94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans: Let the high-speed games begin!
Le Mans, WEC & DTMSaturday, 13 June 2026 at 07:30
BMW will start the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from pole position for the first time in the manufacturer's history on Saturday, but a remarkably competitive week suggests the world's most famous endurance race is too close to call.
Five different Hypercar manufacturers topped at least one session during the build-up, underlining the depth of competition in the premier class as BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Toyota, Alpine, Aston Martin and Genesis all showed race-winning potential.
Dries Vanthoor secured pole for BMW with a record-breaking 3:22.564 lap in Hyperpole, eclipsing the previous Hypercar benchmark and delivering a landmark moment for the German marque.
"I'm delighted to be on pole position at Le Mans," Vanthoor said. "It's great to be out front and to give the team what they deserve. But our aim remains to win the race. We're going to have to run clean for 24 hours to be in with a chance on Sunday."
BMW's pace has been building throughout the season following its Spa-Francorchamps success, but the statistics offer only limited comfort. Just 13 of the last 63 Le Mans winners started from pole position.
Cadillac may have missed pole, but the American manufacturer leaves Hyperpole with plenty of confidence after placing three cars in the top 10.
What about Ferrari, Toyota and Cadillac
The #38 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac briefly looked set to claim top spot before Jack Aitken's fastest lap was deleted for entering the pit lane prematurely. Despite starting 10th, Cadillac's consistency across varying conditions has marked it as one of the favourites.
"Unfortunately, the lap was cancelled due to a procedure error," Aitken said. "It still shows that we have fantastic pace, because we clocked the best time and the third best time, and that all three Cadillacs qualified for Hyperpole 2.
"Even if we don't start in pole position, we're still going to fight hard all weekend. We've proved what we can do. The car seemed really, really good."
While BMW and Cadillac grabbed the headlines, Ferrari and Toyota have quietly gone about their preparations.
Defending champion Ferrari starts further back than expected, with the #83 only 17th, while Toyota's two cars line up 14th and 15th. Yet both manufacturers possess unrivalled Le Mans pedigree, having shared the last eight victories between them.
Their relatively modest grid positions do little to diminish expectations over a 24-hour contest where tyre management, strategy and reliability often outweigh outright pace.
Alpine and Genesis emerge as dark horses
French hopes rest heavily on Alpine, which has displayed impressive consistency all week and will start third. The manufacturer topped qualifying and remained firmly in contention throughout practice, building on the experience gained since joining the Hypercar category.
Genesis, meanwhile, has become one of the stories of the week. In its Le Mans debut, both GMR-001 entries reached Hyperpole 2, with the #19 starting sixth and the #17 ninth.
Youngster Mathys Jaubert delivered one of the standout performances despite suffering a dashboard display failure during his fastest lap.
Aston Martin, dominant on Test Day, faded slightly as rivals improved but still starts from seventh and 11th, leaving the British manufacturer firmly in contention.
LMP2 and LMGT3 equally unpredictable
This is IT! Hyperpole for the @24hoursoflemans is GREEN!! 🟢
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 11, 2026
Who will put practice into performance to secure pole?
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The LMP2 category appears just as competitive, with barely two seconds separating the top 10 qualifiers.
IDEC Sport claimed pole after Forestier Racing by Panis driver Esteban Masson lost his fastest lap through a penalty. Experience could prove decisive, with former winners Inter Europol Competition lurking in fourth despite a quiet week.
Several Pro/Am entries also impressed in qualifying, although history suggests success over 24 hours often depends on the performance of the least experienced drivers.
LMGT3 may be the most unpredictable class of all.
Six different manufacturers topped sessions during the week, with Aston Martin's Mattia Drudi ultimately securing pole in record-breaking fashion for Heart of Racing.
Nine manufacturers remain genuine contenders, while Porsche arrives seeking a third consecutive LMGT3 victory after winning both editions of the category since its introduction in 2024.
If the build-up has revealed anything, it is that no single manufacturer enters the race as a clear favourite. The sprint for pole position is over. The real challenge begins when the clock starts counting down 24 hours at 1600 CET on Saturday.
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