Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates

Kubica gets back to within two seconds of Giovinazzi at the front of Hypercar so the fun is about to resume.

In LMP2, there's a 1m33 gap between #43 and #48 now, while the LMGT3 gap is just over 60 seconds between #92 and #21.

I was wondering why the gap was suddenly so large at the top of LMP2 but it seems I missed the #48 pitting during the Ferrari hoo-hah. Now the #43 pits so a more representative gap will present itself. 17 seconds is much more like it!

We are only a few laps away from the next round of Hypercar stops, which means the kettle is going on! 

The 'coffee every time the leader pits' strategy is working handsomely so far...

The battle for sixth has seen Will Stevens take the pole-sitting #12 Cadillac to the back of the #15 BMW. But traffic stunts his progress and gives D. Vanthoor a breather.

Another adventure for the #38 - Bourdais now driving - as the Cadillac takes a trip to the gravel on the exit of Mulsanne.

Meanwhile, the #50 Ferrari stops from third.

Here comes the #51 to pitlane. Let's see where this filters out...

There must have been traffic for Kubica because the gap is out to almost five seconds. Ouch.

The #6 pits from its inherited lead - it will drop behind the third Ferrari and rejoin in fourth, albeit well over a minute ahead of the #8 Toyota.

The #7 Toyota hasn't had a great week but Kobayashi is closing on the #38 Cadillac, which admittedly has had a tardy morning. This is the battle for eighth and the gap is down to three seconds.

The #183 is going to lose time at its next stop as its light panel on the side is no longer illuminated. Seems harsh now we are back in daylight but such is life. Perrodo is at the wheel of what is 10th in LMP2 at the moment.

The #27 Aston now has Drudi at the wheel and has fought back up to the tail of the #78 Lexus of Hawksworth for fourth in LMGT3. The Aston has more energy, so will be out for slightly longer and will hope to get ahead before the next cycle of stops.

There's over a minute between this battle and the third-placed TF Sport #81 but that doesn't matter now. 

In the slipstream and Drudi ducks out super late into the Daytona chicane. He runs deep and Hawksworth takes the Lexus back into fourth.

Oh my word what a move! Hawksworth knew what was coming so he defended the inside into the second chicane. That didn't matter as the Aston swept around the outside. Sublime!

Well, with that, I'm handing back to James Newbold for the next three hours while I go and find the same Weetabix Mr Drudi had this morning!

Thank you Ewan. We have six hours to go in the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours. In other words, the distance of a regular WEC race. This is by no means over.

That said, Ferrari does appear to be in a commanding position in the Hypercar ranks with a top three lockout as things stand. The #51 499P of Antonio Giovinazzi has a little over 6s over Robert Kubica in the customer #83 machine, while Antonio Fuoco is 37s behind in third aboard #50.

Best of the rest currently is Kevin Estre, star of the opening hour, in the #6 PPM Porsche 963. He is 54s off the lead in fourth, while Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota which had a spell in the lead overnight with Ryo Hirakawa on board is 99s off the lead in fifth. It seems, he says with some trepidation, like this could be Ferrari's race to lose.

Into the pits has just come the #43 Inter Europol Competition ORECA from the lead in LMP2. Tom Dillmann is behind the wheel of that car, which has been in the mix almost all the way through, fighting with the #48 VDS Panis Racing example of Oliver Gray. The Briton has been very impressive in this race and sits 19s behind the sportscar veteran.

Meanwhile, in the LMGT3 class the #92 Manthey Porsche looks in a pretty commanding position with Richard Lietz 57s ahead of Simon Mann's #21 Ferrari. Both of those two cars got a good chunk of their six-hours of bronze driving time out of the way early by starting with Ryan Hardwick and Francois Heriau respectively, although the Frenchman's opening stint was rather more scrappy and involved a spin. We noted yesterday that Hardwick's quad opening stint had put the crew in a very good position, and so it has proved.

With Iron Dames back in the race after its earlier dramas that left Rahel Frey stranded by the side of the road (and triggered numerous penalties for yellow flag infractions), we still have 52 cars running which is a very impressive feat.

Leader Giovinazzi has continued to stretch out his advantage, which is now at 8.4s over Kubica. Can Fuoco in third make inroads into this fight as temperatures start to rise?

Fuoco has been in from third, with Miguel Molina returning to the car for the first time since the dark hours earlier this morning. Meanwhile, we've a battle brewing for 10th spot between Kobayashi in Toyota #7, still bearing the signs of damage from an opening lap fracas with a Peugeot, and Sebastien Bourdais in the #38 Caddy.

Kubica pits from second in the #83 Ferrari, which Ye takes over with a fresh set of tyres. Molina is chasing hard behind and has kept the same set used previously used by Fuoco, which means he'll avoid the initial pain of bringing them up to temperature that Ye is experiencing.

Mulsanne Corner has been a problem spot for several drivers during the race so far, and the latest to fall foul is Pascal Wehrlein. The #4 PPM 963 runs deep and only just makes the turn. Running 12th in the Hypercar order, his team-mates Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr seem unlikely to follow up their Daytona 24 and Sebring 12 Hour triumphs with a clean sweep of the prototype classics in the same calendar year.

Following that last round of stops, the lead #51 Ferrari with Pier Guidi now aboard has extended its advantage. Ye is now facing a 15s deficit, while Molina is now a smidge closer - although still 19s back. His tyres on the #50 Ferrari are older too, so it will be a diminishing window in which he can reasonably expect to close on the yellow #83 machine ahead.

Estre faces a mammoth task to get back on terms, with a 57s deficit to Pier Guidi. Hartley in fifth is 80s behind so, although they are on the lead lap and not altogether out of contention, it is looking like a tall order to disrupt the Ferrari status quo without a safety car.

Good grief, the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie has a real moment on the grass passing traffic approaching Mulsanne Corner. Remarkable that Alex Riberas not only manages not to touch the armco barrier, but is able to keep going without shedding bodywork. Winces audible in the HoR garage...

The #5 PPM Porsche has had a tricky few hours since it dominated the early phases of the race. A right-rear puncture has brought it into the pits for a new set, and means Mathieu Jaminet is now running 11th.

Tom Gamble in the #007 Aston is asked by his team to stay off the marbles, as debris is overheating the left-hand duct and causing the gearbox to overheat. You imagine he is not the only one facing issues at this stage of the contest.

Inter Europol won this event in LMP2 back in 2023, and look good value for a repeat. Its lead is somewhat inflated though, as Esteban Masson has just taken over the pursuing #48 VDS Panis ORECA, so you'd imagine Tom Dillmann in the lead car will be in soon.

Richard Lietz has been eking out his LMGT3 lead in LMGT3, which now stands at 64s over Simon Mann in the #21 Ferrari. He is the silver in that car, so you would expect Lietz to be making hay at this stage. But that is a whopping margin for the AF Corse Ferrari crew to make back.