This year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, after the closed session in 2020, then the sanitary gauge in 2021, the public fully rediscovers the mythical endurance car race for the 90th edition. In his absence, nothing or almost nothing has changed: hegemonic, Toyota has won the last four editions. On the way to the fifth in a row?
Follow the event live
Saturday, June 11, 2022
4:36 p.m.
Kevin Estre warned
French driver Kévin Estre, driving his #92 Porsche 911, was cautioned for going over the circuit limits before pitting a lap ago.
4:33 p.m.
Toyota put under pressure by Glickenhaus?
The Japanese team, which placed its n°8 and n°7 in the lead, is starting to see the Glickenhaus come back at the same pace as it. The first three cars all turn under 3 minutes 30.
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4:30 p.m.
LMP2s in the pits
Almost all the LMP2s returned to the pits after the seventh lap of the race, the cards are temporarily reshuffled behind the Hypercars, which still dominate the race.
4:29 p.m.
One minute “stop and go” penalty for the WRT n°31 after a collision at the start of the race. The car is currently at the bottom of the LMP2 classification.
4:24 p.m.
In GTE-Pro, Corvette seizes its chance
On the other side, in GTE-Pro, it is indeed two Corvettes that dictate the pace at the head of the race: the n°64, driven by Nick Tandy, is ahead of the n°63 of Antonio Garcia. The American car seems in good shape on the Le Mans circuit.
4:20 p.m.
The very good start of the Porsches
There are smiles at Porsche after the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: five cars from the German team are leading in the GTE-Am category for the moment, after more than three laps of racing. Proton’s n°77 leads the dance.
4:18 p.m.
Puncture in GTE-Am
Bad luck for the n°85 Ferrari 488 of Iron Dames, which suffered a puncture in the first laps of the track. For their part, the race marshals are conducting an investigation into the overtaking of the DKR Engineering n°3 and the Ultimate n°35 under yellow flag.
4:13 p.m.
The Toyota 8 is the fastest
Starting at the head of the starting grid, the Toyota n°8 driven by Sébastien Buemi is definitely the fastest on the track! She set the fastest time in the three sectors, with a time of 3’28”923.
4:11 p.m.
Mayhem in LMP2
With the first two exits from the track after the start, the LMP2 category promises to be the tightest! For the moment, it is the Prema Orlen Team of Robert Kubica, the former Formula 1 pilot, which dominates its competitors.
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4:06 p.m.
The Hypercars hold their rank
In the queen class, the Toyotas, who started in the front row, made no mistake on the first lap, with the 8 in front of the 7. Behind the Japanese cars, we find the Glickenhaus 708 and 709 followed by the Alpine driven by Nicolas Lapierre for this first stint.
4:03 p.m.
The United n°22 and the WRT n°41 left the track at the first corners after a whirlwind start! These are already two LMP2s that are off to a very, very bad start.
4:00 p.m.
Let’s go for the 24 Hours of Le Mans! The 90th edition is launched! Follow with us, live and in full, the mythical car race, the famous Sarthe double clock tower!
3:54 p.m.
The drivers and cars took to the track for a flying start scheduled for 4 p.m.! The hour is approaching!
3:50 p.m.
The vibe and pressure are skyrocketing here! A quarter of an hour before the start of the 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the public gives voice around the drivers and the cars, ready to leave for the two rounds of the clock!
3:45 p.m.
“There is always an emotion on the grid. A ceremony that brings into the event. We always have a little stress that rises, it’s normal.”
Pascal Vasselon, technical director of Toyota.
3:43 p.m.
3:34 p.m.
3:30 p.m.
Julien Andlauer, on the Porsche n°79, will start the race at the wheel of his car in GTE-Am for three consecutive stints. He is nevertheless worried about the conditions with a very high temperature this Saturday on the Le Mans circuit.
3:16 p.m.
3:09 p.m.
3:01 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
2:55 p.m.
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2:42 p.m.
2:28 p.m.
Very special vehicles, entirely dedicated to this exceptional endurance race, compete this weekend. The racing cars are classified into three different categories: GTEs, production cars adapted to racing, LMP2s, endurance specialist prototypes, and Hypercars, the premier category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
2:27 p.m.
About an hour and a half from the start, the drivers and the staff begin to meet on the starting grid. The stands, too, are filling up with a returning audience without camera or gauge!
2:15 p.m.
2:03 p.m.
The 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans gets underway this Saturday June 11 for the 90th edition. After a year behind closed doors and another with a gauge, the 62 cars and 186 drivers find a full audience who have come to watch the competition in Hypercar, LMP2, GTE-Pro and GTE-Am.
1:54 p.m.
🏁 Hello everyone! Follow the 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans live and in full, the start of which will be given this Saturday June 11, 2022 at 4 p.m.
12:00 p.m.
Hypercar
LMP2
GTE-Pro
GTE-Am
It is even the rivalry between the two cars of the Japanese manufacturer that has spiced up in recent years, the n°7 of Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and José Maria Lopez ending years of bad luck by winning in 2021. hypercar n°8, whose crew was modified with the arrival two years ago of Brendon Hartley and last year of Ryo Hirakawa to support Sébastien Buemi, took pole on Thursday and therefore sees the opportunity to reconnect with success, after his hat-trick in 2018, 2019 and 2020.
READ ALSO. The starting grid of the race
READ ALSO. The complete program of the 90th edition
Alpine took risks
“We are very happy to have taken pole for the eighth time, which puts Toyota in second position in the history of the race, tied with Audi”rejoiced Pascal Vasselon, director of the Japanese team. “We’re as good as we think we can be. »
Who could compete with them? “We are not going to underestimate any of our opponents”says Vasselon. “Glickenhaus was a little behind in qualifying, it was a surprise, however we know that they are at our level in race conditions. »
Performing well on Wednesday and Thursday during the tests, the Glickenhaus n°708 and n°709 were nevertheless overtaken by the Alpine of Nicolas Lapierre during the Hyperpole. But the French team took risks to gain speed over a lap, which is not a guarantee of performance over the double clock.
“If we wanted to play with them, we had to be aggressive. We optimized everything, which they did not do”admitted Lapierre. “We are four tenths behind while they have gardened a bit during this session. »
Alpine presents itself in any case as the natural rival of Toyota, which it is ahead of in the classification of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) after two races. This unusual delay from the Japanese manufacturer also adds to the challenge on the Sarthe circuit.
READ ALSO. Summary of the Saturday morning warm up
“Survive to be there on Sunday”
But paradoxically, it may be the small American team of New York director James Glickenhaus who could come and titillate the two Toyota vehicles.
The n°708 and the n°709 showed regularity and reliability throughout the week, essential qualities in this race where the slightest mechanical problem can compromise everything.
“I think we have our chance, the car is good, easy to drive and reliable in the long run”blows the boss. “We trust. We build and design cars that last. Surviving may be our chance against the Toyotas to be there Sunday at 4 p.m. »
The n°709 will start from the second row, just next to the Alpine, while the n°708 will be installed on the third row with the Oreca-Gibson of the Belgians of WRT alongside it, fastest in the LMP2 category. during the Hyperpole.
Its main competitor should be another Oreca-Gibson, that of United Autosports, the team of Zak Brown, the boss of McLaren F1, in this category which brings together 27 small prototypes a little slower than the hypercars.
At the bottom rung, the N.64 Corvette will start ahead of the six other LMGTE-Pros (derived from production sports cars) and the AF Corse team’s N.61 Ferrari, with Vincent Abril at the wheel, ahead of the other 22 LGMTE-Am driven in particular by amateurs associated with professionals.