Overview
- The 24 Hours of Le Mans began Saturday with 62 cars entered and 18 Hypercars contesting the race that will run for 24 hours on the Circuit de la Sarthe.
- A Cadillac car was penalized for leaving the pits too early in qualifying, a ruling that elevated a BMW hybrid to pole position and altered the start order for the race.
- Toyota ran a liquid-hydrogen prototype earlier in the week in a first test at Le Mans, a step toward the ACO and FIA plan to open the Hypercar class to hydrogen power by 2030.
- Alpine Endurance confirmed it will stop operations at the end of the season but its team director says they will push for a strong finish at Le Mans; Peugeot qualified far lower than expected, a result its CEO called a 'cold shower.'
- Regulatory tools used to equalize different Hypercar designs—known as Balance-of-Performance—remain controversial because they adjust engine and aerodynamic parameters based on past results and can decisively affect grid order and race prospects.