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last mo.

Cadillac Holds One‑Minute Lead at Le Mans After Sister Car Retires

Penalties, mechanical failures, a late safety car compress the order, leaving strategy, reliability, pit timing to decide the final six hours.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans - Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France - June 13, 2026 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA's Louis Deletraz, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato in action during the 24 Hours of Le Mans REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
The 24 Hours of Le Mans - Circuit de la Sarthe, Le Mans, France - June 13, 2026 BMW M Team WRT's Robin Frijns, Rene Rast, and Sheldon van der Linde in action during the 24 Hours of Le Mans REUTERS/Stephane Mahe
2026 24 Hours of Le Mans
Jack Aitken, Cadillac Jota, 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans

Overview

  • At the 18‑hour mark the No.12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac led by about one minute with BMW and Toyota the nearest challengers and roughly six hours remaining in the race.
  • The No.38 JOTA Cadillac developed a persistent power‑steering fault, made multiple unscheduled pit stops and was retired before the end of hour 16, removing JOTA’s second strong contender.
  • Race control handed drive‑through penalties for Full Course Yellow/slow‑zone speed infringements to several Hypercars including the No.8 Toyota, No.12 Cadillac and No.101 WTR Cadillac, repeatedly reshuffling the leaderboard.
  • A heavy LMGT3 crash for the No.91 Manthey Porsche prompted a full safety car late in hour 18 and compressed gaps, making pit timing and track position more critical for the closing stages.
  • Class leaders are the No.30 Duqueine Oreca in LMP2 and the No.33 TF Sport Corvette in LMGT3, and the final result will now hinge on teams avoiding further technical issues or penalties while executing clean pit stops.