Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates

Button has the #7 Toyota of Nyck de Vries right on his tail in a battle for 11th. This duo are the last cars on the lead lap in Hypercar.

Nato comes whistling by Hirakawa as he tries to generate temperature into his fresh set of boots. No tyre warmers, remember, so it is imperative to be gentle in applying the throttle and avoiding being spat into the undergrowth.

Julien Andlauer is back in the #5 Porsche and has a fresh set of tyres. Tentative driving necessary as multiple LMP2 cars lunge past into Tetre Rouge.

We had a bollard on the road at the first chicane, clobbered by one of the Inter Europol ORECAs. But it was hit hard by a following car before a marshal could reach it.

As Ye continues to lead in #83, Pier Guidi's factory #51 Ferrari has shuffled up to second following that recent round of stops, with Campbell now third in the #6 Porsche. Molina's #50 Ferrari is giving him all sorts of grief though as he seeks to make it a 1-2-3 for the 499P.

Molina now does make the move for third, around the outside approaching the first Mulsanne Chicane in the #50 Ferrari. Campbell attempts to get back on Molina into the second Chicane, but went in too hot and has to relinquish the position on exit.

We mentioned that Nato dispatched Hirakawa while the #8 Toyota was getting his tyres up to temperature, but the Japanese has had the last laugh and recovered fifth place. The #15 BMW which Kevin Magnussen has taken over from Raffaele Marciello has been shuffled back to seventh, with the ongoing Button versus de Vries battle behind him over eighth.

Meanwhile in LMP2, Esteban Masson has taken over the #48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA from Oliver Gray and set the car's fastest lap of the race. It is currently fourth, 13s off the lead now held by Deletraz's #199 AO by TF machine. The Swiss stayed aboard at the last round of stops, which may explain the positional switchover. The two IDEC cars of Alvarez and Jaubert split the duo that were previously squabbling over the class lead. 

Charlie Eastwood has taken the lead in LMGT3 meanwhile. The TF Corvette driver has passed the bronze in Manthey's #92 Porsche, Ryan Hardwick, who is soon set to come under pressure from Alessio Rovera's #21 Ferrari. The Italian is fresh into that car, having taken over from Simon Mann.

After its conflagration with a rabbit earlier, the #31 WRT BMW M6 remains in the box but we understand will be heading back out soon. Still, not a great deal of urgency from what we can see on our screens.

Rovera does now take second in LMGT3 from Hardwick. Mattia Drudi has just taken over from Ian James in the HoR Aston that started from pole in the LMGT3 class.

Campbell is staying in touch with Molina, who has edged around 2s clear after taking third place a few laps back. But Hirakawa may soon be joining the party, as the #8 Toyota is the same distance back from the Porsche in fifth. 

The quickest car on track in LMP2 is the pole-sitting #29 with Clement Novalak at the wheel. However, it is one lap down. Also going quickly is Nick Yelloly, currently running fourth on fresher tyres than those ahead after relaying Kuba Smiechowski.

And as we typed that, Deletraz pits from the LMP2 lead, with Jaubert following him in. Masson now leads in the #48 VDS Panis ORECA by 22s from Yelloly, with Jonas Reid now third in the #9 Iron Lynx - Proton entry.

Back to Hypercar now, and De Vries has taken Button for eighth. For good measure, he sets the fastest lap of the entire race to date with a 3m27.370s. As the light starts to return, we may well see that become a trend in the coming hours.

Hirakawa is 27s off the lead, but seems unable of clearing Campbell to make use of his fresh rubber. If he can get by, then Molina is just 4s up the road.

That is such a disappointing way for the #18 crew's race to end, assuming that Lotterer won't be able to bring it back on three wheels, with so much of the lap to complete. It has finished no lower than second in the ELMS this year with Jamie Chadwick and Mathys Jaubert, and looked good value to be in contention once more. 

