the last hour&hellip; BMW was not going down without a fight.

<h2>In LMP2...</h2>

Duqueine appeared set for victory before a costly trip through the gravel slashed its advantage. As the clock hit four hours remaining, disaster bestowed the LMP2 leaders. Heartbreak as the black and green machine was parked on the side of the road with suspected broken suspension. Inter Europol Competition&#39;s pair of ORECAs closed rapidly, setting up a thrilling conclusion in the prototype category. In the final two hours, the fastest crew in the Hyperpole #29 Forestier Racing by Panis wasn&rsquo;t going to make it easy for the Polish cars with Esteban Masson on a mission. Splitting the yellow cars - the Frenchman had eyes on victory.

<h2>LMGT3 proved no less dramatic.</h2>

TF Sport&#39;s #33 Corvette fought its way to the head of the class after a superb overnight performance, but a late Safety Car intervention following Ayhancan G&uuml;ven&#39;s heavy accident in the #91 Manthey Porsche at sunrise compressed the field once again. With the Aston Martin and Lexus squads were still within striking distance, the battle for GT honours remained finely poised.

TOYOTA TAKE ITS SIXTH VICTORY AT LE MANS

It all comes down to this. With the final four hours remaining, the front four cars are separated by just eight seconds. Cadillac leads despite being caught out by a Full Course Yellow, BMW has a rapid race car underneath them, while Toyota has cycled both of its entries into the top three. It's going to be a dogfight to the finish.

<h2>a hypercar battle for the ages</h2>

We&#39;ve made it to lunchtime &ndash; it&#39;s 12:00 local time and we&#39;re into the final countdown. How are you holding up?

With four hours remaining, the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most open in recent years, with just 10 seconds covering the top four.&nbsp;Barring any catastrophic events it will be either BMW, Cadillac or Toyota. But we all know Le Mans, don&#39;t we? The race has a habit of choosing its own winners. Who will it be?

Elsewhere, there have been some major casualties. Let&#39;s take a quick recap.

<h2>It&#39;s not over for Toyota in 2026</h2>

A poorly timed Full Course Yellow dented the advantage held by the #12 Cadillac at the head of the field, since our last update. The Hertz Team JOTA entry was due a routine pit stop, but was caught speeding under FCY - resulting in a drive-through penalty and then come in for fuel&nbsp;&ndash; and that&#39;s exactly what the American marque had to do.

It then had to make an additional pit stop, compromising its overall strategy and bringing three other cars into the fight.

First, the BMW scampered past. Then, with six and a half hours remaining, the #8 Toyota appeared in the Cadillac&#39;s rear view.

After struggling for traction out of some of the slower corners on the 13.626km Circuit de la Sarthe, Brendon Hartley&nbsp; in the #8 Toyota lined up a move on the Cadillac through the kinks and completed the pass just before the pair hurtled into Indianapolis, while simultaneously working their way past an LMP2 car. Hartley could smell blood &ndash; this race wasn&#39;t over yet for the Japanese team.

When the #8 came into the pits, the Kiwi handed over to Ryō Hirakawa, but the front-left corner was inspected by the mechanics while the wheel and tyre were removed.

The same area was checked again at the following pit stop. The additional inspection time while stationary dropped the #8 into the clutches of the sister #7 Toyota, which eventually slipped past during the pit-stop sequence when both cars stopped together.

Once the team was satisfied with the condition of the #8, both red-and-white machines returned to the track and found themselves within touching distance of the BMW and Cadillac ahead, aided by a subsequent Safety Car period - which bunched the entire field back up again.

Kamui Kobayashi, the two-time event winner now at the wheel of the #7 TR010 Hybrid, sensed an opportunity. Within four laps of the Safety Car returning to the pits, he had caught the Cadillac and was sitting on the Detroit machine&#39;s gearbox, setting the fastest lap on lap 303 in the process.

