The 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has officially begun, with Zinedine Zidane flagging off the 62 cars for a thrilling 24-hour race. The event, which is the fourth round of the FIA WEC, promises to be an exceptional race with the winner set to be revealed at 16:00 tomorrow.
Before the race started, there was a lot of excitement both on and off the track. More than 300,000 spectators have gathered at Le Mans, the hub of motor racing, this weekend. French celebrities like Esteban Ocon, Pierre Gasly, Gad Elmaleh, Vincent Cassel, and Mathieu Kassovitz were seen mingling with fans and enjoying the unique atmosphere.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been a testing ground for technology for over a century, allowing manufacturers to showcase their advancements in sustainable mobility. This year, the focus was on hydrogen technology, with prototypes like Mission H24, Solution F’s Foenix H2, Ligier JS2 RH2, and Alpine Alpenglow Hy4 taking to the track. Zero-emission cars will have a chance to compete for victory in 2028 when a new hydrogen class is introduced.
As the tension mounted, the competitors lined up on the starting grid, with a French Navy Rafale flypast adding to the excitement. The 24 Hours of Le Mans Trophy was presented, and the outgoing winners, Ferrari, returned the trophy as per tradition. The Patrouille de France performed a flypast, marking the start of the race led by Grand Marshal Kazuki Nakajima.
Cars in all classes – Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3 – are using renewable Excellium Racing 100 fuel developed by TotalEnergies, the multi-energy partner of the event. The race finally began with cars slowly approaching the start line, kicking off what is expected to be a thrilling and unpredictable 24-hour endurance race.
During the first hour of the race, Ferrari dominated with their hypercars leading the pack. Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari 499P took the overall lead, followed by Antonio Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari. Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica made an impressive climb from 12th to fifth place in the AF Corse Ferrari.
In the LMP2 class, the Inception Racing #70 McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo led the way, followed by the Proton Competition #77 Ford Mustang LMGT3 and JMW’s #66 Ferrari 296 LMGT3. The top five after the first hour of racing were led by the #50 Ferrari 499P, followed by the #6 Porsche 963 and the #3 Cadillac V-Series.R.
The race saw some incidents, including the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 going off track and the #99 Porsche 963 facing door problems. In the LMP2 class, the COOL Racing #47 Oreca 07-Gibson and the #33 DKR Engineering car encountered issues, while Ben Keating in the United Autosports USA #23 Oreca went off into the gravel.
Overall, the first hour of the 24 Hours of Le Mans provided plenty of action and excitement, setting the stage for a thrilling race ahead. Fans can look forward to more adrenaline-pumping moments as the event unfolds over the next 23 hours.