There was a time when the day of the Le Mans test brought a real weight. Lied at the end of April or early May, he was preliminary. Competitors fought against the chronometer and the slowest were eliminated.
Today, it is hardly more than a last general rehearsal – two additional free training sessions took place a week before the race so that the teams prepare for the race week.
Prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the race
Since the Hypercar category adopted a performance balance system (BOP) in 2021, the teams were CAGEY, often hiding their real rhythm to avoid triggering late BOP adjustments – something that happened during this first year. Consequently, the interpretation of test Day Times concerns both the reading between the lines as the reading of the chronometer.
The BOP published last week meant minor adjustments before Sunday’s action, but these adjustments did not change the balance significantly.
Toyota Gazoo Racing technical director David Floury summed up a frustrating day: “It was complicated to do a good job because of the many interruptions, but it’s the same for everyone.”
Indeed, the sessions were disrupted by a period of safety car and two red flags after off -piste excursions from Luca Ghiotto ( # 43 Inter Europol Oreca 07) and Giorgio Roda (Proton competition # 11 Oreca 07).
So why were laptops faster overall? First, the circuit was resurfaced from the exit from Arnage to the first left -hander of the Porsche curves. And more importantly, all cars operate with increased power compared to 2024.
Brendon Hartley ended the fastest day with a 3m26.246 in the Toyota Hybrid # 8 GR010, improving the best laptop of the test day last year by 0.661 – and on the fastest race in the race in 2024 by 2.510. However, the hyperpole reference last year remains faster: 3m24,634 by Kevin Estre.
Analysis of the best average turn of 20% in the afternoon session places # 83 Ferrari 499p on a 3m27.570, followed by # 36 Alpine, # 20 BMW, # 51 Ferrari, # 4 Porsche and # 8 Toyota, all separated by fractions of a second. The average passage of passage has told a similar story.
Hypercar Test Day Top Times by manufacturer
1. Buemi / Hartley / Hirakawa (Toyota # 8) – 3m26.246s
2. Calado / Pier Guidi / Giovinazzi (Ferrari # 51) – 3m26.777s (+ 0.531)
4. Schumacher / Makowiecki / Gounon (Alpine # 36) – 3m26.902s (+ 1.067s)
5. Estré / L. Vanthoor / Campbell (Porsche # 6) – 3m27.536s (+ 1,110s)
8. S. van der Linde / Rast / Frijns (Bmw # 20) – 3m27.554s (+ 1.308)
9. Lynn / NATO / Stevens (Cadillac # 12) – 3m27.610s (+ 1.374s)
18. Gamble / Tinnknell / Gunn (Aston Martin # 007) – 3m29.249s (+ 3.003s)
19. Vergne / Jensen / Di Résta (Peugeot # 93) – 3m29.386s (+ 3,140)
“We had a solid day,” added Floury. “But being the fastest does not mean much for the moment. It is difficult to read the hierarchy clearly. Ferrari looks clear, perhaps one step ahead, and behind them, there is a tight group of five manufacturers. It will be a big race.”
No one appears beyond driving – well, apart from Aston Martin and Peugeot, who seem on the back. Peugeot, in particular, deplored an unfavorable BOP and failed to improve its 2024 time, losing more than three seconds to the best of the day. Aston Martin, although it is new in the hypercar class, has at least shown slight progress.
“It was a very productive test day, during which we checked a full list of tasks with the three cars,” said Urs Kuratle, the Porsche LMDH factory race.
“The team has worked together in a transparent way. It is the first time since last year that we have run three cars, and we have managed the lessons we learned. These ideas are more precious than laptops alone.”
“It is difficult to predict how we are preparing for competition – the field seems closely equal,” added Mathieu Jaminet. “As expected, our Porsche felt good, but there is still room to improve.”
And what about Cadillac? “The track race was limited with incidents,” replied Alex Lynn. “We have checked a lot of our programs, which is great
“Everyone’s competitiveness is really tight. There are a lot of brands that are in great shape, and I will put us as one of them.
“Next week is going to be a great battle to try to win it. I think we have learned what we have done in the past two years.
“We know that the Cadillac is well suited to this song, so we will try to bring together the things we have known for a few years”
BMW also showed a rhythm, although the hybrid V8 n ° 20 m stopped on the right track with an oil leak. Alpine, meanwhile, has once again impressed – with Mick Schumacher fixing the fourth best global time in # 36 A424, behind only two Ferrari and the Toyota.
“We had a little trouble finding the right configuration this morning, but we moved in the right direction this afternoon,” said Nicolas Lapierre, director of Alpine Sporting. “We were able to try different tires composed in various conditions and finish most of our program. The overall result is satisfactory despite the track time lost due to the incidents. The drivers have performed well and saved mistakes.
“The pace seems correct for the moment. Although it is still too early to draw conclusions, we are in a good position, which is encouraging for next week.”
The ex-F1 Pietro Fittipaldi driver dominated the LMP2 class in Oreca # 22 United Self-Sports, while Jose Maria Lopez went the fastest to LMGT3 by driving # 87 Akkodis-Asp Lexus RC F GT3.
Now the serious business begins. On Wednesday, on Wednesday offers only one training session before the very important fight for a place in the hyperpole on Thursday.
What will hierarchical order look like? This remains the assumption of anyone, especially with temperatures expected nearly 30 ° C and potential storms on the horizon.
