Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.
The eagerly-anticipated centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is the first in which cars built to the new-for-2023 LMDh ruleset have been eligible to compete.
Toyota is seeking a sixth consecutive victory at the world's most famous endurance race, while Ferrari on its first factory effort in the top class in half a century and fellow returnee Porsche are gunning for their 10th and 20th victories respectively.
A field of 62 cars, including the Garage 56 NASCAR entry and 21 GTE Am machines on the category's Le Mans swansong, will take the start at the Circuit de la Sarthe at 4pm local time and race through the night.
Join us here for live updates throughout the race.
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Good afternoon everybody and welcome to our live text updates from the big one. The centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours is finally almost upon us, and we'll be with you for every step of the way for the next 25 hours or so.
We're just over an hour away from the start, and ceremonial proceedings are already well underway. We've had a parade of legendary Le Mans vehicles (from the successful, to the quirky including the WR-Peugeot that holds the official top speed record of 251mph) and the grandstands opposite the media room look packed to the gunnels.
Toyota has won all three rounds of the 2023 WEC so far, but we can't use the form guide as a reliable guide because of a pre-event Balance of Performance change. It's fair to say that caused a bit of controversy in the paddock, not least because it was imposed without the agreement of manufacturers, but what it has done is closed the order right up.
Ferrari had already shown its potential by taking pole for the competition debut of its 499P LMH at Sebring, but it has been convincing throughout proceedings here. That culminated in a 1-2 during Thursday's Hyperpole session, with Antonio Fuoco leading team-mate Alessandro Pier Guidi. You can read the full session report here: https://www.autosport.com/le-mans/news/le-mans-24h-ferrari-tops-hyperpole-to-lock-out-front-row-/10480401/
Ferrari's Hyperpole showing meant the best of the Toyotas had to settle for third on the grid, feeling disgruntled that years of hard work had been “more or less nullified” by the last-minute BoP changes. But it would take a brave man to dismiss the Japanese marque's prospects given its prowess in recent years. It has won the last five editions, including both since the move to Hypercar rules in 2021.
Can you believe that this is my 33rd Le Mans, and my 30th reporting for Autosport. I'm gonna put my neck on the line and say I've never seen such a massive crowd. Quite right too in this, the anniversary year of the race that has defined my working life.
The best of the Porsche 963s split the two Toyotas in qualifying, and will therefore line up fourth as the best of the LMDh entrants running the spec hybrid system. On its return to the top class for the first time since 2017, when its last LMP1 outing with the 919 Hybrid yielded victory, it has three Penske-run works cars and Jota's customer entry in the field as it seeks a record-extending 20th win.
In all, there are 16 cars in the top Hypercar class, although Jota's 963 will start 60th in the 62-car field after an electronics problem ruled it out of qualifying. A busy first stint ahead then for Antonio Felix da Costa, who will take the start aboard the Hertz-liveried #38 car he shares with Will Stevens and Yifei Ye.
It certainly does make for a refreshing change to have multiple manufacturers back in the top class. We've yet to even mention Cadillac, which had both its Ganassi-run cars reach the Hyperpole session before a fire stranded Sebastien Bourdais. On its return to Le Mans for the first time since 2002 with the disastrous Northstar LMP programme, the GM brand is a much more serious entity these days and is another not to discount.
It's been a bit more of a struggle this week for Peugeot, leaving Jean-Eric Vergne to state that a top-five finish would feel like a victory. It's fair to say a fourth Le Mans win for the French lion, triumphant in 1992, 1993 and 2009, would come as something of a surprise. The two 9X8 machines, with their distinctive absence of a rear wing, start 10th and 11th in the pack.
The task for garagiste entrant Glickenhaus has got an awful lot tougher this year due to the huge influx of competition. A podium finisher last year, its two cars will start 12th and 14th, either side of the third Caddy run by Action Express with Frenchmen Olivier Pla and Franck Mailleux the starting drivers aboard cars #708 and #709.
The ByKolles-run Vanwall Vandervell 680 will start 15th after struggling with a lack of power from its engine in the heat. This was the car that 1997 F1 world champion Jacques Villeneuve campaigned for the first three rounds of the season, but he has been replaced in the lineup alongside Tom Dillmann and Esteban Guerrieri by Tristan Vautier.
We're a little over half an hour away from the start now. There were spots of rain on the track earlier today, and skies remain overcast, but we're a way from the pre-race deluge that meant the 2016 race started behind the safety car.
So, what have we learned from the week so far? Gary Watkins, Jamie Klein, Stephen Lickorish and myself weigh in on the main topics from practice and qualifying here.
As the pre-event ceremonies continue, the sight of six-time Le Mans winner Jacky Ickx on the grid prompts applause from the stuffed grandstands across from us. Spoiler alert, he ranks pretty highly in our top 10 Le Mans drivers feature compiled by chief editor Kevin Turner, which you can read here.
After a thumping rendition of the national anthem, here comes the tricolore from a helicopter, which then blasts over the grid of cars.
We've got soldiers abseiling down from a helicopter and various things up above us. Some kind of airshow should be obligatory at major motor races, to my mind. My best memory is of a Harrier jump jet at Brands Hatch at the 1980 British GP blowing down a tent in which you could get a pint of Skol lager, which, of course, was the Fittipaldi team's sponsor that year.
