Provisional pole for JOTA at Le Mans

Hertz Team JOTA placed the first Cadillac V-Series.R on provisional pole at Le Mans. Alex Lynn set a 3:22.847 lap in a session where high temperatures forced teams to adjust their tire strategies.

Conditions of 31°C ambient and 41°C track temperature altered expected performance. Ferrari lost top speed on the Mulsanne Straight as temperatures rose, allowing Cadillac and BMW to advance.

Vanthoor rescues BMW from last place

Dries Vanthoor had no valid time with ten minutes remaining. The Belgian from M Team WRT executed a 3:22.887 lap that catapulted him from last to first place, before Lynn's final response.

The comeback of the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 surprised the Bavarian brand's engineers. Vanthoor had lost his initial laps due to track limits at Porsche Curves, leaving him without reference until the decisive minutes.

René Rast qualified the second BMW (#20) in eighth position with 3:23.805, securing two German cars for Thursday afternoon's Hyperpole session.

Ye loses pace as temperatures rise

The Chinese driver of the Ferrari #83 had set the initial pace with 3:23.994 when temperatures were around 29°C. Ye lost three tenths as the thermometer rose, allowing Giovinazzi to take over in the #51.

Antonio Giovinazzi maintained third position for Ferrari AF Corse with 3:23.163, resisting the final push from the Cadillacs. The Italian finished 0.316 seconds behind Lynn, keeping the Cavallino Rampante's options alive.

Alessandro Pier Guidi had set 3:23.933 in the first half of the session with the same #51, a time that would have been enough for provisional pole. The changing conditions penalized early runs.

Estre minimizes damage for Porsche with single set

Kevin Estre qualified fourth in the #6 Porsche 963 using just one set of tires. The Frenchman from Penske Motorsport clocked 3:23.360, saving German honor after top speed issues detected in practice.

Mathieu Jaminet placed the second Porsche (#5) in seventh position, while Felipe Nasr completed Stuttgart's representation in fourteenth place. Three 963s advanced to Hyperpole.

The performance difference between the two Penske Porsches suggests different aerodynamic setups for Thursday's decisive session.

Chatin stars in most spectacular spin

Paul-Loup Chatin lost control of the Alpine #36 at Porsche Curves while attempting to beat Estre's time. The Frenchman completed a high-speed spin without consequences, keeping the engine running.

The incident triggered yellow flags that hampered several drivers' laps, including Nyck de Vries in the Toyota #7. Chatin qualified fifteenth, last position for Hyperpole.

Mick Schumacher placed the second Alpine (#36) in tenth position with 3:23.945, just five hundredths ahead of his teammate after the scare.

Toyota loses its 2024 ace

The championship-winning GR010 Hybrid #7 didn't advance to Hyperpole. Nyck de Vries finished seventeenth after losing his two best laps due to traffic and yellow flags at key moments.

Mike Conway had shown competitive pace in morning practice, but the 2024 winning trio will have to start from mid-pack. An unexpected elimination for the title defenders.

Sébastien Buemi saved Toyota's honor by qualifying eleventh in the #8 with 3:23.988. The Swiss maintained Japanese representation for Thursday's pole fight.

Al Harthy puts BMW ahead in LMGT3

Ahmad Al Harthy clocked 3:56.875 in the BMW M4 LMGT3 #46 from Team WRT. The Omani, teammate of Valentino Rossi, beat Ian James in the Aston Martin #27 from Heart of Racing by two tenths.

Arnold Robin had led much of the session in the Lexus RC F LMGT3 #78 from Akkodis ASP. The Frenchman set 3:57.321 before Al Harthy's late improvement, relegating the Japanese car to fourth.

Ryan Hardwick completed the provisional podium in the Porsche #92 from Manthey. The Briton, part of the 2024 constructors' champion team, finished three tenths behind the Omani leader.

Keating suffers elimination

Ben Keating didn't advance with the Corvette #33 from TF Sport. The American, current LMGT3 championship leader, finished seventeenth with no chance to fight for the definitive pole.

Tom van Rompuy qualified fifth in the second TF Sport Corvette (#81), partially saving the American brand's honor. The difference between both C8.Rs suggests specific issues with Keating's car.

Stefano Gattuso placed sixth in the Ford Mustang #88 from Proton Competition, while Martin Berry secured Hyperpole in the Mercedes-AMG #61 from Iron Lynx. The Briton gave Mercedes its only representation in the decisive session.

Deletraz leads LMP2 without Lotterer

Louis Deletraz took provisional LMP2 pole with 3:35.472 in the ORECA 07-Gibson #99 from AO by TF. The Swiss beat Ben Hanley in the #23 from United Autosports by 185 thousandths.

André Lotterer was eliminated in the #18 IDEC Sport, finishing 2.5 seconds off the pace. The German couldn't repeat his performances from previous seasons in the category.

Alex Quinn surprised by qualifying third in the ORECA #45 from Algarve Pro Racing, overtaking several favorites in the final minutes of the shared session.

All three categories will contest their respective Hyperpole sessions on Thursday. Fifteen Hypercars, twelve LMP2s, and twelve LMGT3s will battle for definitive pole positions.

Le Mans 2025 Hypercar Qualifying Times