Yesterday’s qualifications cast a cloud of uncertainty over the paddock, as the results defied most predictions for the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole stakeholders. Text: Luca W. © Images: © 24hlemans
Few would have bet on BMW claiming the top spot in qualifications or one of the Alpines making it to the Hyperpole (I did, YES!). Despite the short qualification duration, there’s always that unexpected twist that makes the outcome less about pure performance and more about a dice game.
Shortened qualifying
This edition of the Hyperpole was highly anticipated for its potential to surprise, particularly with newcomers from qualifying. How did they manage it? Cadillac and BMW held provisional top spots, but both #7 and #8 Toyotas – that were on extremely fast laps – were likely to displace BMW and Cadillac from the top positions. However, Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota lost control after hitting a curb at the Porsche curves, triggering a red flag. With less than 3 minutes remaining in the session, the standings were frozen as they were.
Later, race direction stated that all lap times for the #7 Toyota were canceled (FIA ISC Art. 12.3.4 and 24h supp. regs. Art. 7.4.6), relegating it to the back of the hypercar field, and allowing the #12 Jota Porsche 963 to join the fight in the Hyperpole. Unfortunately, the #12 Jota Porsche crashed in the third practice session after qualifying, destroying its chassis and compromising its participation in the Hyperpole.
The 30 most intense minutes
In the Hyperpole session, the best 24 cars out of 62 are taking the ultimate fight for the top spot for the race for 30 minutes only. Truly emphasizing the quest for performance, with only one designated driver (Bronze in LMGT3), individual talent is highlighted.
Practically speaking, the Hyperpole session secures a top position on the grid. This is vital because, with 23 other hypercars approaching the first corner at the start of the race, jostling for position will be intense. Starting at the front helps to minimize the risk of potential contacts and sets the stage for a strong start in the 24 hour long race.
Minute -1
23 cars out of 24 are preparing for maximum performance, in this uncertain weather, #12 Jota’s Porsche 963 being in the garage for a chassis change.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole starts: Minute 0 to 10
The Hyperpole session faced a 35-minute delay due to a crash in the Road to Le Mans race. Once the session began, the first 10 minutes were crucial for teams to familiarize themselves with the track, which was constantly evolving with temperature drops, and to select the appropriate tire. After the Spa 6 Hours race, where Hyperpole lap times were slower than qualifying, Michelin and the teams requested that the FIA and ACO allow them to choose between medium and soft compounds. The soft compound, which performs better in lower temperatures, should be more relevant in these conditions. Allowing teams to stick to two tire options instead of one adds a strategic element to the competition.
The #15 BMW set the initial pace with a lap time of 3:26.701. This was soon surpassed by the two Ferraris, with the #51 clocking in at 3:26.142 and Antonio Fuoco’s #50 trailing by just 0.353 seconds.
Minute 10 to 20
Antonio Fuoco, renowned for his one-lap pace, improved his time to take the lead with a stunning 3:25.598. However, local Sarthe driver Sébastien Bourdais in the #3 Cadillac quickly responded by setting the fastest lap at 3:25.294. Not stopping there, the French driver confidently pushed further, improving by an impressive 0.522 seconds to achieve a 3:24.816.
This remarkable lap time on medium tires clearly set the benchmark for the other hypercars, forcing them to push even harder. Notably, only the #35 Alpine opted for soft tires, diverging from the rest of the field’s strategy.
In LMP2, the #14 AO by TF leads the pack with a comfortable margin of 0.779 seconds. In LMGT3, the #70 Inception Racing car, already holding the top spot, spun while improving its lap by a significant margin. Fortunately, there were no major consequences.
24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole: Minute 20 to 30
Despite drivers currently lapping 2 seconds slower than last year’s times, indicating they may have some reserves, the situation took a dramatic turn: Dries Vanthoor crashed into the barriers at the Arnage curve, triggering a red flag. With 7:41 minutes left on the clock, the session turned into a one-lap challenge. The #15 BMW, unable to rejoin the session due to causing the red flag, had all its laps canceled.
When the session restarted, drivers were visibly impatient, with only 7 minutes left to clock the fastest lap at Circuit de la Sarthe. The urgency was palpable as everyone pushed to their limits.
