Le Mans 24 Hours Live Commentary and Updates
Minute-by-minute updates for the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours
Live Text
The second pitstop cycle for the majority of the Hypercar field is under way, as Buemi in the #8 Toyota gets by Duval in the #94 Peugeot on track for eighth place and is due to get back into the lead with all of those ahead of him set to pit at the end of this lap.
The out of sequence Toyotas have caught the tail of the Hypercar runners, the Peugeot pair, and are reminded they will pit in one or two laps so Buemj and Conway can afford to be patient and not take too many risks.
The #92 Porsche, which won its class last year, is in the garage undergoing repairs so that's an early blow to that car's chances.
Rast gets caught in traffic and that allows Habsburg to reel in the leading #20 BMW but there is no way through to make a move. Traffic giveth, traffic taketh away.
Buemi already had fastest race lap and he's banged in another one, a 3m26.5s. Don't forget that's got a lighter fuel load than the Bimmer that's now trailing 15s in his wake,
On schedule with the expected stint length the #7 Toyota pits to drop to the back of the Hypercar pack, so expect the leading #8 Toyota to pit next and the order to shuffle once more.
I agree with Gary.
Meanwhile in LMGT3, the BMWs are helping each other with a slipstream to move up to second and third against the #87 Lexus. Am driver James in the #27 Aston Martin is the unlucky driver swallowed up by the Pros around him as he dips to sixth behind the #77 Ford with Tuck at the wheel.
Buemi's ability to pull away from Rast is interesting. The Toyota wasn't there on outright pace in practice and qualifying, but it looked much more competitive on a long run. We're seeing that now. Both the top two started on four fresh mediums, so there's no discrepancy on the tyres they're on.
For the second time in this race already, Giovinazzi passes Magnussen for position on the track as the #51 Ferrari moves back up to eighth place.
It is really, really early days so don't use this message to beat us with later but the fight for the win looks an open fight between Toyota, BMW, Alpine, Cadillac and with an outside shout for Ferrari.
For fans of Aston Martin, Genesis and Peugeot, never fear, we're usually wrong.
In LMP2, van Uitert in the #28 IDEC Sport leads by 4s from the #29 Forestier Racing by Panis, but Masson is due to serve a penalty in the next he pits.
And in LMGT3, the #78 Lexus leads from the #27 Aston Martin with #87 Lexus in third.
One hour down, 23 hours to go
Buemi leads in the #8 Toyota following that strategic early pitstop to gain clean air, with Rast in second in the #20 BMW just over 6s back. The #35 Alpine with Habsburg at the wheel holds third, with #38 Cadillac (Bamber) and #7 Toyota (Conway) in tow.
Traffic is proving a real disrupter in the battle for fourth overall with Bamber in the #38 Cadillac ducking and diving between LMGT3 and LMP2 cars which is allowing him to keep out of the grasp of Conway in the #7 Toyota.
Toyota is already playing the strategy game and we're not quite an hour into the race. It short-fuelled its two cars when they came in early. It worked a treat; not only is Buemi leading in #8 but he's set fastest lap of the race so far in the clear air that the tactic was designed to give him and Conway.
At the front the #20 BMW has lost the lead after its first stop to the #8 Toyota which dived into the pits early and out of sync with the rest of the field.
The #29 Forestier Racing by Panis and #14 TDS LMP2 cars have been given a five-second penalty each for a start infringement. Masson, at the wheel in the #29, which is currently second in class so that's an early blow, while Lutke faces the same fate down in 11th place.
The #61 Mercedes has spun on an out-lap with Martin Berry at the wheel at Terte Rouge, having just taken over on driving duties in that car. He's got going again but has front-right damage and suspects he has also damaged the splitter.
At the minute it is a Lexus 1-2 in the LMGT3 class - so team snappers get out on track now for that shot - as the pitstop cycles begin. The #87 dives into the pits to release sister #78 into the lead with Hawksworth at the wheel.
