24h Le Mans 2024: Starting grid for the 24-hour race

The time has come: The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 will begin on Saturday, June 15, 2024. The race start for the 92nd edition of the race on the Circuit de la Sarthe will take place at 4:00 p.m. German time (in the live ticker on Motorsport-Magazin.comA total of nine different manufacturers are battling for the prestigious overall victory in the endurance classic.

After a test day last Sunday, three practice sessions, qualifying and Hyperpole on Thursday evening, the starting grid for this year’s 24-hour race in northwest France has been set. The #6 Porsche-Penske (Estre/Lotterer/L. Vanthoor) will start from first place in the endurance race after 35-year-old Kevin Estre’s pole lap. The #3 Cadillac (Bourdais/van der Zande/Dixon) will join it on the first row.

24 Hours of Le Mans 2024: Porsche ahead of Cadillac on pole

Second place would actually have gone to the only Cadillac that is permanently competing in the WEC, with the starting number #2 (Bamber/Lynn/Palou). However, the car received a five-place grid penalty for a serious accident at the last WEC race in Spa-Francorchamps and will therefore start the 24-hour race from 7th place.

This also benefits the two Factory Ferraris. Last year’s winning car with starting number #51 (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) follows in front of the #50 Ferrari (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) on the second row. The #15 BMW-WRT (D. Vanthoor/Marciello/Wittmann), which was the fastest in qualifying on Wednesday, has to settle for sixth place on the grid behind the #35 Alpine (Chatin/Habsburg/Malesi) after an accident involving Dries Vanthoor on Thursday.