Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours.
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Here comes Molina and the #50 for its stop. No tyres for the Spaniard, just fuel. That will pull it closer to the top two.
The #50 Ferrari has hopped across the Dunlop chicane but no damage done. But looking behind, the #2 Cadillac now boasts a 23-second gap over the #8.
This strategic battle is absolutely fascinating.
Having lost out at the last stops, the IDEC Sport car has gained at these. Reshad de Gerus has taken over from Job van Uitert in the lead. Lomko and Cullen are squabbling over second, 20 seconds behind him. Well played in the pits IDEC!
The #8 Toyota pits for Hartley to take over from Buemi. But drama for the #7 as Lopez is told he has a slow puncture on the front left!
Tyres are changed for Hartley, so a full service for that car. But the #7 is forced into a stop that is way earlier than the team would have hoped for. That helps the #2.
In fact, Calado jumped out of the #51 at that stop, so a full service was completed by the crew.
While LMP2 sorts itself out following the stops, we may observe that Lomko was only around 0.5s faster than Cullen on their first full lap.
The #8 continued for one more lap, though Buemi complained of a vibration.
The #51 and #6 are in, however, with new tyres for Calado in the Ferrari, which puts it behind the #6.
Schuring pits from the lead of GT3...but Farfus goes a little longer.
It should be this lap for the #8, with the #51 also likely to stop. The #50 should get another lap out of its stint.
Fair play to the #311 crew - the car is back circulating after its heavy shunt at Indianapolis a couple of hours ago.
The #8 Toyota may be close to its stop as the mechanics limber up in the garage.
The #7 is behind the #12 Jota Porsche, which helps the #2's efforts.
Miyata has passed Siegel, just in time for these two to stop...
Very much on cue, the leaders in LMP2 pit and Cullen takes over the #10 car. Vladislav Lomko hops aboard the Europol machine. Could be significant, this, because based on yesterday's evidence there could be a 2-3 second difference in lap times between these two.
As for the LMP2 duel between Europol and Vector Sport, it's worth remembering that Vector's silver driver Ryan Cullen will have to drive at least another 30 minutes per the rules. No such restrictions apply for their Polish rivals, who have already taken care of minimum drive times.
The #7 Toyota pits and, as we were told by the team radio, Kobayashi switches with Lopez.
He rejoins behind the #2, with the #8 sister car now leading.
The Schuring versus Farfus private battle continues in GT3: they're nose to tail. It's a real highlight of this class...they're pulling well clear of the rest, with nearest chaser Rahel Frey now a minute back.
The Ferraris are struggling to keep up with the frontrunners now, with the track temperature potentially explaining that - the track now six degrees warmer than two hours ago.
The #2 has rejoined in sixth, crucially ahead if the #12 Jota Porsche.
He didn't, so one more lap for the #7, as Palou pits.
Meanwhile, Molina is begging for the #50 to be allowed past the #51 to use his fresher tyres - a wish that is granted into the Dunlop Chicane.
The #2 will be in at the end of this lap, potentially the #7 as well. If not, the Toyota will follow a lap later.
A purple sector in sector one for Kobayashi and a personal best in sector two suggests he will pit.
While Novalak has pulled out an LMP2 lead of around three seconds, Siegel is having to work hard to retain fourth ahead of Miyata. These two are even getting some TV time - true story! Now we know what the United Autosports and Cool Racing cars' paint jobs look like.
Kobayashi has hit back, seven-tenths faster on the last lap with a 3m29.112s.
Palou is showing fine pace in the #2. The gap at the front is up to six seconds again now and he has just done the car's best lap of the race so far.
#7 team radio: "Kamui, four laps to go, there will be a driver change."
There is nothing to choose between Novalak and Pilet at the front in LMP3. They're just a second apart. van Uitert has cleared Siegel and Miyata to get back up into the top three, though he's 17s behind Pilet - and doing very similar lap times.
A swap at Ferrari as well now as the #51 gets past the #50. The complexion is changing by the lap!
The #59 United Autosports McLaren, which had until recently been in the fight for the top six, is now officially listed as a retirement.
Stops are still going on in GT3. Including Schuring coming in for a second time in as many laps. The Manthey Porsche is nonetheless still listed in the lead, which is a bit of a head-scratcher. Or, perhaps better, a strategic masterclass dating back to the brief FCY a few minutes back. Anyway, Schuring's battle with Farfus will continue, the gap between them 2.8s. Behind the off-sequence (and recently penalised) #87 Lexus come Rahel Frey and Dennis Olsen, latest driver in the #88 Mustang.
A swap of places for Toyota as the #7 gets ahead of the #8 down the Mulsanne straight.
The #83 has been wheeled back in by rubber-gloved mechanics - that will be a DNF. Heartbreak for the long-time race leader.
The factory Ferrari #50 is 13 seconds down on the #2 Cadillac after mirroring the full service of Palou's car.
But the Toyotas are splitting the two cars after only refuelling.
Shwartzman is being forced to jump from the car in the pits - is that a hybrid problem causing the brake issue? A nightmare for the AF Corse crew.
Now the #50, #83 and #6 pit at the end of full 12-lap stints.
Molina is onboard the race leader, which goes through a full service.
The #83's brakes are smoking hot - it needs to get rolling sooner rather than later. But the team didn't have tyres ready and it's being held in its box.
Crucially, with the #2 having completed a full service at the last stop, the gap is down to within a second.
Right on cue, Novalak gets past Pilet as the Vector Sport man dips wheels off the road at Indianapolis! And that, folks, puts the team that won the class last year into the lead with four hours remaining.
Here comes the #8 into the pits - Buemi will stay aboard. We already know the tyres will remain the same but it feels early for that car to stop.
The #51 Ferrari and #12 Jota Porsche are both in as well.
Pilet has retained his LMP2 lead after all. But Novalak is nosing around trying to find a way past! van Uitert may have gotten caught out by the timing of the stops there, as he is now listed fifth.
These stints are nearing their end and both Vanthoor and Molina are ready to take over in the #6 and #50 cars.
It gives Buemi a chance to attack Shwartzman straightaway - but the gap to the #50 has come right down to a second.
WOW! What a move from the #8 Toyota, around the outside on the brakes into Mulsanne, to take second.
The FCY also arrived during a bunch of GT3 stops, so let's wait for things to settle...
But the FCY is over already, speedy work from the marshals.
By: Autosport Staff
