Le Mans 24 Hours Qualifying Recap: Lynn Leads in Dramatic Session
In a scorching lead-up to the 93rd Le Mans 24 Hours, Alex Lynn secured the fastest time in the first qualifying session, clocking a 3:22.847 in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R. This performance edged out Dries Vanthoor, who achieved a 3:22.887 in the #15 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, for pole position in the upcoming Hyperpole.
“It was lovely! The car was great. Honestly, no complaints,” Lynn commented. He maintained that no setup changes were made between runs, emphasizing a strong start for his team.
Following Lynn and Vanthoor, the top five included Antonio Giovinazzi (#51 Ferrari AF Corse 499P) in third, and last year’s pole-sitter Kevin Estre (#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963) in fourth. The final spot in the top six was claimed by Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 JOTA Cadillac, with 2024 winner Antonio Fuoco in the #50 AF Corse Ferrari rounding out the group.
Notably absent from the top ranks was the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010, driven by Nyck de Vries, which finished 17th, 2.2 seconds off the leading pace. De Vries expressed his frustration upon exiting the car, highlighting a disappointing performance for the team.
Several teams faced elimination, including both Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyries and two Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8s. The session was marked by high tension as Marco Sorensen’s #009 Aston Martin was on pace for Hyperpole before being knocked out by Felipe Nasr’s last-minute improvement in the #4 Penske Porsche.
The following teams advanced to Hyperpole: #5 Penske Porsche, #20 WRT BMW, #311 Whelen Cadillac, #8 Toyota GR010, #83 AF Corse Ferrari, #101 WTR Cadillac, along with the Alpine Hypercar Team A424s, driven by Mick Schumacher and Paul-Loup Chatin.
In the LMP2 and LMGT3 categories, the #199 AO by TF ORECA 07-Gibson and the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 led the way, respectively. However, the session was marred by interruptions, including a loss of fuel pressure for the #60 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG.
Louis Deletraz set a commanding pace in LMP2 with a lap of 3:35.472, putting him two-tenths ahead of Ben Hanley. Notably, three-time Le Mans champion Andre Lotterer finished 14th in the #18 IDEC Sport car, citing issues with straight-line speed and traffic interference during his qualifying run.
LMGT3 qualifying saw Ahmad Al Harthy provisionally lead in the #46 WRT BMW, with several high-profile teams, including Vista AF Corse and United Autosports, securing spots for Hyperpole.
Tomorrow’s Hyperpole Qualifying begins at 8:00 PM CET, with further track action scheduled during Free Practice 2 from 10:00 PM to midnight CET.