The #20 BMW, driven by Robin Frijns, initially scampered away. However, entering the pits, the Dutchman pushed too hard and took a high-speed excursion across the gravel. The resulting checks by the team for potential damage slightly lengthened the pit stop time, dropping the #20 behind both Toyotas and the leading Cadillac.

The Toyotas are pushing in second and third. Cadillac is trying to hold the lead and BMW has the pace to catch back up. It&#39;s a race to the finish and there is only eight seconds blanketing the quartet.&nbsp;

Over on the other side of the BMW garage, the #15 encountered further misery. Following a Full Course Yellow, the car could not deactivate its speed limiter and it became stuck at 80kph. It managed to limp back to the pits, but its torrid race only worsened.At least it was still circulating. Others weren&#39;t so fortunate.

Shortly after publishing our previous report, the #38 Cadillac was officially retired following its ongoing power steering issues. The American squad called time on its race, with the shutters coming down at 08:00 local time.

With seven and a half hours remaining, the #17 Genesis suffered suspension failure exiting Tertre Rouge. A Full Course Yellow was deployed to recover the stricken Korean machine, which had come to rest on the outside of the corner.

Fans around Circuit de la Sarthe sympathised with the new team, which had impressed throughout the week with both its pace and its connection with the fans. The #19 remains in 14th place, and the team will have everything crossed that it can still make the finish.

An hour later, the #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P also came to a halt at Tertre Rouge, the Italian machine stopping on the inside of the corner with suspected electrical issues.

Ferrari&#39;s hopes now rest with an unlikely contender. Few would have predicted that the #83 AF Corse entry &ndash; which had struggled near the foot of the order earlier in the race &ndash; would now be battling for a top-five finish alongside the remaining #51 factory 499P.

French fans will have to wait at least another year for a home victory. Alpine, contesting its &quot;Last Dance&quot; at Le Mans, performed admirably in the cooler conditions, but as temperatures and pace increased, it could not match the Toyotas and Ferraris ahead. Seventh place was what the French marque was holding out for.

As for the legion of British supporters, a top-10 finish for Aston Martin remained firmly on the cards, with the #007 running eighth overall ahead of the WTR run Cadillac and second Alpine in 10th.

<h2>LMP2 cars in the wars</h2>

Duqueine appeared to have the LMP2 category under control, but a trip through the gravel for the #30 gave the class leaders an almighty scare. Along with the Safety Car, its advantage was slashed to just a matter of seconds over the pair of Inter Europol Competition entries.

The #343 held the edge over the #43 as the Polish machines charged around Le Mans in pursuit of the black Duqueine.

Will it be another Inter Europol Competition victory, or can Doriane Pin guide Duqueine to its first Le Mans win &ndash; and become the first female driver in nearly 50 years to stand on the overall LMP2 podium? Five seconds cover the trio&hellip;

Meanwhile, Jonas Ried in the #9 Proton Competition car took a trip across the grass at the Ford Chicane, smashing through a Motul advertising board. The sign attached itself to the front of the ORECA and, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn&#39;t shake it loose.

After stopping on the inside of Tertre Rouge, marshals were eventually able to remove the wayward branding safely, allowing him to continue.

<h2>Safety Car sets up LMGT3 grandstand finish</h2>

As the clock ticked under six hours to go, steering failure struck the #91 Manthey Porsche on the exit of the Daytona chicane on the Mulsanne Straight.

Unable to correct the car, Ayhancan G&uuml;ven suffered a sizeable impact with the barriers. The Turkish driver emerged unharmed, but the accident brought his race to an end.

A Safety Car was deployed while marshals and recovery crews cleared the damaged Porsche and debris from the circuit &ndash; a cruel blow for a team that had been fighting for a top-five finish in class.

Although the clean-up took the best part of an hour, it has compressed the field nicely with just four hours remaining. The bright yellow #33 TF Sport Corvette lead but there is is just 10 seconds separating them at the front and #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin second and #78 Akkodis ASP Team in third. Three marques - one winner Join us for the finish at 16:00 local time to see how the race plays out.

