Alpine Snatches Hypercar Pole in Thrilling Le Mans Qualifying
The much-anticipated qualifying session for the 24 Hours of Le Mans delivered a nail-biting spectacle, with Alpine Endurance Team ultimately clinching the coveted pole position in the Hypercar category. Ferdinand Habsburg, at the wheel of the #35 Alpine A424, set a blistering lap time of 3m23.135s, edging out the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA by a mere 0.013 seconds. This dramatic late surge denied Cadillac the top spot and ensured Alpine would lead the charge into the Hyperpole session.
The session began with Tom Gamble in the #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie setting an early benchmark, but as the half-hour progressed, the competition intensified. Within just fifteen minutes, the top seven cars were separated by a mere three-tenths of a second, showcasing the incredibly tight margins in this year’s Hypercar field. Among the early front-runners were the sister #009 Aston Martin, the #12 Cadillac, the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8, the #35 Alpine, the #101 Cadillac, and the #38 Cadillac.
As the session neared its conclusion, the pressure mounted for teams vying for a spot in the top 15, which would grant them access to the Hyperpole shootout. Drivers from the #36 Alpine, the Peugeots, and crucially, last year’s winner, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, found themselves on the cusp of missing out. Phil Hanson in the #83 Ferrari was precariously positioned, just two-tenths of a second clear of the danger zone.
The leaderboard continued to shuffle, with the #8 Toyota and the #15 BMW joining the leading pack, all within 0.3 seconds of each other. While some drivers improved their times, others faced challenges. The #83 Ferrari, which had a moment with two wheels on the grass exiting the Forest Esses, and the #19 Genesis were left vulnerable.
Ultimately, Habsburg’s final flying lap proved decisive, pushing the #35 Alpine to the summit and leaving Earl Bamber’s earlier benchmark in Free Practice 1 in the rearview mirror. The #101 WTR Cadillac secured third place, followed closely by the #20 BMW, the #38 Jota Cadillac, and the #15 BMW.
Disappointingly for Ferrari fans, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, despite a spirited effort, failed to make the top 15 cut. Phil Hanson’s best lap of 3m25.495s placed them a significant half-second behind the #93 Peugeot and narrowly ahead of the #94 Peugeot, which occupied the final spots on the grid. The two factory Ferraris, the #50 and #51, did manage to qualify for Hyperpole, but only by a margin of less than half a second.
Pin Dominates LMP2 Qualifying, Corvette’s Moment of Glory Cut Short
In the combined qualifying session for the LMP2 and LMGT3 classes, Doriane Pin delivered a stellar performance, dominating the LMP2 category. The Peugeot Hypercar reserve driver set a formidable time of 3m34.662s in the #30 Duqueine Oreca, putting her more than half a second clear of her nearest competitor.
The battle for LMP2 supremacy was largely a two-way affair between Pin and Ian Aguilera in the #37 CLX Motorsport Oreca. The two drivers traded the fastest times throughout the session, with Aguilera initially holding the provisional pole. However, with just ten minutes remaining, Pin unleashed a new track record for the LMP2 class, snatching the top spot. Aguilera ultimately finished second, with Bijoy Garg in the #343 Inter Europol Oreca securing third.
Only a handful of LMP2 cars missed out on advancing to Hyperpole 1, including the #16 Proton Competition Oreca, which had lost significant track time due to earlier issues, and the #17 Algarve Pro entry.
In the LMGT3 class, Peter Dempsey put the #34 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R on provisional pole, setting a time of 3m55.744s. He held a narrow two-tenth advantage over Eric Powell in the #77 Proton Ford Mustang GT3. Gray Newell in the #23 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3 and James Cottingham in the #91 Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R rounded out the top four, with Darren Leung’s #32 WRT BMW M4 GT3 completing the top five.
Fifteen of the 25 LMGT3 entries progressed to Hyperpole 1. Notably, both Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3s failed to make the cut. However, the leading #34 Corvette’s impressive performance was overshadowed by a post-session disqualification due to excessive strake wear on its diffuser, a significant setback for the team.
Hypercar Qualifying Results: Top 10
Here’s a look at the top 10 qualifiers for the Hypercar category:
- Alpine Endurance Team – #35 Alpine A424 (F. Habsburg) – 3m23.135s
- Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – #12 Cadillac V-Series.R (L. Deletraz) – +0.013s
- Cadillac WTR – #101 Cadillac V-Series.R (R. Taylor) – +0.188s
- BMW M Team WRT – #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 (R. Rast) – +0.309s
- Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA – #38 Cadillac V-Series.R (S. Bourdais) – +0.350s
- BMW M Team WRT – #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 (K. Magnussen) – +0.490s
- Aston Martin THOR Team – #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (A. Riberas) – +0.642s
- Toyota Racing – #8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid (S. Buemi) – +0.656s
- Aston Martin THOR Team – #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (T. Gamble) – +0.771s
- Alpine Endurance Team – #36 Alpine A424 (F. Makowiecki) – +0.825s
LMP2/LMGT3 Qualifying Results: Top 5
The top five in the combined LMP2 and LMGT3 qualifying session were:
- DUQUEINE TEAM (LMP2) – #30 Oreca 07 – Gibson (D. Pin) – 3m34.662s
- CLX Motorsport (LMP2) – #37 Oreca 07 – Gibson (I. Aguilera) – +0.567s
- INTER EUROPOL COMPETITION (LMP2) – #343 Oreca 07 – Gibson (B. Garg) – +0.585s
- Forestier Racing by Panis (LMP2) – #29 Oreca 07 – Gibson (L. Rousset) – +1.436s
- VECTOR SPORT (LMP2) – #26 Oreca 07 – Gibson (R. Cullen) – +1.643s
