The 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans saw 62 cars on the track for a brief warm-up session before the highly anticipated race was set to begin. The teams had only 15 minutes to make final adjustments and ensure their cars were running smoothly before the start.
As the morning skies turned cloudy, Race Control declared the track “wet,” prompting some teams to switch to rain tires. However, the #7 Toyota GR010-Hybrid and the #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 were forced to return to the garage after a collision between Nyck de Vries and Kelvin van der Linde. Despite this setback, the #12 Porsche 963 managed to hit the track after extensive repairs following a previous accident.
During the warm-up session, drivers were cautious on the slippery track, with only Robert Kubica in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P posting a time under 3:30. AF Corse also showed strong performance in the LMP2 category. Here are the top hypercars in the warm-up session:
– #83 Ferrari 499P | AF Corse | Kubica/Shwartzmann/Ye | 3:29.260
– #51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi | 3:30.690
– #35 Alpine A424 | Alpine Endurance Team | Chatin/Habsburg-Lothringen/Milesi | 3:31.103
– #6 Porsche 963 | Porsche Penske Motorsport | Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor | 3:32.171
– #12 Porsche 963 | Hertz Team Jota | Stevens/Nato/Ilott | 3:32.384
In addition, AF Corse topped the LMP2 class with the #183 Oreca 07-Gibson, while the #86 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 from GR Racing led the LMGT3 category.
The collision between Toyota and Lexus added an unexpected twist to the warm-up session, setting the stage for an exciting and unpredictable race ahead. Fans can look forward to seeing how these teams will recover from the incident and compete in the 24-hour endurance event.