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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So the #94 Peugeot leads from the #38 Jota Porsche as the pair of Ferraris are cycled back to third and fourth. Given the general carnage of the opening three hours, this race is anyone's bet right now.
The pits are fairly quiet for the time being in GTE Am as well. Davide Rigon leads for AF Corse, with Sarah Bovy slotting in behind - she has just taken over the Iron Dames Porsche from Rahel Frey.
Pietro Fittipaldi currently leads in LMP2, followed by a pair of Alpines as the field settles in behind the safety car - this weather disruption and these tyre changes could be a strategy reset and a chance for the race to settle into a pattern...but don't bet on it!
There's a few handshakes going on in the Peugeot garage because Menezes in the #94 has inherited the lead amid the pitstops. It's been a tough Le Mans for the home team so far but that is something to smile about.
Thanks for a mega opening stint James and Stephen, what a moment to handover as well! The pitstops and safety car are seeing the order chopping and changing, so once things shake out let's see what's what.
Right, that was a breathless opening three hours for this centenary edition of Le Mans! Now it's time for Autosport's first driver change and it's time to hand over to birthday boy Haydn Cobb and Richard Asher.
Wadoux is showing as stopped on the timing screens. That's not surprising after she floated the #83 Ferrari at unabated speed into the barriers on the approach to the Porsche Curves. The #100 Walkenhorst Ferrari that Haryanto beached in the gravel did make it back to the pits though.
Pit stop
Now the two Ferraris decide to pit from the lead under this safety car, opting to do an extra lap compared to the Peugeot.
Still showing as in the pits is Pera after that hefty rearward whack to the GR Porsche. Rigon has pitted and stayed aboard the #54 Ferrari he's driven since the start. He now assumes the GTE Am lead from Bronze-rated Bovy, now in for Frey in the Iron Dames Porsche, with Hyett and Yokomizo (after his visit to the gravel) in third and fourth respectively.
There's a proper traffic jam there at pit exit, so likely we'll see some shuffling in the order among the GTE Am and LMP2 cars that got halted by the red light.
After their earlier contact, Schiavone and Hardwick are both now listed as retirements.
Conservative strategy from Peugeot there as a pitstop interrupts Menezes' run given the bright sunshine on the pitstraight. The lower hybrid activation speed of the Peugeot in comparison with the Ferrari (and the Toyota) was paying dividends.
All of the LMP2 leaders have pitted bar Fittipaldi, who stays out under this safety car.
Pit stop
The #38, #7 and #5 Porsches also head into the pits at this point.
The lead Ferrari has opted to stay out under this safety car but Menezes pits from second in the Peugeot, promoting Giovinazzi in the second Ferrari to P2.
Pit stop
Remarkably after its rear end contact with the barriers Pera brings the leading GTE Am car back - Dixon's #3 Caddy also gets back to the pits, as did Habsburg.
That was absolute chaos, reminiscent of the 2001 race when cars were just unable to stop.
Crash
Glickenhaus 709 with Gutierrez at the wheel is the latest car off at the Porsche Curves, and he's followed in by Wadoux's 83 Ferrari, Habsburg in the #31 WRT, Dixon's Caddy and GTE Am leader Pera.
Safety car
And yet it's still very dry on the rest of the track! Safety car is out with several cars off the road.
Off track
Yokomizo goes off the road at the Porsche Curves and gets it back on in the Kessel Ferrari, and then Haryanto beaches it in the Walkenhorst Ferrari.
Rain
It's hammering it down at the Porsche Curves!
Pit stop
Bamber now pits from the lead so it's Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari 499P who now takes over in the lead. This race is proving to be relentless!
Make that third for the Menezes in the #94 Peugeot as he now passes Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari!
Menezes in the Peugeot is flying, as the Porsches are struggling in the wet, the 9X8 is now up to fourth.
After that stop from Buemi, Bamber is back into the lead in the #2 Cadillac with the two Ferraris now second and third as the rain intensifies.
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Pit stop
Lubin and Pedersen have made it back to the pits after their crash.
Out front in LMP2 it's currently Julien Canal leading for Signatech, with Josh Pierson's United entry moving into second ahead of Rui Andrade's WRT machine. Gabriel Aubry has been at the wheel of the Vector car since the start and is fourth ahead of Nico Pino for Duqueine. Behind Job Van Uitert, Albert Costa is up to sixth having taken over from Jakub Smiechowski at InterEuropol.
Pit stop
And Buemi chooses this moment to pit from the lead, but what tyres will he put on?
Rain
The answer is seemingly yes! Heavy rain is now reported towards the end of the lap!
Pit stop
Pitstop for the GTE Am leader. Ben Barker comes in and relays to Riccardo Pera.
Rain
Drivers are now reporting rain - just a few spots for now, but will it turn into something more?
The crash happened in a similar position to Tower on the kink approaching the first Mulsanne chicane, as Lubin took his car to the inside of the road.
Crash
Big hit for Lubin! The United Autosports rookie gets sideways over the bumps passing Mikkel Pedersen's #77 Proton Porsches and spears sideways into the Dane, causing heavy damage to both cars.
Pit stop
Fittipaldi pits on lap 33, two tours after Kubica and Milesi. He rejoins still at the wheel in ninth.
Mechanical problem
The #6 Porsche of Vanthoor is now stopping from second having picked up a slow puncture. Meanwhile, the #7 Toyota of Conway is also heading in.
Maxime Martin had made it back to the pits in the DKR machine, but lost five minutes in his slow tour. The all-Belgian crew looks set for a long slog from here.
There were some driver changes during that recent round of Hypercar stops, Yifei Yei taking over the Jota Porsche, while Antonio Giovinazzi is now in the #51 Ferrari.
Kubica handed over to Rui Andrade at that last pitstop, while Julien Canal took over from Milesi. Canal, a multiple class winner here in GTE Am, has moved ahead of the Angolan for second on the road as we await Fittipaldi's next stop.
Rain
We've had plenty of chaos during this race already but now race control is informing us that rain is expected in eight minutes. Meanwhile, the slow zone is now also ending.
By: Autosport Staff
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