The first of the scheduled pitstops for the Hypercar runners are coming up now, as Rast pushes his lead to nearly 9s over Stevens in this opening stint.
Name a more iconic shot in motorsport. We'll wait.
Photo by: Nikolaz Godet
Another update, another position lost for Magnussen, as Giovinazzi overtakes him for sixth place in the #51 Ferrari.
A lap after the sister car, the #8 Toyota also pits for the first time in this race. Conway had a standard service and returned to action at the back of the Hypercar field but in front of all the LMP2 runners, so has clean air to enjoy.
The #88 Ford has come in to fix some flapping free bodywork, so Gattuso in the car has dropped to the rear of the field.
The polesitting #15 BMW loses another place as Bamber nips by into the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight to take fifth place in the #38 Cadillac.
The #7 Toyota is the first of the Hypercars to pit, which is very early just 29 minutes into the race. Is there an issue for Conway?
The Hypercar leaders have already caught the tail-end runners so the traffic game is now in play. Not that it is causing much of an issue for leader Rast in the #20 BMW who has pushed the lead up to 7s over Stevens in the #12 Cadillac.
Magnussen isn't having the opening stint he was hoping for as he loses another place to Albuquerque and drops to fifth place in the #15 BMW. Does the car lack outright pace or is it playing the long game to extend its stint length?
No change at the front of the LMP2 class, but a certain Jack Doohan is up to fourth in the #24 Nielsen entry and gives chase to the top three.
Habsburg has dived around the outside of Magnussen to jump into third place in the #35 Alpine, with Albuquerque in the #101 Cadillac looking to join in the action despite being warned about rising cockpit temperatures that he is having to manage.
At the front the #20 BMW has pulled out a couple of seconds on the #12 Cadillac in the lead, with the frontrunners largely settling down from what was, if we're honest, a very well behaved start to the race.
Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari has got by Juncadella in the #19 Genesis to move up to eighth place.
Hanson is struggling with rear grip and drive in the #83 Ferrari, but it cannot be that bad given as he said it he was overtaking the #007 Aston for 15th place.
The start of the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours in photographic form.
Start: #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota Cadillac V-Series.R: Louis Deletraz, Will Stevens, Norman Nato, #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8: Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello, Dries Vanthoor
Photo by: Rainier Ehrhardt
Tincknell has reported "no power and no grip" in the #007 Aston Martin Hypercars having dropped to 15th place. He's still ahead of last year's winner the #83 Ferrari and the two Peugeots so not a complete disaster.
In LMP2 the #28 IDEC Sport driven by van Uitert leads by half a second from Andlauer in the #30 Duqueine and the #4 APR driven by Quinn.
While in GT, the #27 Aston Martin with Drudi at the wheel is at the head of the field from the pair of Lexus cars: the #87 with Schmid at the wheel is second from Hawksworth in the #78.
At the end of the first lap Rast leads in the #20 BMW from the #12 Cadillac and the #15 BMW. No incidents to report with all 62 cars running untroubled.
The two factory Ferraris are on the move early on, with the #51 driven by Giovinazzi already up to seventh halfway around the opening lap. The sister #50 Ferrari is up to ninth, split by the #19 Genesis.
Into the first chicane down the Mulsanne straight and the #20 BMW takes the lead as Rast dives inside Stevens in the #12 Cadillac. Further back in fourth the #35 Alpine is in close contention.
Go! Go! Go! Stevens gets the jump on Magnussen at the start to lead in the #12 Cadillac and he is followed through by the #20 BMW. Magnussen is down to third in the#15 BMW. Everyone appears to get through the first few corners cleanly.
The 62-car train, led by the safety car, is winding down the Porsche curves so we are minutes away from the race start. Here we go...
So, who are you backing this weekend? Let us know in the comments.
Also, if you have any questions you want us to answer during the race, let us know in the comments and we'll get through them once the race settles down. We've got all day.
By: Autosport staff
