Le Mans 24-Hour Race Update: AF Corse Leads as Tensions Mount
As the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans enters its final hours, the AF Corse team continues to showcase dominance, with the #51 Ferrari 499P holding a lead of seven seconds over its stablemate, the #83 Ferrari driven by Robert Kubica. Despite Kubica’s request for an on-track position swap, team strategy kept the #51 in front, maintaining Ferrari’s hopes for a historic hat trick.
Following the latest round of pit stops, Kubica’s progress was hindered by traffic, but he remains comfortably ahead of the #50 Ferrari by 34 seconds. The top three positions have been secured by Ferraris since sunrise, with Antonio Fuoco at the wheel of the #50.
The battle for the subsequent positions sees Porsche and Toyota trying to close the gap. The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 lies in fourth place, 13 seconds behind the #50, while the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 HYBRID is fifth, 40 seconds adrift from the Porsche. The #15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 and the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R round out the top seven.
Overall, ten cars remain on the lead lap, including the #7 Toyota GR010 and the #5 Penske Porsche. Remarkably, 52 out of 62 starters are still competing, with only two retirements in the Hypercar class.
In LMP2, Inter Europol Competition is on the brink of securing its second win in three years with the #43 ORECA 07-Gibson. Nick Yelloly has retaken the lead from a previous pit lane error and holds a 20-second advantage over the #48 VDS Panis Racing vehicle, while the #199 AO by TF ORECA sits third, leading in the Pro/Am category.
Meanwhile, Richard Lietz is poised for his sixth career GT class victory in the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 LMGT3 R, maintaining over a minute lead over the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296. The #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette trails in third.
As strategies unfold and the clock inches towards the finish, the final six hours promise additional drama and excitement. All eyes remain on the track as teams and drivers push to clinch victory in this iconic endurance event.