Top 5 after 20 Hours:

<ol>
	<li>Cadillac V-Series.R #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; Louis Del&eacute;traz / Will Stevens / Norman Nato &ndash; 314 laps</li>
	<li>Toyota TR010 Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa &ndash; + 1.834</li>
	<li>Toyota TR010 Hybrid #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing &ndash; Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries &ndash; + 2.284</li>
	<li>BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 BMW M Team WRT &ndash; Robin Frijns / Rene Rast / Sheldon van der Linde &ndash; + 8.919</li>
	<li>Ferrari 499P #51 Ferrari-AF Corse &ndash; Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi &ndash; + 36.340</li>
</ol>

Category Leaders:

LMP2: Oreca 07-Gibson #30 Duqueine Team &ndash; Doriane Pin / Julien Andlauer / Richard Verschoor &ndash; 298 laps 
LMGT3: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #33 TF Sport &ndash; Ben Keating / Jonny Edgar / Nicky Catsburg &ndash; 277 laps

Fastest Lap:&nbsp;Rio Hirakawa (Toyota TR010 &ndash; Hybrid #8 Toyota Racing) &ndash; 3:25.041

Retirements&nbsp;:

<ul>
	<li>Ferrari 499P #50 Ferrari-AF Corse &ndash; Antonio Fuoco / Nicklas Nielsen / Miguel Molina</li>
	<li>Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #91 Manthey DK Engineering &ndash; James Cottingham / Timur Boguslavskiy / Ayhancan G&uuml;ven,</li>
	<li>Genesis GMR-001-Hypercar #17 Genesis Magma Racing &ndash; Andr&eacute; Lotterer / Luis Felipe Derani / Mathys Jaubert</li>
	<li>Ford Mustang LMGT3 #77 Proton Competition &ndash;&nbsp; Eric Powell / Ben Tuck / Sebastian Priaulx</li>
	<li>Cadillac V-Series.R #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Bourdais / Earl Bamber / Jack Aitken</li>
	<li>Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #79 Iron Lynx &ndash; Johannes Zelger / Matteo Cressoni / Lin Hodenius</li>
	<li>Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo #54 Vista AF Corse &ndash; Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon</li>
	<li>Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #61 Iron Lynx (Martin Berry / Rui Andrade / Maxime Martin</li>
	<li>Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #13 Thirteen Autosport &ndash; Orey Fidani / Lars Kern / Matthew Bell</li>
</ul>

20-hour round-up: BMW, Cadillac and Toyota ready for sprint to the win at Le Mans

The V8-powered #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA machine was the alarm call Le Mans woke up to this morning, the bright gold Hypercar was in full flight as it tightened its stranglehold on the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with BMW and Toyota trying to give chase.

Good morning from Le Mans. The sun has come up and we are well over the halfway mark &ndash; but there are still eight hours left on the clock. Plenty of mileage remains and plenty of time for drama to unfold. Here&#39;s what happened during the early hours of this morning.

<h2>Hypercar Round-up</h2>

Overnight, the big news was heartbreak for S&eacute;bastien Bourdais and the #38 Cadillac. While fighting for the lead, the golden Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac had to be pushed into the garage with mechanical woes. Fifteen minutes later, and out of contention, the #38 rejoined the race with a mountain to climb to get back into the fight at the front of the Hypercar leaderboard. Will Bourdais ever catch a break at Le Mans?

The sister #12 has enjoyed much better fortune. Cycling through its strategy overnight, the American machine is in prime position for victory after superlative drives from Norman Nato, Will Stevens and Louis Del&eacute;traz. Brendon Hartley will be rueing his mistake earlier in the night, when an overshoot haemorrhaged time and allowed the Cadillac to close up and slip by during the pit-stop cycle.

The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 is the closest challenger to the Cadillac as the Bavarian marque searches for its first outright Le Mans victory in more than 25 years. Pit-stop strategy could yet come into play, with the German squad sitting just 20 seconds behind the leader. All it takes is one slip-up and it&#39;s game on in the fight for victory.

