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24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Live AppleTV Race Audio
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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Albert Costa is stretching the #34 car's lead in LMP2. It's almost 10 seconds now, but he's not the fastest car on track. Paul Loup Chatin, currently 5th for IDEC Sport, is turning quick laps below the 3m40s mark at the moment.
Davide Rigon has handed back over to Thomas Flohr in GTE Am, which will halt that car's charge for the foreseeable future.
Hartley's lead over Giovinazzi has been slashed to under 10s following the latest stops. There's not much in it on green flag lap times however, just a couple of tenths last time around.
Albert Costa now leads the way in LMP2 for Inter Europol, with Tijmen van der Helm a couple of seconds back for Panis Racing.
Rigon has indeed taken the lead from Huffaker in GTE Am - and the AF Corse man has now stretched it to 3 seconds. Iron Dames are up to third.
The leading Hypercars are in again - how fast a stint goes by in that class! It's still dark at La Sarthe for the moment, as Hartley and Giovinazzi head out to resume battle.
The third-placed Cadillac currently driven by Richard Westbrook will get 5 seconds at its next stop for a 'technical infringement'
That was a short-lived lead for Iron Dames in GTE Am, as they've just stopped and dropped to fourth. Scott Huffaker leads the fellow Ferrari of Davide Rigon at the front for the moment, but Rigon is charging...
The gap is stable between Toyota and Ferrari at the front, with times now dropping into the low 3m30s. Happy Hour is very close...
Crash
Whoops, the #47 LMP2 Cool Racing car of Reshad de Gerus has hit something hard - namely a barrier at the Porsche Curves! It's just arrived back in the pits with one light shining, thanks to much of the left side being smashed in. Into the garage it goes: so much for that car's time in the top three.
The #23 United Autosports car will get 5 seconds added at its next pitstop, having committed an infringement at a recent one. That's a car that's had enough trouble in the night - Olly Jarvis is currently at the wheel, 14th in class.
Hartley is flying compared to the other leading Hypercars...he has pulled out 17 seconds on Giovinazzi! His last lap was three seconds quicker than the Italian's...
I can report a little greyness in the sky over in Eastern Austria. That means new day will show its face over in Pays de la Loire soon!
A round of pitstops had just been completed at the head of the field, along with driver changes. Those likely charged with handling the rising sun are Brendon Hartley in Toyota #8 and Antonio Giovinazzi in Ferrari #51. Richard Westbrook remains at the wheel of the #2 Cadillac.
It's tight in LMP2 at the minute, with Nicolas Pinot just over a second ahead of Reshad de Gerus, with Louis Deletraz just behind de Gerus. That's Duqueine leading Cool Racing leading Team WRT.
Project 1-AO team boss Axel Funke claims he never sleeps during Le Mans. Did however close his eyes for long periods of times during his latest interview. Understandable. Only nightingales are energetic at this hour.
Project 1-AO have brought the Hyett car into the pits, so it's now Huffaker leading for Kessel Racing, ahead of Sarah Bovy for Iron Dames and Harry Tincknell in the Proton Competition Porsche.
Seb Buemi just said some words on the Toyota team radio. I can never understand a word anybody says on radios, always very impressed when others can. Buemi did however sound quite frantic, but that's standard for the Swiss. Or maybe it's because he is now past the Ferrari of James Calado, though the #51 remains close.
My bleary eyes tell me that Scott Huffaker is making quick progress in GTE Am, as the cars around him have their slower drivers at the wheel: PJ Hyett won't be long in the lead for Project 1-AO at this rate. But wait, Thomas Flohr has just relinquished the #54 AF Corse to Davide Rigon.
Thanks Haydn. This is my absolute favourite time of day. Everything seems more doable when the sun comes up...
It is also time for our latest changeover, as Richard Asher will guide you through the final part of the night and that sweet sight of sunrise.
We are approaching halfway - if you can barely believe it - and the early manic action has calmed in the night to see the gaps stretch and the cream rise to the very top in each class.
Pit stop
Frey pits in the #85 Iron Dames Porsche to relinquish the lead in GTE Am, which is picked up by Hyett driving the #56 Project 1 Porsche. Bovy takes over and comes out in fifth place in class.
Calado is pushing clear into the lead, with his advantage up to 7.2s over Buemi in the Ferrari vs Toyota battle.
The GTE Am battle continues to spice up, as Frey takes a stint at the front in the #85 Iron Dames Porsche amid the pitstop cycles. The top eight are all still on the lead lap in that class so it is still very open.
The #94 Peugeot is back out on the track having been freshly repaired after Menezes' off. That's the good news. The bad news is it is eight laps off the leaders now.
Pit stop
The #2 Caddy pits and Westbrook jumps into action in place of Lynn. The American entry comes out around one minute behind the leading Ferrari.
Penalty
The #8 Toyota has been given a five-second penalty to be taken at its next pitstop for an infringement... the advantage continues to swing towards the #51 Ferrari.
Another lengthy trip into the garage ends of the #38 Jota Porsche and Ye is restored to the driver's seat. But with a 14-lap deficit, it isn't quite the glory he enjoyed earlier in this race as the leader.
So, the #2 Cadillac has gained the lead but is still due to stop, meaning the #51 Ferrari will take the top spot honour when this all shakes out. Now it is the turn of the Toyota to chase down its rival.
...but it isn't a fair fight between the Toyota and Ferrari pit crews, as the #8 gets fresh tyres and fuel, compared to the #51's fuel-only stop, and duly comes out in front.
Pit stop
The two leaders pit together and the race is on...
Jani leads in LMP2 - the #30 Duqueine driver has reeled in Smiechowski in the #34 Inter Europol, with both being tracked by Andrade who is still in the #41 Team WRT.
It also means just the top three are still on the lead lap. What's more, there could be a change for the lead coming up, as Calado is within a second of Buemi.
Menezes makes it back to the pits and his Peugeot crew get to work on the repairs. After a stellar first half of the race, the #94 is now off the lead lap and dropping out of contention fast.
Lynn has been given an official warning for abusing track limits in the #2 Cadillac. It means he'll need to tread carefully from now on or risk a penalty.
The TV director catches a single tyre rolling freely across the track and the owner of it is yet to be identified - it isn't Menezes as he's on a different part of the track. So if you are missing a tyre, please make yourself known.
Menezes is crawling back to the pits in his damaged Peugeot, as he drops behind the #6 Porsche and #3 Caddy.
Crash
Ah, the #94 Peugeot has much bigger problems now as Menezes crashes into the barriers! He gets the car out of the wall but has badly damaged the front-end of his 9XB.
By: Autosport Staff
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