Despite the fierce competition, Sébastien Bourdais’ impressive lap time remained unbeaten for most of the session. Alex Lynn managed to top Bourdais by a mere 46 milliseconds, but the lead was short-lived. The Porsche French driver Kévin Estre then delivered an incredible lap time of 3:24.634, securing the top spot and concluding an exhilarating 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole edition.
Note that the #2 Cadillac driven by Alex Lynn has a five-place grid penalty for Sunday’s race. This penalty stems from causing a significant crash during the 6 Hours of Spa, five weeks ago.
Pole sitters in each category are:
- Hypercar: #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Porsche 963
- LMP2: #14 AO by TF – Oreca 07
- LMGT3: #70 Inception Racing – McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
The 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole results
| POS | # | CLASS | TEAM | DRIVER | CAR | BEST | GAPS | SPD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 6 | Hypercar H | PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT | ESTRE Kévin |  | 3:24.634 | – | 329.82 |
| 2 | 2 | Hypercar H | CADILLAC RACING | LYNN Alex |  | 3:24.782 | 0.148 | 326.83 |
| 3 | 3 | Hypercar H | CADILLAC RACING | BOURDAIS Sébastien |  | 3:24.816 | 0.182 | 329.82 |
| 4 | 51 | Hypercar H | FERRARI AF CORSE | PIER GUIDI Alessandro |  | 3:25.156 | 0.522 | 333.89 |
| 5 | 50 | Hypercar H | FERRARI AF CORSE | FUOCO Antonio |  | 3:25.598 | 0.964 | 333.89 |
| 6 | 35 | Hypercar H | ALPINE ENDURANCE TEAM | CHATIN Paul-Loup |  | 3:25.713 | 1.079 | 338.06 |
| 7 | 14 | LM P2 P/A | AO BY TF | DELÉTRAZ Louis |  | 3:33.217 | 8.583 | 316.32 |
| 8 | 28 | LM P2 | IDEC SPORT | VAN UITERT Job |  | 3:33.827 | 9.193 | 316.32 |
| 9 | 65 | LM P2 P/A | PANIS RACING | BECHE Mathias |  | 3:34.053 | 9.419 | 316.32 |
| 10 | 23 | LM P2 P/A | UNITED AUTOSPORTS USA | HANLEY Benjamin |  | 3:34.221 | 9.587 | 318.18 |
| 11 | 22 | LM P2 | UNITED AUTOSPORTS | JARVIS Oliver |  | 3:34.270 | 9.636 | 316.32 |
| 12 | 37 | LM P2 | COOL RACING | JAKOBSEN Malthe |  | 3:34.773 | 10.139 | 314.48 |
| 13 | 33 | LM P2 P/A | DKR ENGINEERING | HÖRR Laurents |  | 3:35.699 | 11.065 | 315.39 |
| 14 | 10 | LM P2 | VECTOR SPORT | PILET Patrick |  | 3:35.855 | 11.221 | 316.32 |
| 15 | 70 | LMGT3 | INCEPTION RACING | IRIBE Brendan |  | 3:58.120 | 33.486 | 285.44 |
| 16 | 92 | LMGT3 | MANTHEY PURERXCING | MALYKHIN Aliaksandr |  | 3:58.928 | 34.294 | 287.71 |
| 17 | 66 | LMGT3 | JMW MOTORSPORT | PETROBELLI Giacomo |  | 3:58.938 | 34.304 | 280.99 |
| 18 | 77 | LMGT3 | PROTON COMPETITION | HARDWICK Ryan |  | 3:59.443 | 34.809 | 283.94 |
| 19 | 27 | LMGT3 | HEART OF RACING TEAM | JAMES Ian |  | 3:59.655 | 35.021 | 278.10 |
| 20 | 777 | LMGT3 | D’STATION RACING | HOSHINO Satoshi |  | 4:02.787 | 38.153 | 278.81 |
| 21 | 82 | LMGT3 | TF SPORT | KOIZUMI Hiroshi |  | 4:03.681 | 39.047 | 280.99 |
| 22 | 60 | LMGT3 | IRON LYNX | SCHIAVONI Claudio |  | 4:06.495 | 41.861 | 280.26 |
| 23 | 12 | Hypercar H | HERTZ TEAM JOTA | STEVENS Will |  | – | 0.000 | – |
| 24 | 15 | Hypercar H | BMW M TEAM WRT | VANTHOOR Dries |  | 3:26.701 | 1.885 | 328.81 |