2022 Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates

Alpine had a power boost prior to last Sunday's test day, then another boost prior to Hyperpole on Thursday, before finally a reduction was issued on Friday. It will now be able to run at a maximum power of 417kW, which compares to the 450kW it had at Le Mans last year, the 427kW it had in Hyerpole and 420kW on the test day. The corresponding reduction in energy per stint might mean it’s unable to hit its target of 12-lap stints, which could be a major factor in the race.

The Balance of Performance is never far away from discussion at Le Mans, and this year is no different. Alpine, the third member of the Hypercar contingent, and Ferrari have both had at least one more BoP tweaks than Derby County managed wins in their fabled 2007-08 Premier League season. Let’s dig into that.

Just how realistic is a non Toyota winner? Well, Glickenhaus is now a much better-proven outfit than the one entering only its third WEC race at Le Mans last year. Its car boasts improved ergonomics, while the Podium Advanced Technologies team that runs them is more strategically astute. Moreover, Toyota can only deploy power from its front axle when it reaches 190km/h this year, which should level the playing field considerably compared to last year (when it could do so from 120km/h in the dry and 150km/h in the wet). As Gary has written for his preview feature, it's not a foregone conclusion: https://www.autosport.com/le-mans/news/why-a-fifth-toyota-win-at-le-mans-is-far-from-a-certainty-in-2022/10317788/ 

But boutique American manufacturer Glickenhaus believes it has a realistic shot of becoming the first garagiste effort to win the 24 Hours since 1980. Jim Glickenhaus believes his two Glickenhaus 007 LMH cars are a match for the Toyotas over a double-stint, and says it didn’t prioritise qualifying to the same extent as the Japanese marque. Here’s the full story: https://www.autosport.com/le-mans/news/glickenhaus-confident-of-matching-toyota-pace-in-le-mans-24-hours/10320243/

Toyota Gazoo Racing is gunning for its fifth consecutive victory, which would level the run of wins scored by Audi Sport Team Joest between 2010 and 2014.  Sebastien Buemi, in the #8 car, is aiming for a fourth win at Le Mans that would put him in hallowed company with Henri Pescarolo, Yannick Dalmas and Olivier Gendebien.

There has been no shortage of talking points in the build-up to this third round of the World Endurance Championship, despite the five-car Hypercar field remaining unchanged from last year’s edition (won by Toyota). We’ll do our best to cover them over the next half an hour before the race starts. There’s no Peugeot, remember – we’ll get our first glimpse of the new 9X8 Le Mans Hypercar in the next WEC round at Monza in July.

Hello and welcome to Autosport’s live coverage of the 2022 Le Mans 24 Hours. We’ll be here throughout the next 24 hours and beyond with our team of journalists bringing you all the updates from the 90^th edition of the world’s most famous endurance race as it happens. The race is just over half an hour away, with the cars lined up on the grid for pre-race ceremonies. James Newbold is at the wheel for the first stint, here goes!