With the #15 sadly out of contention following drama as the sun set yesterday, the sister car is doing everything it can to aid the greater cause, trying different fuel loads and tyre options &ndash; a real-world test bed to simulate various scenarios before applying them to the car leading the charge.

The #101 WTR Cadillac has gone quietly about its business and, following the demise of the #38 Hertz Team JOTA entry, has inherited fourth place. However, it remains some way back from the battle for a podium finish as things stand.

The #35 Alpine, which looked to be slipping backwards as night fell, held on to a top-five position and overnight was the only car able to manage the medium tyre effectively, helping propel it into the top five. However, a chasing duo is looming large in the mirrors of the A424.

The #7 Toyota continued its charge through the field overnight and, as dawn broke, had climbed into the top six. It enjoyed several battles with the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P behind, and both cars are closing rapidly on the Alpine ahead.

The 2025 winners, AF Corse, are now up to eighth after a strong night&#39;s work, ahead of the #17 Genesis. The Korean outfit would dearly love a top-10 finish, as would the Aston Martin Thor Team, which is aiming to get the Valkyrie into the top 10. They currently sit 10th and 12th, respectively.

&nbsp;

The #19 Genesis Magma Racing entry stopped on track twice: first between Mulsanne and Indianapolis, then again at Tertre Rouge two hours later. The power unit cut out just moments after restarting. The car eventually managed to fire back into life and rejoin the fray in 14th place.

<h2>STEADY AS IT GOES IN LMP2&nbsp;</h2>

It&#39;s advantage Duqueine in LMP2. The French outfit has been the class of the field throughout the hours of darkness, but it has been closely shadowed by the #43 Inter Europol Competition team. The #34 Inter Europol Competition entry currently occupies the final podium position, with the #9 Proton Competition and #26 entries the next nearest challengers.

With just over nine hours left on the clock, Dane Cameron aboard the #99 AO by TF misjudged his braking point on the run down to Mulsanne Corner, wedging Rocky into the barriers and bringing out a slow zone.

Moments later, the #3 DKR Engineering ORECA overcooked the middle section of the Daytona chicane, with John Farano suffering an early-morning spin. The Canadian was fortunate as a squabbling pack of four LMGT3 cars narrowly avoided him.

Even the best can face the drama - K&eacute;vin Estre losing his #14 TDS Racing ORECA into the barriers at&nbsp;Indianapolis just as we went to hit publish!

<h2>CORVETTE COMMAND LMGT3</h2>

TF Sport has enjoyed a brilliant night&#39;s work to bring the #33 Corvette into the lead of the LMGT3 category. The #27 Aston Martin, which started on pole position, has been unable to match the American car&#39;s pace but looks secure in second.

However, with eight hours remaining, it will also need to keep an eye on its mirrors, as the hard-charging Akkodis ASP Team Lexus has rediscovered its pace now that the sun is up.

Eight hours remain. Anything can still happen. Seven Hypercars are still on the lead lap.

Top 5 after 16 Hours

1. Cadillac V-Series.R #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; Louis Del&eacute;traz / Will Stevens / Norman Nato &ndash; 257 laps 
2. Toyota TR010 Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa &ndash; + 47.603 
3. BMW M Hybrid V8 #20 BMW M Team WRT &ndash; Robin Frijns / Rene Rast / Sheldon van der Linde &ndash; + 49.910 
4. Toyota TR010 Hybrid #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing &ndash; Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries &ndash; +4:20.229 
5. Ferrari 499P #51 Ferrari-AF Corse &ndash; Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi&nbsp;&ndash; + 4:32.573

Leaders in LMP2 and LMGT3&nbsp;:

<ul>
	<li>LMP2&nbsp;: Oreca 07-Gibson #30 Duqueine Team &ndash; Doriane Pin / Julien Andlauer / Richard Verschoor &ndash; 243 laps</li>
	<li>LMGT3&nbsp;: Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #33 TF Sport &ndash; Ben Keating / Jonny Edgar / Nicky Catsburg &ndash; 226 laps</li>
</ul>

