2020 Le Mans 24 Hours session timings and preview

The 2019-2020 World Endurance Championship resumed last month with the Spa-Francorchamps 6 Hours, a race dominated by Toyota, with the #7 TS050 HYBRID driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway and Jose Maria Lopez clinching victory.

Having been postponed from its traditional mid-June slot due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the iconic endurance race takes place at the Circuit de la Sarthe but without fans and with a reshaped grid due to coronavirus-enforced restrictions.

A truncated programme has been produced by organisers with practice and qualifying practice starting Thursday before Hyperpole on Friday morning - with overall practice reduced from 12 to 11 hours.

Organisers have retained the new Hyperpole format originally confirmed late last year, where the top six cars from qualifying practice in each of the four classes compete for the top positions.

Toyota's Kazuki Nakajima set the fastest time in first practice for the rescheduled 88th Le Mans 24 Hours.

Why are there no fans at Le Mans?

Despite extensive efforts to welcome a limited number of fans to Le Mans, organisers have been forced to hold the race behind closed doors after discussions with local authorities.

What happened at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Virtual?

At the height of lockdown and COVID-19 restrictions, organisers WEC, Automobile Club de l' Ouest and Motorsport Games, put on a virtual endurance race on the original weekend of the actual Le Mans 24 Hours, won by the #1 Rebellion Williams Esports team.

A team made up of pro drivers, Mercedes GT driver Raffaele Marciello and Haas Formula 1 reserve Louis Deletraz, plus sim racers Nikodem Wisniewski and Kuba Brzezinski triumphed on a star-studded grid which also included Fernando Alonso, Max Verstappen, Charles Leclerc and Lando Norris.

It marked the biggest ever sim race during the height of the Esports boom, with over 200 drivers competing from 37 different countries and provided an increased anticipation for the real thing this weekend.

Thursday 17th September 2020

Free Practice 1: 09:00am-12:00pm BST (10:00am-1:00pm local)

Free Practice 2: 1:00pm-4:00pm BST (2:00pm-5:00pm local)

Qualifying Practice: 4:15pm-5:00pm BST (5:15pm-6:00pm local)

Free Practice 3: 7:00pm-11:00pm BST (8:00pm-12:00am local)

Friday 18th September 2020

Free Practice 4: 9:00am-10:00am BST (10:00am-11:00am local)

Hyperpole: 10:30am-11:00am BST (11:30am-12:00pm local)

Saturday 19th September 2020

Warm-Up: 09:30am-09:45am BST (10:30am-10:45am local)

Race Start: 1:30pm BST (2:30pm local)

Sunday 20th September 2020

Race Finish: 1:30pm BST (2:30pm local)

How can I watch the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours?

Channel: Eurosport 1 HD

Channel numbers - Sky: 864

Channel numbers - Virgin Media: 521

Eurosport has live and exclusive broadcasting rights in the United Kingdom with the build-up to the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours race starting from 12:30pm ahead of the start at 1:30pm with uninterrupted coverage all the way to the chequered flag.

Eurosport also provides an online stream of all the action starting with practice, qualifying and then the race.

The FIA WEC official app is also offering live streaming of qualifying and the race plus live timing of all sessions.

When can I watch the highlights?

Channel: BT Sport

Start time: TBC

BT Sport has the rights to show Le Mans 24 Hours highlights.

Weather forecast for the Le Mans 24 Hours

Le Mans is bracing for a mixed forecast during the race with both rain showers and thunderstorms predicted to hit the Circuit de a Sarthe. There will be highs of 27 degrees Celsius.

Le Mans 24 Hours - FP1 results