24h Le Mans
Three Hypercar headliners followed one another today in the Le Mans city centre for the second and final day of the administrative and technical checks. The cheering crowd caught glimpses of the Porsche 963, Ferrari 499P and Toyota GR010, as well as several LMGT3s.
The second day of Scrutineering kicked off with a bang with Porsche Penske Motorsport's three official Porsche 963s. All eyes were on the German Hypercars after they won both the Rolex 24 at Daytona (IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship) and Qatar 1812 km (FIA WEC). Three-time Le Mans winner and #6 driver André Lotterer: We've made a great deal of progress. Last year, we weren't at the level we wanted. We've made changes within the team. The car is more comfortable to drive and we have good momentum.
Teammate Kévin Estre: We're leading the championship, so maybe that puts extra pressure on our opponents. The car has been reliable since the beginning of the season and is capable of winning the race.
Ferrari AF Corse's official Ferrari 499Ps then arrived on the scene. Last year's Hyperpole-sitter, the #50, and particularly the #51 winner of the 24 Hours Centenary submitted to their respective inspections by the technical stewards. The Italian marque has yet to win a race this season, but the team isn't giving in to panic just yet. The latter's driver, Antonio Giovinazzi: It's not a handicap because the situation was the same last year. The beginning of the season did not meet our expectations, but that just motivates us more than anything. The #50 drivers intend to take revenge on the #51 crew. Miguel Molina: The race was intense last year and I think there's even more competition this year. It will be more challenging. We will need to be flawless the entire time and make zero mistakes.
On to TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's #7 and #8 Toyota GR010 Hybrids in their sleek new black liveries. Official 24 Hours of Le Mans speaker Bruno Vandestick took a moment to interview four-time winner and #8 driver Sébastien Buemi: We were not as successful early this season as we were in 2023. We've tried to learn from previous problems and come back stronger. We want to run a better race and be faster. In terms of pace, we are a rung below Porsche and Ferrari, but we hope to turn that around. We know our car well and have a good base that we can improve on.
Several LMGT3s were also checked, including Akkodis ASP Team's Lexus RC F LMGT3s, the Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3s and the Ferrari 296 LMGT3s entered by Vista AF Corse, JMW Motorsport, GR Racing and Spirit of Race. The youngest driver in the 92nd 24 Hours is a member of the latter's team, namely Conrad Laursen. The 18-year-old is gearing up for his rookie start along with his father Johnny and Jordan Taylor. Conrad Laursen: It is a dream to participate in this race, especially with my dad. Ferrari AF Corse driver Nicklas Nielsen has been my coach since my early days in karting. My goal is to win, but a podium would be incredible.
Now that the administrative and technical checks have been executed for all 62 cars, the action on the track can get underway at Test Day tomorrow. The cars will take advantage of six hours of track time with the first session from 10:00 to 13:00, followed by the second session from 15:30 to 18:30.
The Ligier European Series support race will also be held tomorrow. Free practice is scheduled from 08:00 to 08:45, qualifying from 09:15 to 09:35 and the race from 14:00 to 15:00.
All times are local (GMT+2).
Please enjoy this photo gallery of the second day of Scrutineering below.
