A new qualifying format for the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans

At the finish of the last 24 Hours of Le Mans there were nine cars in the same lap. Nine! That fact proves the importance of starting the race among the leaders.

This year, to offer competitors and spectators an ever more spectacular race experience, the qualifying sessions have been reviewed.

On Wednesday 11 June, LMP2 and LMGT3 teams take to the track for the 30-minute qualifying session. The top 12 will go through to the Hyperpole session the following day, which decides the top slots on the starting grid. The Hypercar session will take place shortly afterwards. The top 15 prototypes go through to Hyperpole.

On Thursday 12 June there will be two Hyperpole sessions (H1 and H2). The 24 LMGT3 and LMP2s qualified for Hyperpole take to the track for a 20-minute battle (H1). Then the top eight in each class go through to H2 (15 minutes), which determines the starting grid.

The Hypercars follow a similar format. The 15 qualified prototypes compete in H1 to decide which 10 go through to H2. Then comes an epic 15-minute showdown to determine who will start the race in the best position on Saturday. 

On the other news, the Scrutineering sessions held at Place de la République in Le Mans on Friday 6 and Saturday 7 June are free to attend. These sessions kick off the countdown to the race. The administrative and technical checks involve the 62 cars and the 186 drivers entered for the endurance marathon.  Track action begins on Sunday 8 June. The whole field takes part in Test Day, when teams experiment their settings and rookie drivers get their first taste of the taxing circuit, recently voted France’s favourite monument. As well as these two sessions, spectators can cheer on the Ligier European Series competitors in the Le Mans round on the same day.  

SPECTATOR-FRIENDLY SUPPORT RACES

Hear that sound? We’re sure you recognise the growl of a Ford Mustang V8 engine. The LMGT3’s little sisters will be at Le Mans for the first time, in the Mustang Challenge. All Mustang Challenge entrants and qualified owners of a Ford Mustang Dark Horse R are invited to compete. Join us on Wednesday for two Free Practice sessions and on Thursday for Qualifying. The races take place on Friday and Saturday.

The Porsche Sprint Challenge is a major fixture of endurance. Fans enjoy the familiar roar of the famous flat 6 engines. Free Practice for this series is scheduled for Wednesday 11 June, Qualifying on Thursday 12 June, with the two races on Thursday and Friday. Finally, Road to Le Mans will pit LMP3 and GT3 prototypes against each other during the two races on Thursday and Saturday. Prior to the races, the competitors, who numbered 58 last year, will have the opportunity to test the course on Wednesday 11 and Thursday 12 June during Free Practice and Qualifying.