Garage 56's NASCAR has been a fan favourite all week, with its distinctive V8 rumble. The Chevrolet Camaro's performance has surpassed expectations of its Hendrick Motorsports team and is growing on its drivers. Jenson Button even went as far as admitting he briefly thought joining the NASCAR Garage 56 Le Mans programme was the "biggest mistake of my life" but now "loves" driving the car.
Such has been the pace of the Garage 56 entry that the ACO has changed the rules and it will now start ahead of the GTE Am pack from 39th overall with 2010 Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller aboard.
Ahead of it is a snarling pack of Gibson V8-powered ORECA 07s, marking the first time that Hugues de Chaunac's company has supplied the entire LMP2 pack. It was finally confirmed on Friday that LMP2 will be dropped from the WEC next year, although at least 15 spaces on the grid will be reserved for LMP2 at Le Mans in 2024.
Starting drivers are starting to clamber aboard their cars. The official race starter who will send the cars on the formation lap is NBA star Lebron James. Like your correspondent, we are informed, he too is a Liverpool fan.
The timing screens have flashed up to say that the track has been declared wet. But the conditions don't look anywhere near the stage that wet tyres will be required.
Emotional scenes around the Corvette Racing entry down on the grid. Lots of hugging among the mechanics. This will be the Pratt & Miller-run team's last appearance at a race it has only missed once since 2000. Next year when LMGT3 replaces GTE Am, factory operations will not be allowed.
The three minute board has been shown, and we're getting close now to Lebron James's big moment.
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Our group national editor is one of several here ending a Le Mans hiatus this year. Stephen hasn't been away nearly as long as this year's Daytona 24 Hours winner Colin Braun though - the Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 driver is starting the great race for the first time since 2007!
Green flag
The formation lap is underway. Here we go!
It's not been a good start for Glickenhaus. The #708 car missed the window to leave the pits. And the #43 DKR LMP2 is also stranded on the pit straight having apparently failed to fire up.
We've been seeing pictures of a distinctly dry pitlane, but it's really rather more slippery around the back of the circuit into the first Mulsanne chicane.
The DKR ORECA belatedly fires up. Huge cheers ensue from the crowds.
Starting drivers for LMH:
#50 Ferrari Fuoco
#51 Ferrari Pier Guidi
#8 Toyota Buemi
#75 Porsche Nasr
#7 Toyota Conway
#2 Cadillac Bamber
#5 Porsche Christensen
#3 Cadillac Bourdais
#6 Porsche Vanthoor
#93 Peugeot Di Resta
#94 Peugeot Muller
#311 Cadillac Aitken
#709 Glickenhaus Mailleux
#4 Vanwall Dillmann
#38 Jota Porsche Da Costa
#708 Glickenhaus Pla
Plenty of nervous looks in the pitlane as we edge closer to the start of this special edition of the famous race.
The cars are approaching the final chicane now, just moments to go before this race begins.
Here we go the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours is go!
The Ferraris maintain the lead at the start but there's some bunching further behind as several drivers lock-up but all the leading contenders emerge unscathed.
Starting drivers for LMP2:
#48 IDEC Chatin
#28 Jota Fittipaldi
#41 WRT Kubica
#47 Cool de Gerus
#63 Prema Kvyat
#14 Nielsen Beche
#9 Prema Correa
#10 Vector Aubry
#45 Algarve Pro Allen
#22 United Albuquerque
#923 TF Vanthoor
#65 Panis Van Uitert
#34 InterEuropol Scherer
#23 United Blomqvist
#31 WRT Gelael
#37 Cool Lapierre
#80 AF Corse Nato
#35 Signatech Negrao
#30 Duquiene Jani
#32 Kvamme Kvamme
#39 Graff Van der Garde
#36 Signatech Milesi
#13 Tower Taylor
#43 DKR Martin
#48 IDEC Chatin
#28 Jota Fittipaldi
#41 WRT Kubica
#47 Cool de Gerus
#63 Prema Kvyat
#14 Nielsen Beche
#9 Prema Correa
#10 Vector Aubry
#45 Algarve Pro Allen
#22 United Albuquerque
#923 TF Vanthoor
#65 Panis Van Uitert
#34 InterEuropol Scherer
#23 United Blomqvist
#31 WRT Gelael
#37 Cool Lapierre
#80 AF Corse Nato
#35 Signatech Negrao
#30 Duquiene Jani
#32 Kvamme Kvamme
#39 Graff Van der Garde
#36 Signatech Milesi
#13 Tower Taylor
#43 DKR Martin
Crash
Quite a bit of spray and we have our first incident, it's the 311 Cadillac into the Armco out of the Daytona chicane.
Huge damage to the Cadillac V-Series.R as it battles round the track but we have a change of lead! Buemi has dived ahead of the Ferraris at Indianapolis!
Very dramatic start to this race, the #8 Toyota instantly showing its pace.
Paul-Loup Chatin retains the LMP2 lead for IDEC Sport at the end of lap one, with Daniil Kvyat leaping up to second in the Prema car that he started fourth.
By: Autosport Staff
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