24 Hours of Le Mans Update: Ferrari Leads as Night Falls
As the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans enters its final eight hours, the #51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, driven by James Calado, holds a narrow two-second lead over the second-placed #83 AF Corse Ferrari of Philip Hanson. The competitiveness of the Hypercar class remains intense, with the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R of Will Stevens currently in third, poised to move up following Stevens’ upcoming pit stop.
The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, driven by Laurens Vanthoor, is on a different pit strategy and is expected to ascend to third position once Stevens exits the pits.
In the LMP2 category, the #43 ORECA 07-Gibson from Inter Europol Competition, piloted by Tom Dillmann, is leading by over 20 seconds ahead of Franck Perera in the #48 VDS Panis Racing car. The #28 IDEC Sport entry, the only survivor after the retirement of the #18, occupies third place, with the #199 AO by TF ORECA leading the LMP2 Pro/Am classification.
In the GT classes, the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche driven by Richard Lietz leads LMGT3 significantly. Behind him, Francois Heriau in the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari and Tom van Rompuy in the #81 TF Sport Corvette battle for second and third positions, respectively.
Looking ahead, a potential shake-up looms as 16 cars, including the leading Ferraris and the LMGT3 leader, are under investigation for speeding in a yellow flag zone, following an incident involving the #85 Iron Dames Porsche.
Further compounding issues for the invited IMSA team, the #311 Whelen Cadillac has made an unscheduled visit to the garage for a precautionary brake change, highlighting a challenging race day for the squad.
As the race progresses, the stakes are high, and every minute counts in this prestigious endurance event.