Fastest Lap

<ul>
	<li>S&eacute;bastien Buemi (Toyota TR010 - Hybrid #8 Toyota Racing), 3:25.968 on the 249th lap.</li>
</ul>

Retirements after 16 Hours

<ul>
	<li>Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #79 Iron Lynx &ndash; Johannes Zelger / Matteo Cressoni / Lin Hodenius</li>
	<li>Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo #54 Vista AF Corse &ndash; Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon</li>
	<li>Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #61 Iron Lynx (Martin Berry / Rui Andrade / Maxime Martin</li>
	<li>Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R #13 Thirteen Autosport &ndash; Orey Fidani / Lars Kern / Matthew Bell</li>
</ul>

16-hour round-up: Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA stretches its legs in the lead at Le Mans

The pressure is still on at the halfway mark of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans given dramatic twists in the Hypercar class, a strategic battle over tyres, milestone moments for Genesis and razor-thin margins in LMGT3. Glory is still very much up for grabs in this thrilling 94th running of the race.

With 12 hours in the rearview at&nbsp;the&nbsp;94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, third round of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), under the cover of night the favourites have faltered, the underdogs have seized their chance&nbsp;and the newcomers have proven&nbsp;they belong&nbsp;on the world&rsquo;s greatest endurance stage. At the halfway mark, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA leads, but the slightest error could still alter the fate of this fiercely contested race.

<h2>A battle between&nbsp;titans after nightfall</h2>

Nighttime at this race often acts as the ultimate barometer. It reveals strengths and&nbsp;exposes weaknesses. Shortly after midnight, the race was neutralised for 45 minutes following an off-track incident at the Forest&nbsp;Esses by the #54 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo, which was subsequently forced to retire.

When the green flag appeared&nbsp;again at 00:23, the #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrid (Toyota&nbsp;Racing) led&nbsp;the field ahead of the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 (BMW M Team WRT) and the #12 Cadillac V-Series.R (Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA). Behind this running order, a life-sized game of chess was&nbsp;already underway: the three Cadillacs have opted for soft tires, while Toyota stayed with medium compound.

The action&nbsp;ratcheted&nbsp;up another notch at the 01:33 mark. A slight error by Brendon Hartley at the Mulsanne Corner forced&nbsp;the New Zealander to take the side&nbsp;road. Instantly, the Toyota&rsquo;s lead disappeared&nbsp;and the #12 Cadillac closed&nbsp;the gap to just four-tenths of a second.&nbsp;

A few minutes later, BMW in turn opted for&nbsp;soft-tyres on the&nbsp;#20. This decision had been prepared in advance using the sister #15 car as a test subject. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, every technical choice involves a calculated risk, and sometimes a simple decision made in the pits can carry as much weight as an on-track overtake.

<h2>Ferrari hit, Genesis struggling</h2>

At 00:25, the #50 Ferrari 499P (Ferrari-AF Corse) &mdash; still on the lead lap at the time &mdash; suffered a problem with its fire extinguisher system. Mechanics spent a considerable amount of time working beneath the driver&#39;s seat.

The Italian Hypercar finally returned to the track at 00:53&nbsp;after a 28-minute stoppage. Rejoining the race in 23rd place and eight laps down, its hopes of victory were severely compromised. In an event where every second counts, half an hour can sometimes feel like an eternity.

AF Corse&#39;s #83 Ferrari 499P remains&nbsp;in the game. Robert Kubica: We have a good pace, but we&#39;re losing too much time in the straights due to a lack of acceleration. There&#39;s nothing we can do. We need to focus on what we can control, and with a little bit of luck, we can take advantage of mistakes made by others.

