Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours
Live Standings
Summary
Live Text
Marciello has been cleared of the earlier safety car trouble, so on we go, as he comes out in seventh place now in the #15 BMW.
The pitlane is busy once again! The #8 Toyota, #51 Ferrari, #15 BMW, #12 Cadillac all come in together. The Ferrari gets out ahead of the BMW to gain a place. Good work by the Italian crew.
The lead in LMGT3 has indeed changed hands, with the #87 Lexus at the front after not pitting on that lap. But the six cars behind it all pitted on that lap, with the #92 Porsche coming out with Hardwick at the wheel and 7s back.
Good news: Cem Bolukbasi has been released from the medical centre after a check-up following his heavy crash in the #24 Nielsen that caused the earlier safety car.
Pera has come alive since the safety car period as he is now a whole minute up the road in the #92 Porsche. Gehrsitz, in the chasing #78 Lexus, will have a chance to strike as the leader pits.
Marciello is coming under immense pressure for his fourth place from the Ferraris of Pier Guidi and Molina. The #51 car takes a look into the Porsche Curves before thinking better of it. The #15 BMW is currently under investigation for not following the race director's instructions under the earlier safety car. Could he be told to visit the naughty step?
Gray has come in from the lead in the P2 class, and stays aboard, shuffling de Gerus ahead. Alvarez also comes in from fourth, having moved up a spot when Jaubert pitted just a moment ago.
That class continues to be led by Riccardo Pera in the #92 Manthey Porsche, which has a 42s buffers. That car, you may recall, ran well in the early running with bronze Ryan Hardwick completing a quad stint spanning three hours - lopping off half his required six hours of driving time at the first available opportunity.
An excellent three-way battle for second is brewing in LMGT3, with Finn Gehrsitz in the #78 Lexus moving ahead of Simon Mann's #21 Ferrari. Right behind the pair of them is Rui Andrade in the #81 Corvette, although there is an investigation hanging over Mann for leaving the pits under the same safety car.
The hopes of a WRT class win in LMGT3 have dipped badly in recent hours. The #46 BMW is now a confirmed retirement, due to electronic issues which killed the power steering and could not be fixed in the pits, while the #31 has been in the box for a number of laps now after striking a rabbit.
Time for an LMP2 update. We have six cars on the lead lap presently, split by just 14s. Oliver Gray in the #48 VDS Panis ORECA leads Reshad de Gerus in the #9 Iron Lynx - Proton entry. Jakub Smiechowski is third in the #43 Inter Europol Competition car, then Mathys Jaubert in the #18 IDEC Sport ORECA, the second IDEC #28 entry of Sebastian Alvarez and Louis Deletraz in sixth with the #199 AO by TF machine.
Slow zone procedure penalties incoming, and two cars affected are factory Penske Porsches! The #5 and #4 963s will have to serve drive-through penalties, along with the #13 AWA Corvette. Le Mans rookie Pascal Werhlein has just pitted in the #4 Porsche, and will soon be in again.
It appears the engine is done on the WTR Caddy. A huge amount of work has gone into this programme for the IMSA squad, so it is a bitter shame that it has become the first retirement from the Hypercar field as we hit the halfway point in the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours.
Problems now for the #101 WTR Caddy, with Filipe Albuquerque at the wheel. He's been pushed behind the barriers, which is a slightly ominous sign. These are not easy cars to affect a Heath Robinson-style fix.
Thanks very much Haydn. We have the two factory Ferraris side-by-side into Mulsanne Corner, with Pier Guidi muscling past Molina into sixth.
With the action picking back up, let's hand over to a fresh(ish) pair of eyes in James Newbold. I'm off to rattle some more words out and then a power nap.
The #20 BMW WRT pitted at the exact moment of the restart which felt a odd move as it drops down the order to 12th.
An LMP2 leader heading the restart is an odd sight, but off we go! Vanthoor clears Gray in the #48 VDS Panis Racing and aims to scamper clear from Hirakawa in the #8 Toyota.
This will wake a few people up trackside, as the relative silence is about to be shattered for the restart with the safety car in this lap. The pack heads through the final section, here we go again!
In summary, we've got a mass safety car restart with the #6 Porsche in the lead from the #8 Toyota, which is the big winner in this period. But can it make it count?
OK, all runners are now in one long safety car train. So next is pass around - which means those out of order are allowed to pass the safety car until it reaches a class leader.
Jensen in the #93 Peugeot has spun while trying to catch up in the safety car merging process. He's got going again but that is really not ideal - and will probably put him in trouble with race direction.
The incident is cleared up and the three safety car trains are being merged into one long safety car snake. So for now we can ignore the gaps and focus on the order: 1. #6 Porsche, 2. #8 Toyota, 3. #83 AF Corse Ferrari, 4. #4 Porsche, 5. #20 BMW WRT.
The #24 Nielsen becomes the fifth retirement from the race, as it is hugs all around in the team garage knowing that their race is over. The safety cars are still circulating as the barrier repairs continue.
There are four service vehicles on the scene of the crash to repair the barrier, so this looks like it will be a lengthy safety car period.
A small correction, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari didn't catch the same safety car train, while the #8 Toyota didn't pit so has moved into second place.
Marshals are recovering the #24 Nielsen Racing car from the barriers so that is a good sign. Meanwhile the pitlane is a frenzy of action.
So, the three safety car trains are out and collecting the pack, as the #6 Porsche comes in largely on schedule. The #83 AF Corse Ferrari has followed in, having to come in earlier than planned, but it is worth it to gain time in the pits.
The safety car is out! It is the first one of the race. It has been caused by the #24 Nielsen Racing with Bolukbasi at the wheel who has hit the barriers hard.
Vanthoor has edged out his lead in the #6 Porsche to 16s over Kubica in the chasing #83 AF Corse Ferrari, while the #51 Ferrari has cycled into third place for the time being.
Bad news Rossi fans, the #46 returns to the pits and is wheeled into the garage. Van der Linde steps out of the car and the body language communicates that its race is over. Arrivederci.
The #7 Toyota has got a massive gash into its sidepod area on the left-hand side as it pits but the team doesn't seem too fussed as it gives pretty much ignores the damage and allows Nyck de Vries to go on his merry way.
Fuoco serves the penalty in the #50 Ferrari and comes out of the pitlane in fifth but just 2s ahead of Marciello in the #15 BMW.
The #85 Iron Dames Porsche has been given a 5s penalty for going off at the Dunlop chicane - just like Fuoco did a few minutes earlier. Pretty slam dunk that.
Jamie Chadwick is at the wheel of the #18 IDEC Sport entry, winner of two ELMS races this year, is chugging along nicely in fifth in the LMP2 class. The #48 VDS Panis Racing entry currently leads by 1m23s from the #9 Iron Lynx - Proton.
Ferrari's joy is short-lived as the #50 is given a 5s penalty for cutting the track at the Dunlop chicane. Fuoco will serve that at his next pitstop.
At the front the #6 Porsche leads by 10s from the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, while about one minute further back Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari takes third place off of Hartley in the #8 Toyota.
Van der Linde is back on the track in the #46 car, but is three laps down on the class leaders. That's a real kick in the Valentinos.
A quick clean-up job is complete and the green flag is waved once more. That had a minimal hit on the running order, but Vandoorne in the #94 Peugeot has mugged Gounon in the #36 Alpine for 13th place.
By: Autosport staff
