The 24 Hours of Le Mans started at 4 p.m. on Saturday on the Circuit des 24 Heures. For the past four years, Toyota Gazoo Racing has won the race in the Hypercar class.
The defending champions will be Mike Conway, José María López and Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid.
The Toyota #7 is now back at the top. But the #8 remains within striking distance.
24h from Le Mans
Iron Hard by the Iron Dames! Ferrari sends LMP2 off the track
BEFORE AN HOUR
From a German point of view, 21-year-old Sophia Flörsch from Munich will be competing in the LMP2 class, but she had bad luck with technical problems right from the start.
The 24-hour race of Le Mans 2022 for you live in the ticker:
10:25 p.m. – Porsche accelerates
Kevin Estre in the #92 Porsche makes an impressive comeback. Not only has it moved up to second place in the GTE Pro class, it is also closing the gap to the leading Corvette #63. There is no good news from the Corvette #64 with Nick tandy. The car had to make an unscheduled stop. He did leave the pits once more, but that cost valuable time.
10:09 pm – Hirakawa is keeping up
Kobayashi can’t really break away from his compatriot. Seven seconds down, Hirakawa remains within range of the #7 Toyota. The distance to the two Glickenhaus is huge.
9:52 p.m. – Debris on the route
Yellow is briefly in turn six. Because there is a thick piece of debris on the route. Drivers have to slow down while the scrap is being removed.
Iron Hard by the Iron Dames! Ferrari sends LMP2 off the track
9:49 p.m. – Drive-through penalty for Porsche
Annoying for the Porsche #91, where Frederic Makowiecki is currently behind the wheel. Due to exceeding the track limit, the team has to turn into the pits for a drive-through penalty. The team is currently fourth in the GTE Pro class.
9:30 p.m. – Toyota #7 back on top
At the top, the duel between the Toyotas continues. The #7 with Kobayashi has taken the lead once more away from the cameras. But the gap remains manageable. Everything is still open here.
9:15 p.m. – The intermediate results
While the two Toyotas in the hypercar class, with Kamui Kobayashi and Ryo Hirakawa at the wheel, are still within striking distance of each other, the #38 Jota is still alone in the LMP2. In the GTE Pro, the #63 Corvette is ahead of the #64 Corvette. And in the GTE AM, Weathertech #79 leads with Cooper MacNeil at the wheel.
21:01 – Alpine with clutch problems
According to information from the track to Eurosport, the clutch at Alpine is said to have been the problem. Work has been done and the #36 can drive once more. But Negrao has meanwhile dropped to 33rd place in the overall standings, seven laps down.
8:42 p.m. – Alpine back in the pits
Oh my! The Alpine is pushed into the garage once more. The race develops into a real disaster for the team.
8:34 p.m. – Alpine has fallen far behind
Due to the unplanned and long pit stop, the Alpine is now not only last by a wide margin in the hypercar classification, but also passed through to 27th place overall. A good placement is almost impossible.
“Unfortunately a classic”: Glorieux slips and crashes
8:22 p.m. – Next setback for Alpine
There has been another serious setback for Alpine. André Negrao had to pit unplanned and lost several laps. This puts you at the bottom of the hybrid class by far.
8:05 p.m. – Close duel at the top
Lopez’s blunder made it possible. A clear lead not only resulted in a change of leadership but also in a close duel. The #8 is currently four seconds ahead of the #7. Lopez is not really attacking at the moment. But there is still more than enough time to do it with endurance.
7:45 p.m. – change of leadership!
Change of leadership in the overall standings. José-Maria Lopez went off the track on his outlap following a planned pit stop and lost valuable time. The Toyota #8 has passed the #7.
19:43 – Jota dominates LMP2
In LMP2, the #38 Jota with Williams Stevens at the wheel is circling relatively lonely. Pense #5 is over 1:15 minutes behind. Behind them, between places two and seven, things are very close.
19:26 – Vector Sport in the tire stack
The #10 Vector Sport is in the tire stack. Ryan Cullen went off the track, landed in the gravel and ended up in the tires at the barrier. At least Cullen can continue the race.
“Unfortunately a classic”: Glorieux slips and crashes
19:08 – Glickenhaus continues to catch up
After the unplanned pit stop, the Glickenhaus #709 car fell back to tenth place in the overall standings for a short time. Meanwhile, with Westbrook at the wheel, the car has already pushed past the Alpine to the four. This puts the five hypercar vehicles back in the top five.
18:54 – Drive-through penalty for Alpine
Annoying for the Alpine #36. Matthieu Vaxiviere receives a drive-through penalty for speeding in a slow zone. This is a big setback in the fight for a podium place in the general classification. So far they were fourth, but the gap to Glickenhaus #708 is increasing.
18:28 – Glorieux crash
Jean Glorieux in the DKR-Oreca#3 spins at the exit of Indianapolis and crashes into the crash barrier. The car needs a new nose.