Genesis Magma Racing&#39;s performance&nbsp;is another highlight of the race&#39;s first half. In their maiden appearance in&nbsp;the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #17 and #19 GMR-001 Hypercars have demonstrated remarkable reliability. Lap after lap, the Korean team is gaining valuable experience and showing promising potential for the future

At 3:25, the #19&nbsp;driven by Paul-Loup Chatin&nbsp;came to a halt between Arnage and Indianapolis. The French driver managed to restart the car after receiving radio instructions from his team, but a good 10 minutes were sacrified. It was a frustrating setback, yet one that offered valuable lessons for a team discovering the unique demands of Le Mans.

<h2>Everything still up for grabs in LMP2 and LMGT3</h2>

In LMP2, the #30 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson (Duqueine Team) and the #43 (Inter Europol Competition) took turns in the lead depending on pit stops and strategy.&nbsp;In a category where all teams race with the same chassis, engine&nbsp;and tyres, the difference is all in the details: driver talent, engineering precision&nbsp;and the wisdom&nbsp;of the decisions made under pressure.

At 3:16, the #25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA left the&nbsp;track at Arnage. The circuit&rsquo;s slowest corner remains one of its most treacherous,&nbsp;further proof that at Le Mans, speed is nothing without control.

In LMGT3, TF Sport&rsquo;s #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R set&nbsp;the pace. Ben Keating, Jonny Edgar, and Nicky Catsburg held the lead ahead of the Heart of Racing team&rsquo;s #27 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 and the two Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F LMGT3s.

However, the pecking order remained vulnerable. The top 15&nbsp;in the class were still on the same lap, a rare closeness that promises a particularly lively second half of the race. At this stage, no one can say for certain which car will cross the finish line first.

<h2>The night always special at the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans</h2>

At the halfway point, the gaps remain surprisingly narrow.&nbsp;During the night, drivers are forced to maintain the same level of concentration as in broad daylight, even as fatigue begins to set in. Every braking manoeuvre and every overtaking move becomes a balancing act.

That is also what makes the 24 Hours of Le Mans so fascinating. The night does not reward only the fastest,&nbsp;it tests human endurance, car reliability&nbsp;and the teams&#39; ability to remain clear-headed no matter the conditions.

Top 5 overall after&nbsp;12 hours of racing:

1. #12 Cadillac V-Series.R of&nbsp;Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; Louis Del&eacute;traz / Will Stevens / Norman Nato - 192 laps 
2. #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 of BMW M Team WRT &ndash; Robin Frijns / Rene Rast / Sheldon van der Linde +15.360s 
3. #8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid of&nbsp;Toyota Racing &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa +20.725s 
4. #38 Cadillac V-Series.R of Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA &ndash; S&eacute;bastien Bourdais / Earl Bamber / Jack Aitken +1:10.191 
5. #7 Toyota TR010 Hybrid of&nbsp;Toyota Racing &ndash; Mike Conway / Kamui Kobayashi / Nyck de Vries +2:06.396

Leaders in the other categories:

<ul>
	<li>LMP2: #30 ORECA&nbsp;07-Gibson of&nbsp;Duqueine Team &ndash; Doriane Pin / Julien Andlauer / Richard Verschoor</li>
	<li>LMGT3: #33 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R of&nbsp;TF Sport &ndash; Ben Keating / Jonny Edgar / Nicky Catsburg</li>
</ul>

Best lap:&nbsp;Earl Bamber (#38 Cadillac V-Series.R of&nbsp;Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA) - 3:26.370 (123rd lap)

Retirements:

<ul>
	<li>#54 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 Evo of Vista AF Corse &ndash; Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon, 00:15, incident</li>
	<li>#61 Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 of Iron Lynx (Martin Berry / Rui Andrade / Maxime Martin), 21:43, right rear&nbsp;suspension failure</li>
	<li>#13 Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R of&nbsp;Thirteen Autosport &ndash; Orey Fidani / Lars Kern / Matthew Bell, 21:43, mechanical troubles</li>
</ul>

12- hour round-up: Cadillac takes the lead; Ferrari 499P hit

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