Cadillac have locked out the front row of the grid for the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours, the fourth round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). Alex Lynn produced a sensational lap of 3m23.166s behind the wheel of the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series while Kiwi driver Earl Bamber put the #38 V-Series.R alongside the sister car in second on the grid.
Despite a strong lap from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s Brendon Hartley to reach Thursday’s pole position shoot-out, Hyperpole ended in disappointment due to a puncture for Sébastien Buemi which leaves the #8 GR010 HYBRID they share with Ryo Hirakawa 10th on the grid. After qualifying frustration on Wednesday, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries will line up in 16th in their #7 GR010 HYBRID when the race begins at 4pm on Saturday.
“I was really happy with my lap in Hyperpole 1; it felt great,” commented Hartley. “It always puts a smile on my face to drive flat-out round here, maximum attack with low fuel and new tyres.
“The car felt okay, and I feel like I got the most of performance out of it. We didn’t have ultimate performance over one lap which, in a way, is a result of our strategy because we have focused on race pace. Free practice has been encouraging in terms of race pace so we will focus on maximising our package for the weekend now.”
The final day of practice featured two free practice sessions alongside Hyperpole, which determined the starting positions for the top 15 Hypercars. For TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, the focus was firmly on optimising the GR010 HYBRIDs in race trim, to maximise its chances of a fighting for victory.
Third practice started on a warm, dry afternoon, providing ideal conditions for tyre comparisons. With a 24-hour race ahead, getting the maximum from the tyres is a key factor so the #8 car tried different Michelin compounds, while the #7 analysed mechanical set-ups during the three-hour session. A red flag midway through cost 15 minutes of an otherwise trouble-free and productive session for the team.
At 9.05pm, 15 Hypercars – including the #8 GR010 HYBRID – contested Hyperpole 1 for the 10 places in Hyperpole 2, which decided the leading grid positions. On new medium tyres, Brendon set the best time so far for a GR010 HYBRID at Le Mans with his final lap and progressed in sixth. A new format requires a different driver to take part in each Hyperpole session, so Sébastien took over for Hyperpole 2. However, he suffered a trip through the gravel at Mulsanne corner and was forced to return slowly to the pits with a puncture as time slipped away, leaving him no chance of another flying lap.
The final hour of practice took place in darkness from 11pm and provided a final opportunity to fine-tune the cars, as well as their LED headlights in night conditions, and the team completed a trouble-free hour. The next time the cars hit the track will be for a short warm-up at midday on Saturday, prior to the race start at 4pm.
Although there is no track activity for the Hypercars on Friday, the team and drivers have a packed schedule of preparing and checking the cars, defining race strategies and practicing procedures. In addition, when both car crews will meet the fans riding in hydrogen fuel cell Hilux Prototype pick-ups during the traditional drivers parade in the city centre on Friday afternoon.
Le Mans 24 Hours – Free Practice 3
1st #5 Porsche Penske (Andlauer/Christensen/Jaminet) 3mins 24.717secs 33 laps
2nd #38 Cadillac Team JOTA (Bamber/Bourdais/Button) +0.816secs 41 laps
3rd #12 Cadillac Team JOTA (Stevens/Nato/Lynn) +0.892secs 40 laps
4th #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +0.988secs 44 laps
5th #83 AF Corse (Kubica/Ye/Hanson) +1.605secs 29 laps
6th #20 BMW M Team WRT (Rast/Frijns/Van der Linde) +1.650secs 32 laps
11th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.639secs 42 laps
14th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +3.024secs 45 laps
Le Mans 24 Hours – Hyperpole 1
1st #311 Cadillac Whelan (Aitken/Drugovich/Vesti) 3mins 22.742secs
2nd #38 Cadillac Team JOTA (Bamber/Bourdais/Button) +0.399secs
3rd #20 BMW M Team WRT (Rast/Frijns/Van der Linde) +0.508secs
4th #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Nielsen/Molina) +0.531secs
5th #36 Alpine Endurance Team (Schumacher/Makowiecki/Gounon)+0.720secs
6th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.804secs
Le Mans 24 Hours – Hyperpole 2
1st #12 Cadillac Team JOTA (Stevens/Nato/Lynn) 3mins 23.166secs
2nd #38 Cadillac Team JOTA (Bamber/Bourdais/Button) +0.167secs
3rd #5 Porsche Penske (Andlauer/Christensen/Jaminet) +0.309secs
4th #15 BMW M Team WRT (Vanthoor/Magnussen/Marciello)+0.493secs
5th #4 Porsche Penske (Nasr/Tandy/Wehrlein) +0.817secs
6th #20 BMW M Team WRT (Rast/Frijns/Van der Linde) +0.843secs
10th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing No time
Le Mans 24 Hours – Free Practice 4
1st #83 AF Corse (Kubica/Ye/Hanson) 3mins 26.523secs 10 laps
2nd #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Nielsen/Molina) +0.933secs 12 laps
3rd #311 Cadillac Whelan (Aitken/Drugovich/Vesti) +1.257secs 12 laps
4th #38 Cadillac Team JOTA (Bamber/Bourdais/Button) +1.370secs 12 laps
5th #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Vanthoor/Campbell) +1.396secs 15 laps
6th #12 Cadillac Team JOTA (Stevens/Nato/Lynn) +1.468secs 10 laps
9th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.809secs 14 laps
12th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.156secs 15 laps
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