Molina and Hirakawa also exit their respective mounts, the #50 Ferrari and #8 Toyota. Buemi and Nielsen climb aboard, but the Toyota does not take tyres to coincide with the tyre change. Nielsen on the other hand is slithering all over the place. Positional swap there. 

As the recovery vehicle comes out to retrieve Lotterer's stranded #18 IDEC Sport ORECA, we have a slow zone in place. Charlie Eastwood has meanwhile exited the LMGT3-leading #81 Corvette, with bronze Tom van Rompuy now aboard, while Richard Lietz has relayed his #92 Manthey Porsche's bronze Ryan Hardwick. Alessio Rovera stays out to lead in the #21 Ferrari.

Before the drama with Lotterer occurred, we had meant to raise that Deletraz had vacated the #199 AO by TF ORECA in LMP2, with bronze-rated PJ Hyett climbing aboard that entry. It still leads the pro-am sub-class from the #29 TDS ORECA which started on pole and led early doors with Mathias Beche. Masson remains the class leader from Yelloly and Ried.

Replays show that Magnussen's #15 BMW was the car faced with Lotterer's errant wheel. He did a good job to avoid it and traverse the gravel.

As we approach 6am local time, a strong move from Mattia Drudi in the HoR Aston Martin claims sixth position in class away from Clemens Schmid's #87 Lexus. He stormed down the inside at the second Mulsanne Chicane with a proper last of the late brakers manoeuvre that required some cooperation from the Austrian not to slam the door shut.

The #6 Porsche is back in the lead with Campbell at the wheel, but is due a stop soon. That will relay Hanson, who sits 4s back currently. 

Over in LMP2, Clement Novalak is the first car one lap down in sixth place aboard the #29 TDS ORECA. But he's just down the road from class leader Esteban Masson's #48 VDS Panis machine, and has in his sights the prospect of getting back his lap. That could have big repercussions in the event of a safety car. The #29 crew's main rival for pro-am honours, the #199 AO by TF machine, is in fifth with PJ Hyett currently circulating to use up some more of his bronze time. 

Estre rejoins sixth, right behind Nato's #12 Jota Caddy. He has to keep his elbows wide to hold of Magnussen in the #15 BMW, which has a little sniff into Arnage when Estre went deep into Indianapolis. The status quo holds for now.

Toyota junior Esteban Masson has again set his car's fastest lap of the race in the LMP2 lead, the #48 VDS Panis ORECA stretching his gap out to 16s over Nick Yelloly's #43 Inter Europol Competition example. Job van Uitert, meanwhile, has taken third in the #28 IDEC Sport ORECA from the #9 Iron Lynx - Proton example of Jonas Reid.

We have an exciting battle brewing for the lead in LMGT3, with Alessio Rovera's Ferrari just 2.4s ahead of Richard Lietz in the #92 Porsche. The Austrian veteran we believe has fresher tyres than the Italian, so one to keep an eye on in the coming laps.

James Calado has set the fastest lap for the #51 Ferrari, and sits 13s back from leader Hanson. Could we soon see a battle for the lead between the two Prancing Horses?

Lietz is relentlessly closing on Rovera in the LMGT3 lead. Just 1.2s between them now, the gap visibly closing as the Austrian eyes a sixth category win at Le Mans. He first won here back in 2007, when Rovera was a mere teenager.

Cars have still got their headlights on, but they are scarcely needed now. It is properly light now at the Circuit de la Sarthe.

Jani is in the wars again in the #99 Proton 963 and goes straight on at Arnage, needing to grab reverse. He's complaining of a vibration over the radio.

There is nothing in it in the battle for fifth between Nato and Estre, who have both dropped Magnussen. Meanwhile there is a fight for eighth brewing between Mike Conway, who recently took over the #7 Toyota from Nyck de Vries, and Button's #38 Jota Caddy.

Pitstops are imminent for the LMGT3 leaders, with Rovera still doing just enough to keep Lietz at bay behind him. We anticipate that the Ferrari will be due tyres sooner than the pursuing Porsche, which could mean the pass takes place through the pit sequence.