Live text
WEC
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.
Live Standings
presented by
Stopped
Summary
Live Text
Sort by
Pit stop
And both of the leaders also now pit with Calado having extended his lead to 14s.
Into the pits from the GTE Am lead comes Kimura. He stays aboard, and his next stint could take him over the six-hour minimum drive time mark as he's clocked up five and a quarter hours so far. That cycles Cairoli to the front, 26s ahead of Catsburg. We've not seen Corvette this high up for a long time!
After that dramatic moment for Estre he now stops the Porsche, while the #93 Peugeot is another pit visitor.
Bourdais now pits from fourth in the second of the Caddys and drops him a lap off the leaders.
The Graff ORECA which was assaulted by Prette's JMW Ferrari has emerged from the pits and is still running. It's the last of the 42 cars still in the race and the only car still going on the second page of the timing screens.
Replays show Estre was trying to make an ambitious move on an LMP2 machine approaching the Porsche Curves but the sudden loss of downforce results in him getting spat off into the gravel. He gets back on his way after just keeping it out of the barriers.
Pit stop
Scherer gets some time to ice his swollen left foot as he now pits from the LMP2 lead and hands over to silver driver Smiechowski.
Crash
But there is now further trouble for Estre and he's properly gone off this time!
Huge lock-up for the #6 Porsche there and fifth-placed Estre skims with the gravel but gets away with it.
The Corvette continues its charge back up the order after its problems at the very start of the race and Catsburg has passed Al Harthy in the TF Aston to take fourth in the GTE Am class. But, more significantly, it is now on the lead lap. Could a comeback really still be on?
Pit stop
Kubica now pits from second in the LMP2 class in the #41 WRT machine.
Calado has eked out a slightly bigger lead up at the front and his margin is now over 10 seconds ahead of Hirakawa in the sole remaining Toyota.
Pit stop
But, as expected, Gatting now pits in GTE Am and Frey takes over for this latest stint.
And the GTE Am lead battle is getting very close now as the Iron Dames Porsche closes on Kimura.
Back in GTE Am and Kimura's lead over Gatting is just under 10s, although the Porsche is due another stop soon.
Sun
The sun has now emerged over Le Mans, but the skies do still look a little dark and threatening, so it's far from certain we're finished with the rain in this race.
Pit stop
Another pit visitor is the GTE Am-leading Kessel Racing of Kimura, which returns to the track with a handy lead over the Iron Dames Porsche.
Pit stop
Meanwhile in the Panis ORECA Maldonado has handed over to Job van Uitert. That car remains fifth in LMP2, although drops off the lead lap as a result of his stop. Scherer has pulled 24s on Kubica out in front.
The delayed #50 Ferrari after its ECU fluid leak makes its most recent pitstop from tenth.
They're both a lap down after various scrapes, but Bourdais and Estre are battling hard for fourth, the 963 that suffered a puncture earlier looming large in the mirrors of the #3 Caddy which got rear-ended by a GT car into a slow zone earlier.
The 88 Porsche which Jonas Reid crashed at Indianapolis earlier on is now a confirmed retirement, as is the D'station Aston which had electrical problems.
Pit stop
Loic Duval has brought the #94 Peugeot in and handed over to Nico Muller. That car is now running 11th after its crash with Menezes at the wheel earlier on.
Calado is keeping his gap over Hirakawa to around the six-second mark out in front. Lynn is 2m05s down on that lead fight having just taken over the #2 Caddy. We must admit, we're fans of his Derek Bell tribute livery.
Twitter
The top eight in the GTE Am class are all still on the lead lap. And among their number now is Nicky Catsburg in the Corvette which was two laps in arrears several hours ago. He's in seventh, 20s behind al-Harthy ahead.
Off track
Cairoli was on a charge trying to catch the bronze drivers ahead of him, but won't be doing so in a hurry by throwing his car at the scenery. He's a tad fortunate to get away with a spin at Mulsanne Corner.
The battle for third that was threatening to materialise in LMP2 between a trio of silvers is being thwarted by Binder's pace. He's pulled 7s on Lafargue, although Maldonado is sticking doggedly with the IDEC car that occupies fourth.
Pit stop
Back to the action and there's a driver change in the #2 Cadillac that was third with Bamber being replaced by Lynn.
Of course, wildlife interference is nothing new in motorsport. We've seen numerous yellows at Bathurst due to curious kangaroos, and who can forget when Anthony Davidson's Super Aguri hit a groundhog while on course for points in the 2007 Canadian Grand Prix?
There are reports it was a brush with a squirrel that caused the damage to the Toyota's splitter. Even the local wildlife is now getting involved in the drama of this race.
And Calado is now pulling away with the lead already up to nearly six seconds!
Pit stop
A few notable pitstops to cover off in GTE Am. Rigon handed over the #54 Ferrari to Flohr, with the factory man's extra laps behind the wheel relative to GR's bronze Wainwright enough to get the Italian car out of the pits ahead. Both have dropped behind Gatting's Iron Dames Porsche through that sequence. Meanwhile Cairoli is back aboard the Project 1 'Rexy' Porsche in fifth, after taking over from silver Gunnar Jeanette, and storming up on the pair ahead.
Twitter
But the Ferrari has the fractionally quicker stop and Calado emerges in the lead!
Down at Ferrari there's a driver change as Calado climbs aboard to take Pier Guidi's place while a damaged splitter is replaced on the Toyota.
Pit stop
Both leaders do indeed dive into the pits with Hirakawa just heading Pier Guidi!
Twitter
Confirmation after his earlier shunt at the Porsche Curves that de Gerus's Cool ORECA is now out of the race. Let's hope to see Pagenaud back again next year - a welcome return to the race for the 2019 Indy 500 winner who was last here in 2011.
The overall leaders are now separated by less than a second! And both are potentially about to pit.
And a new nose is being prepared for the sole Toyota that narrowly leads from Pier Guidi's Ferrari.
Pit stop
More stops in the Hypercar class as van der Zande pits the #3 Cadillac from fifth and further back the #5 Porsche has also pitted.
Green flag
With the Vanwall now pushed behind the barrier, the slow zone has come to an end and we're back to green-flag racing.
Pit stop
Scherer has also come in, and stays ahead of Kubica. Meanwhile there have been some GTE Am stops, with Wainwright taking over the GR Porsche that had been second in Pera's hands.
By: Autosport Staff
Published:
Page:
