The 24 Hours of Le Mans began in 1923, but qualifying and pole positions have only been on the agenda here since 1963. Before then, the cars were placed on the grid according to engine displacement, from the largest to the smallest.

Mexican Pedro Rodríguez in a Ferrari thus became the first driver to earn pole position in Le Mans history. In the 1970s, Matra not only won three consecutive editions of the race in 1972, 1973 and 1974, it also became the first French manufacturer to claim pole position at the 24 Hours, through François Cevert in 1972.

Jacky Ickx and Stéphane Sarrazin, three on the bounce – Six-time winner Jacky Ickx added a further achievement to his legendary track record when he became the first driver to record three consecutive pole positions at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in a Porsche 936/81 and then a 956. This record was equalled a quarter of a century later by Frenchman Stéphane Sarrazin, with the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP. But whereas Ickx converted his three straight pole positions into two wins (1981 and 1982) and a second place (1983), Sarrazin is still in pursuit of his first Le Mans triumph, despite finishing five times on the podium. “Pole position is a matter of patience because you have to set off at the right time,” he says. “We go out with little fuel for one lap, and you have to get it spot-on. It’s great to start the race from pole position but, ultimately, it’s Le Mans that decides if you win or not, because you need some luck too. I don’t think I’ve lost my velocity since my three consecutive pole positions with Peugeot. Maybe I’m more cautious during the race.”

1990 and 2014, two Japanese firsts – Nissan was the first Japanese manufacturer to set the fastest lap time in qualifying through British driver Mark Blundell in 1990. However, no Japanese driver topped the qualifying timesheets until 2014 when Kazuki Nakajima clinched pole position, and what’s more in a Japanese car – the Toyota TS040 HYBRID.  “Actually, I was not that excited by the fact of taking pole,” Nakajima recalls, “but I was quite surprised by the reaction, since it came out as very big news in Japan.  I don’t remember how it was at the wheel during my lap for the pole, but it was a great achievement and I was happy with that.  Pole makes big headlines and it is nice to start ahead, but you don’t have to compromise too much your chance in qualifying, since the most important is the pace for the race.”

With Toyota’s three cars clocking the fastest times on Test Day, let’s leave the final word on the subject to Sarrazin, who has driven for the Japanese manufacturer since 2012: “I think this year’s pole time will be around 3:16 or 3:15.8”. We’ll see if his prediction was accurate when the second qualifying session delivers its verdict at midnight.

Note that since the World Endurance Championship was created in 2012, the fastest qualifier has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times: André Lotterer (2012), Loïc Duval (2013) and Neel Jani (2016).

 

Read other stories of poles from the past at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

 

Photo: After three consecutive pole positions, four runner-up spots and one third place, Stéphane Sarrazin has his eyes set on the top step of the Le Mans podium.