18:12 – Change at Toyota
The third stint at Toyota has been completed and the stops were used for driver changes. Brendan Hartley now takes the wheel for the #7, and José Maria Lopez for the #8. There was also a change at Glickenhaus #708. Romain Dumas is now on the track.
5:58 p.m. – Driver change at Glickenhaus
The racing team used the unplanned stop to change drivers. Instead of Mailleux, Richard Westbrook is now behind the wheel.
Actor Fassbender stalls Porsche during driver change
5:48 p.m. – Problems at Glickenhaus
That doesn’t look good at Glickenhaus #709 with Franck Mailleux. Unplanned, the car has to go to the pits. The rear part of the car is being worked on. Mailleux has just left the pits once more, but of course that cost valuable time.
5:45 p.m. – Flörsch to the race control
It was just said that car #47 had to go to race control immediately. This is Sophia Flörsch’s car in the Algarve Pro Racing Team. What is the reason is not yet known.
17:40 – Lead change in the GTE Pro
There has been a change at the top of the GTE Pro. However, the lead remains with Corvette. Antonio Garcia in the #63 passed Nick tandy in the #64 and took regarding ten seconds off him. In the hypercar class, the #708 Glickenhaus is three laps 30 seconds behind the #7 Toyota. And here the top cars were all already at the second stop.
17:29 – Toyota in the pits once more
Both Toyotas were in the pits once more. It seems to come down to one stop every twelve laps. Nothing has changed at the top. Conway continues ahead of Buemi. But the distance is small. The #7 is regarding ten seconds in the lead.
17:15 – Significant loss for Rast
By the way, Rast has now completed his sentence. The WRT #31 dropped back to 24th place. Rast lost around ninety seconds due to the involuntary pit stop.
Up close: the start from a Toyota perspective onboard
5:00 p.m. – The intermediate results
The race is an hour old and the leaders have now completed 16 laps. The #7 Toyota continues to lead in the Hypercar class and the overall standings. In the LMP2 class, the #38 Jota with Antonio Felix da Costa at the wheel is currently at the top. And in the LMGTW, the Corvette #64 with Nick Tandy leads.
4:45 p.m. – The first pit stops
Almost all of the cars have now been in the pits. The Toyotas just came in. This has led to a change of leadership in the LMP2 class. The Jota-Oreca #38 with Felix da Costa at the wheel is now in front.
4:30 p.m. – Penalty for rest
Rast’s WRT-Oreca #31 gets a one-minute stop-and-go penalty following shooting down Owen. Incidentally, everyone who had problems in the initial phase was able to continue. Flörsch has already lost five laps following a hydraulic problem.
Start Crash! Owen flies off before the first corner because of a rast
4:20 p.m. – The booth
The field has now been sorted. In front is the #8 Toyota with Conway at the wheel, then the #7 Toyota with Conway. Glickenhaus #708 with Olivier is currently third.
4:09pm – Owen hit by Rast
The slow motion clarified. René racing in the WRT-Oreca #31 hit Owen and shot him off the track. This is a bitter setback for the co-favorite in the LM P2 class. Owen has already lost a round.
4:03 p.m. – The start
Already in the first round there is the first departure. In the back field, a car races off the track. It was the United Autosports Oreca 22 with Will Owen at the wheel. And the cars of Sophia Flörsch (Algarve Pro Racing) and Ferdinand Habsburg (Realteam WRT) must also have been involved. You drive very slowly.
4:00 p.m. – The start
Here we go. The French flag is waved, the start has taken place. At the front, the two Toyotas fight a duel. But Sebastian Buemi in the #( has passed Mike Conway in the #7. A Glickenhaus takes a shortcut in the Shcikane and briefly moves up to one. But he falls behind because it’s clear that’s not allowed.
The ceremony before the spectacle: the celebratory anthem at Le Mans
15:52 – The formation lap
The drivers go on the formation lap. The legendary race track on the Sarthe can be tested one last time.
Info – The start is getting closer
The countdown is running. 30 minutes until the start. The spectators have now left the racetrack at the start area. The French national anthem is played.
Comfortable motorhome: This is where the drivers relax during their breaks
Info – Toyota start from double pole
In a true thriller, former Formula 1 driver Brendon Hartley secured pole position in the #8 car with a time of 3:24.408 minutes. He relegated Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 car to second place, a tenth of a second down. Nicolas Lapierre placed his #36 Alpine in third place.
Info – Toyota the favorites at Le Mans
Info – Welcome
Fassbender humbled following qualifying crash: “Dream turned into nightmare”
24h from Le Mans
Off to the garage: Alpine has problems and loses a lot of time
BEFORE AN HOUR
24h from Le Mans
leadership change! Toyota #8 passes #7
2 HOURS AGO
