cadillac was pole in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second time in a row for a few minutes… but in the offices that honor ended up in the hands of the bmw #15 of Dries Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen and Rafaele Marciello.
He #38 by Jack AItken, Earl Bamber and Sebastien Bourdais had surpassed in extremis and by just five thousandths!! to the bmw #15 with which Vanthoor He had twice broken the best record of an LM Hypercar in a Le Mans qualy. But first, at the start of the session, The American car exited the pit lane earlier than allowed and, for that absurd mistakelost a very notable pole position.
Be that as it may, the fight between Americans and Germans It also seems to be suitable for the race based on what has been seen these first days in La Sarthe. In fact, the second German car (the one from Frinjs, Rast and Van der LindeWorld Cup leaders) ended roomwhile the American prototypes were second and sixth…besides the tenth to which #38 was relegated.
Genesis Surprise
But the great feeling of this first round of the 24 Hours of Le Mans were the Koreans of Genesisnot content with putting his two cars in the Hyperpole…they also passed the second cut and found themselves in the fight for pole position. Something, without a doubt, unexpected.
Logically, they were not in the battle, but the sixth place in GMR-001 #19 by Juncadella, Jaminet and Chatin It tastes like a triumph for the rookies. The Catalan also had the pleasure of being the best Spanish on the grill given that Alex Riberaswith Aston Martin #009, had to settle for seventh place. And that His mechanics had to change the engine against the clock and they reached the Hyperpole “by a miracle”according to what the Catalan assured MARCA.
Molina’s Ferrari did not make the cut
It was evident that It was going to be difficult for Ferrari to enter the top 10 and fight for pole… and at least that’s how it was for him #50which put its fastest driver within one lap, Antonio Fuoco, in Hyperpole 1. But not even for those, because the Italian couldn’t get past the twelfth position. Of course, the Italians saved the ballot with the #51, which did get into Hyperpole 2 and
The other big loser on Friday was Toyotawhich was three tenths away in the case of Kobayashi (the track record holder) already more than half a second in the case of Hirakawa. The two Japanese prototypes will have to trust their race pace because They will start 14th and 15th.
The #50 could not get into the top 10 and will start twelfth.
Starting grid of the 24 Hours of Le Mans
LM Hypercar Category
- Magnussen – Marciello – Vanthoor (BMW)
- Delétraz – Stevens – Nato (cadillac)
- Da Costa – Milesi – Habsburg (Alpine)
- Frijns – Rast – Van der Linde (BMW)
- Taylor – Taylor – Albuquerque (cadillac)
- Jaminet – Chatin – Juncadella (Genesis)
- Riberas – Sørensen – De Angelis (Aston Martin)
- Pier Guidi – Openwork – Giovinazzi (Ferrari)
- Lotterer – Derani – Jaubert (Genesis)
- Bourdais – Bamber – Aitken (Cadillac)
- Tincknell – Gamble – Gunn (Aston Martin)
- Fuoco – Nielsen – Molina (Ferrari)
- Makowiecki – Gounon – Martins (Alpine)
- Conway – Kobayashi – De Vries (Toyota)
- Buemi – Hartley – Hirakawa (Toyota)
- Di Resta – Vandoorne – Cassidy (Peugeot)
- Ye – Kubica – Hanson (Ferrari AF Corse)
- Jakobsen – Duval – Pourchaire (Peugeot)
In LMP2 pole went to Olivier Panis’s team, where the very young Stephen Masson (Toyota reserve in LM Hypercar) gave a real exhibition by beating drivers of the caliber of Jack Doohan, Kevin Estre either Nick Yelloly… all of them Hypercar meat in 2027
Esteban Masson achieved pole in LMP2 and establishes himself as a star of the future.
In LMGT3Aston Martin took glory thanks to Matia Drudiwhich surpassed the Ferrari of Alessio Rovera and the Lexus of Pechito Lopez.
