Estre overtakes the two Cadillacs on the wire

WECHyperCar

Jun 13

Both Cadillacs held the top of the standings of the Hyperpole of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and were well on their way to winning the front row until Kevin Estre managed the perfect lap in his very last lap. Porsche #6 will thereby start on pole Saturday at 4 pm for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the FIA WEC Championship. The 2 Cadillac are followed by the 2 Ferrari and the Alpine.

Kevin Estre got #6 Porsche 963 on pole

Kévin Estre set the fastest time (3:24.634) in the #6 Porsche 963. This hands Porsche it’s 19th pole position in Le Mans. In the race, the Frenchman will share the cockpit of the hybrid prototype with Laurens Vanthoor and three-time Le Mans winner André Lotterer. These three currently lead the drivers’ standings in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Le Mans Hyperpole 2024.

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “It’s an indescribable feeling to be on pole at Le Mans. The team put a mega car on the track for me. Things got really stressful at the end. There was only just enough time on the clock for two hot laps and the car was almost out of fuel. But it was a lot of fun to drive the Porsche 963 with the tyres in the ideal operating window. I simply stayed on the gas and pulled off the lap. I’m so proud – of the pole and the amazing work from the entire team over the past few months. Now, we get to start the biggest race in the world from the very front!” Source: Porsche

Two Cadillac Racing in top 3

Cadillac Racing make another strong statement in its second season of FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar competition by qualifying second and third for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Alex Lynn recorded a lap of 3:24.782 seconds in the #2 Cadillac V-Series.R to place second in the 30-minute Hyperpole session. The #2 Cadillac V-Series.R will receive a five-place penalty when the official grid is released that was handed down by FIA stewards following the TotalEnergies 8 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in May. Stewards determined the #2 entry responsible for an on-track incident that prompted a prolonged red flag. Hence Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber and two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou will start from 4th row.

Alex Lynn: “"I'm proud of the entire team and Cadillac for the work they've done to prepare for qualifying and the Hyperpole. It was a strong effort and we proved that we have fast cars. We're starting from a good spot, so we'll continue to fine-tune and get ready for the race." Source: Cadillac Racing

Sebastien Bourdais posted a best lap of 3:24.816 in the #3 Cadillac V-Series.R on the 8.47-mile (13.629 kilometers) Circuit de la Sarthe to claim third in the seven-car session. Bourdais will share seat time with regular IMSA teammate Renger van der Zande and six-time IndyCar champion Scott Dixon. They’ll start from first row.

Sebastien Bourdais: “It was a really solid lap. You always leave something on the table at a track like this. But at the end of the day, I'm really happy where we ended up. The car hasn't felt great for most of the test, but when we hit the track for qualifying, the car was amazing. This time I didn't get any traffic. The first prep lap I just pushed through because I knew it was a throw-away lap. That's why when they told me I was only going to get one lap, I was thinking there was no way and that I couldn't get the tires up to temp. We probably were going to be too low on fuel to do 3 and 2. It is what it is. At the end of the day, I was super happy that we could jam that thing in. It's amazing and awesome for Cadillac. I'm really happy. The thing has four wheels on it and we didn't put a foot wrong. We can go racing now." Source: Cadillac Racing

Two Ferrari 499P on second row

The Ferrari – AF Corse team’s 499Ps will start from the second row at the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, thanks to the times set by Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Fuoco in the Hyperpole session at the historic French track. At the Hyperpole’s chequered flag, the two Ferraris were fourth and fifth, respectively. The penalty imposed on the Cadillac #2 (five grid positions) allowed the Maranello manufacturer’s Hypercars to move up to the second row.

ALESSANDRO PIER GUIDI: « We knew we might struggle in Hyperpole in terms of performance compared to some competitors. We weren’t very lucky with the red flag, which affected our tyre preparation as we tried to improve in the final phase. However, I think our goal was to qualify in the first two rows, to lower the risks at the start, and we achieved that. The race? I’m confident and believe we can perform well, particularly as we can draw on the experience gained in 2023. I believe we have what it takes to perform well in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. »

ANTONIO FUOCO: « It was a very tough Hyperpole. We did our best as a team to exploit the potential of our 499Ps. It appears that some competitors are overall stronger than us, but we know that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a long race where various factors will play a crucial role, including the experience we drivers and the entire team have gained over the past few months. » Source: Ferrari

Alpine A424 sixth

Fourth in Wednesday qualifying, Paul-Loup Chatin got behind the wheel of the #35 Alpine A424 for the Hyperpole. His third attempt with a new set of soft tyres after the red flag pushed him to sixth place with (3:25.713). However, the #35 crew will start fifth on the grid following a penalty to the #2 Cadillac at the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.

Charles Milesi: "Paul-Loup put in an excellent lap yesterday to secure us a place in the Hyperpole. Ultimately, we will start fifth in what promises to be very demanding weather conditions. It will be a real challenge, but we're in a good position to avoid the hazards at the start. It will be a race where we'll have to be careful and not take unnecessary risks to reach our primary goal: finish." Source: Alpine Endurance Team

Vanthoor slips into the tyre barriers

Dries Vanthoor was fast again in the Hyperpole but had a slip into the tyre barriers that ended his time chase still securing sixth place on the grid for the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8. Nonetheless, he put himself and his driving colleagues Raffaele Marciello and Marco Wittmann in a good starting position for the race.

Dries Vanthoor (#15 BMW M Hybrid V8, 6th place): “A very big mix of emotions from one day to the other. I made a mistake and just locked up. Luckily we don’t have a lot of damage, it’s just annoying! There is still a long race to go and anything can happen, for sure I’m going to try and make it up in the race.” Source: BMW Group

#12 Hertz Team JOTA on fourth row

Despite qualifying for the shootout after securing eighth in yesterday’s session, the #12 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche 963 was unable to take part in today’s Hyperpole.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Le Mans Qualifying 2024.

“Our car was so badly damaged in an accident in the second free practice session on Wednesday evening that we had to change the chassis,” explains Dieter Gass, Team Principal of Hertz Team Jota. “The extensive repairs meant there was no way we could participate in the Hyperpole session. We’re now systematically preparing the car for the race.” The Porsche 963 fielded by the British customer team is expected to be ready for the warm-up on Saturday at noon. The hybrid prototype will head into the race from the fourth grid row. Source: Porsche

Hypercars Starting grid