The 24 Hours of Le Mans officially got underway with a dominant first practice session for Cadillac. While the American prototypes showed their potential, incidents marred the opening runs, notably affecting reigning champions Ferrari and one of the Alpine contenders.
First laps and early surprises
Just three days after a Test Day where overall reliability seemed to have improved, the Circuit de la Sarthe buzzed to life this Wednesday afternoon for the first practice session of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Under overcast skies and cool temperatures, the 62 competitors had three hours to prepare for the Le Mans classic. These conditions already contrast with the summer heat expected for the weekend. Despite a slight delay due to support races, the session ran with remarkable fluidity, punctuated only by a few short Full Course Yellow periods. The LMP2 prototypes were the main protagonists of brief off-track excursions, with no major consequences for the session’s progress.
Cadillac sets the tone, with rivals watching closely
From the first half-hour, the American marque Cadillac clearly signalled its intentions. Car number 101, driven by Jordan Taylor, quickly set a benchmark time of 3:25.348. This lap time, untouchable for a long time, was eventually beaten in the final quarter-hour by Earl Bamber at the wheel of the Cadillac number 38. He improved the mark to 3:23.786, confirming the dominance of the American prototypes during this session. Behind this leading duo, the BMW number 20, winner at Spa and leader of the world championship, positioned itself in the top three thanks to a 3:25.533 lap from René Rast. The competition is already shaping up, but Cadillac has laid down an early marker for pace.
Reigning champions Ferrari struggle
The flip side for the favourites arrived at the end of the session. The Ferrari number 83, the reigning champion team, experienced a significant setback when Yifei Ye went off track at the Mulsanne corner with about twenty minutes remaining. The Italian car ended its run in the tyre barrier, but without major damage, allowing the driver to return to the pits. This incident, although seemingly without mechanical severity, casts a shadow over the reigning champions’ preparation and could impact their confidence heading into qualifying.
Alpine in the barriers, Peugeot off the pace
Misfortunes weren’t confined to just a few teams. Shortly after the Ferrari incident, Frédéric Makowiecki also had an off-track excursion just before the Tertre Rouge corner. The Alpine number 36 hit the barrier, visibly damaging its front end. These two incidents serve as a stark reminder of the difficulty in taming the Sarthe circuit, even during practice. Further down the order, the two Peugeot 9X8s, whose distinctive design continues to spark debate, found themselves among the bottom three positions, sandwiching another yellow Ferrari, indicating that outright performance remains a challenge for the French manufacturer.
Qualifying: the next battleground
This first practice session is merely a taste of what awaits the competitors. Qualifying begins at 18:45, with an initial segment dedicated to the LMP2 and LMGT3 categories, followed by the Hypercars. The objective for the top 15 in each class will be to secure a spot in Hyperpole, which takes place on Thursday evening. It is during these sessions that the true potential of each machine and the definitive pecking order will be revealed, before the main event on Saturday.
Key takeaways from the opening practice
- Cadillac demonstrated apparent superiority in terms of pace, placing two of its cars at the top.
- Ferrari, the reigning champions, suffered a significant incident that could affect their preparation.
- Alpine and another Ferrari also experienced off-track excursions, highlighting the circuit’s difficulty.
- BMW confirms its status as a serious contender by placing in the top three.
- Peugeot shows a still-lagging pace, with its 9X8s among the slowest.
- Qualifying will be decisive in establishing the starting grid and the fight for Hyperpole.
