Le Mans: Alpine stun Cadillac and Ferrari as Habsburg tops Hyperpole qualifying

Habsburg topping Hyperpole Qualifying and sending the French manufacturer into Thursday's knockout sessions with momentum firmly on its side.

In front of an expectant home crowd, Habsburg produced a stunning 3:23.135 lap in the closing moments of the session, eclipsing the 2025 pole benchmark and edging Cadillac's Louis Delétraz, who had only moments earlier looked set to claim top spot for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA.

The result was a major statement from Alpine as the A424 prepares for its final Le Mans appearance before the programme's next chapter. The French marque placed both cars into Hyperpole, with the #36 entry also progressing comfortably.

The opening phase of Hypercar qualifying evolved into a dramatic shootout as the pace intensified in the final minutes.

Tom Gamble initially put Aston Martin on top with a 3:24.163 aboard the #007 Valkyrie, before a tightly packed group featuring Cadillac, BMW, Alpine and Toyota closed in.

As track conditions improved, lap times tumbled below the 3:24 barrier. Aston Martin briefly returned to the top before BMW and Alpine exchanged fastest laps.

The #101 Cadillac WTR entry then appeared to seize control with a 3:23.323, only for Delétraz to go even faster in the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA machine. Seconds later Habsburg delivered the lap that mattered.

Behind Alpine, Cadillac placed all three of its entries into Hyperpole, while BMW advanced both M Hybrid V8s. Aston Martin enjoyed one of its strongest qualifying performances of the season with both Valkyries progressing.

Toyota also secured both GR010 Hybrids a place in the next stage, while Genesis celebrated a major milestone as both GMR-001 Hypercars reached Hyperpole on the manufacturer's Le Mans debut.

While Alpine celebrated, Ferrari endured a bruising evening.

The biggest casualty was the reigning-winning #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P. Despite Philip Hanson's efforts, the yellow Ferrari failed to make the cut and was eliminated before Hyperpole.

Factory Ferraris #50 and #51 scraped through but only in 14th and 15th positions, leaving work to do if the Italian marque is to challenge for pole.

There was also disappointment for Peugeot. The French manufacturer's pair of 9X8 Hypercars could manage only 16th and 18th, leaving both entries eliminated on home soil.

Earlier in the evening, Doriane Pin produced another standout performance in LMP2.

The young French driver traded fastest laps with Ian Aguilera throughout the session before securing top spot in the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca with a best lap of 3:34.662.

Aguilera's #37 Cool Racing machine finished close behind after a spirited duel, while Bijoy Garg placed the #343 Inter Europol Competition car third.

The session saw fierce competition throughout the class, with only fractions separating many of the contenders.

Among those missing out were the #44 Proton Competition, #25 Algarve Pro Racing, #48 RD Limited and #3 DKR Engineering entries.

LMGT3 delivered perhaps the closest battle of the evening. Seven different manufacturers occupied the top seven positions, underlining the remarkable competitiveness of the category.

Peter Dempsey led the way in the #34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Corvette, holding off challenges from Ford, Aston Martin, Porsche, BMW, Ferrari and Lexus.

Eric Powell put the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang second, while Gray Newell secured third for Heart of Racing's Aston Martin.

The biggest shock came when the #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes failed to advance despite showing strong pace earlier in the day. Abdulla Al-Khelaifi missed the cut by less than a tenth of a second.

Also eliminated were the #10 Garage 59, #33 TF Sport, #79 Iron Lynx, #150 Richard Mille AF Corse, #57 Kessel Racing and #59 Racing Spirit of Léman entries.

With qualifying complete, attention now turns to Thursday's Hyperpole sessions where Alpine will attempt to convert its surprise pace into a historic pole position at the Circuit de la Sarthe.