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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Penalty
The #94 Peugeot has been given a five-second penalty for a pitstop infringement, which will push it further away from the victory fight.
The slow zone for the #32 Inter Europol car that crashed has been removed so we are back to full green flag racing.
The #54 AF Corse Ferrari driven by Castellacci pits from second on the GTE Am class, to give leader Project 1 Porsche some more breathing space out in front.
Menezes is back in the #94 Peugeot, taking over from Muller, to take up the task of holding on to the podium spot from the #2 Cadillac driven by Lynn.
Crash
Jani is hunting Smiechowski for the LMP2 class lead. The #30 Duqueine has closed right up to the #34 Inter Europol, while a slow zone has been triggered at the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight for the sister Inter Europol car crashing under braking.
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Pit stop
The #94 Peugeot and the #2 Caddy pit to cycle back to third and fourth respectively - we're just having to do some spotter work as live timing has briefly gone down. Or, more likey, gone to sleep. It is late after all.
It has taken about 10 and a half hours, but this race feels like it has founds its rhythm, finally. The top four have enjoyed clean and clear running and are locked in a strategy battle ahead of the rest. Just the 13 and a bit hours to decide a winner...
The top two of the #8 Toyota and the #51 Ferrari pit together and on schedule, so they cycle back to third and fourth respectively, releasing the Peugeot back into the lead ahead of the Cadillac.
Jani pits the #30 Duqueine into the pits having been challenging for the LMP2 class lead moments earlier. That'll cycle the Bourdais-bothering #41 WRT back up to second.
Calado gets through on Muller to take second place on the run towards Indianapolis. The #51 Ferrari goes around the outside but uses an LMP2 to box in his #94 Peugeot rival to get the move done.
The #41 Team WRT and the #3 Cadillac have come together approaching the start/finish straight, with the Hypercar runner coming off second best and nudged into a half-spin. Bourdais loses a handful of seconds but gets going again.
Quote
Kobayashi has explained what happened in the incident at Tertre Rouge when he was in the preparation zone for the forthcoming Slow Zone. "The guy ahead, an LMP2, brakes for whatever reason," he said. "If I overtake him there, I will get a penalty."
He went on to confirm that he was hit twice from behind, on one side by the JMW Ferrari and by the Alpine ORECA on the other: "I had both tyres punctured on the rear and the left-rear driveshaft was broken."
That explains why he wasn't able to get #7 back to the pits and was forced to retire the car.
He went on to confirm that he was hit twice from behind, on one side by the JMW Ferrari and by the Alpine ORECA on the other: "I had both tyres punctured on the rear and the left-rear driveshaft was broken."
That explains why he wasn't able to get #7 back to the pits and was forced to retire the car.
Calado is hounding Muller for second place but, so far, hasn't found a way through. That has allowed Buemi to creep clear in the lead, which has stretched out to 2.5s.
The #8 Toyota leads! Buemi gets by the #94 Peugeot driven by Muller and he is now under pressure from Ferrari's Calado.
The #50 Ferrari problem was caused by stone damage to the ERS radiator. Nearly half an hour lost.
As we've seen so far in this race, everything can change in an instant, but all being well we have a four-way fight for victory with just 12 seconds splitting them. Peugeot vs Toyota vs Ferrari vs Cadillac. #94 vs #8 vs #51 vs #2. Bring. It. On.
There's a fight for second place in GTE Am erupting, with Rump in the #911 Proton passing the #85 Iron Dames with Frey at the wheel. For the film fans out there, that's the car with Michael Fassbender in it.
Green flag
A brief Full Course Yellow ends and we're back to full green flag conditions. At the same time the #50 Ferrari returns to the action, six laps down on the leaders.
Yellow flag
The #50 Ferrari remains stuck in the garage and is now tumbling through the LMP2 order as the leaders in that class begin to overtake it on the leaderboard. Another Full Course Yellow has been called, presumably for debris clear up as no cars have stopped on track.
The #94 Peugeot and #2 Cadillac both pit to bring the frontrunners back together. Muller leads for the French squad, 6.7s ahead of Toyota's Buemi and then comes Ferrari's Calado and Cadillac's Lynn.
While in GTE Am, Jeannette has jumped into the leading #56 Project 1 Porsche but is being reeled in by the #85 Iron Dames with Frey at the wheel.
The #37 Cool Racing leads in LMP2 and is going long in this stint to try to time its stop for when the forecasted rain arrives.
Ferrari is reporting that the problem with #51 is the cooling system for the hybrid system.
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The #50 Ferrari remains in the garage with its leak issue and has dropped off of the lead lap. At the front the #94 Peugeot isn't giving up the lead easily but now has the #2 Cadillac for company just 1.3s back.
Pit stop
It doesn't last though as the #51 Ferrari pits. Pier Guidi jumps out and is replaced by Calado. Further down pitlane the Toyota also pits, and jumps the Ferrari in the process, with Buemi at the wheel now.
Another leader change! The #51 Ferrari is back at the front as it overtakes the #94 Peugeot at the resumption. Pier Guidi regains the lead he lost for spinning off a few hours ago.
Off we go again! Back to green flag racing as Kvyat's destruction job is swept up.
Ah, that wasn't so good. The #311 Action Express Caddy spins at the final corner under the Full Course Yellow but Derani largely gets away with it - albeit he'll be left red faced.
Pit stop
The #50 Ferrari pits and is wheeled into the garage for what we think is the first time this race they've needed to work on the car. They are looking for a fluid leak.
Muller and his Peugeot crew have a chat about tyres and the dreaded R word is mentioned - they predict rain is coming in the next 25-30 minutes. So they wish to stick with the current tyres in case they need to switch to wets later on.
Photo
Fireworks on and off the track tonight!
Fire works at night
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Kvyat is OK and walking away from his crashed #63 Prema, so that is retirement number 13 in this race. The former F1 driver hit the wall hard on the left and rebounded across the track to hit the other barrier before coming to a stop on the side of the track.
Pit stop
Hirakawa pits from the lead, to hand that honour back to Muller in the #94 Peugeot, but the Full Course Yellow may have changed Toyota's driver switch plan as the Japanese driver stays put.
Crash
Kvyat has crashed heavily in the #63 Prema - that looks terminal.
Pier Guidi has overtaken Ferrari stablemate Fuoco to move the #51 up to third place overall. Time to scamper after the leaders.
Andrade continues to pilot the #41 Team WRT in the lead of LMP2, having a very impressive stint so far. The #34 Inter Europol car is its closest challenger at the moment driven by Smiechowski.
The #5 Porsche is in the garage up on the jacks to make its latest tale of woe. That has allowed the #93 Peugeot to move up eighth place.
By: Autosport Staff
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