The WEC teams and drivers can expect the longest week of the year at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans. The focus is on the 24-hour race from Saturday, June 15th to Sunday, June 16th. Before the race starts at 4:00 p.m. (live on free TV on Nitro and Eurosport 1), the schedule includes four free practice sessions, one qualifying session and the Hyperpole session, which will determine the final starting grid.
The Le Mans week began on Sunday, June 9th with the official test day on the 13.626-kilometer-long Circuit de la Sarthe. Six DTM drivers flew back and forth between Le Mans and the race weekend in Zandvoort by private plane! The teams from the three classes Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3 used Monday and Tuesday to analyze data off the track.
24h Le Mans schedule and TV broadcast: When will the race be on TV?
| session | When? | time | Where? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Practice 1 | Wednesday | 14:00 – 17:00 | Eurosport 2, WEC live stream |
| Qualifying | Wednesday | 19:00 – 20:00 | Eurosport 1, WEC live stream |
| Free Practice 2 | Wednesday | 22:00 – 00:00 | Eurosport 1, WEC live stream |
| Free Practice 3 | Thursday | 15:00 – 18:00 | Eurosport 2, WEC live stream |
| Hyperpole | Thursday | 20:00 – 20:30 | Eurosport 1, WEC live stream |
| Free Practice 4 | Thursday | 22:00 – 23:00 | Eurosport 1, WEC live stream |
| Driver parade | Friday | 16:00 – 19:00 | – |
| Warm up | Saturday | 12:00 – 12:15 | Eurosport 1, WEC live stream |
| Race start | Saturday | 16:00 | Nitro, Eurosport 1, DAZN, MSM live ticker, WEC live stream |
| Finish line | Sunday | 16:00 | Nitro, Eurosport 1, DAZN, MSM live ticker, WEC live stream |
24h Le Mans: Training and qualifying on Wednesday and Thursday
Wednesday, June 12th is packed with two free practice sessions (2:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m. – midnight) and qualifying from 7:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. In this one-hour session, all 62 cars compete to beat times to secure the best possible starting positions from P9. The top 8 of the three classes will fight for the top starting positions in the Hyperpole that follows later.
The Hyperpole qualifying on Thursday, June 13th from 8:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (live on free TV on Eurosport1) is embedded in two further free practice sessions, which take place from 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. and between 10:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. This will give the drivers a final opportunity to familiarize themselves with the day and night conditions on the track, where there are no testing opportunities during the year.
24h Le Mans 2024: Schedule with all racing series
24h Le Mans 2024: Race start on Saturday
The Friday of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is traditionally dominated by the 300,000 fans on site. From 3:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. the race track is open for a public track walk. Visitors can also take a look into the team garages in the pit lane. From 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. the teams and their racing cars then drive to the big drivers’ parade in downtown Le Mans. On Friday there are only cars to be seen on the track from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.: The crazy VW Fun Cup is back and will be taking part with more than 100 cars.
Things will get serious on Saturday, June 15th: The race for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 will start at 4:00 p.m. in the afternoon. Before that, there will be a short warm-up (12:00 p.m. – 12:15 p.m.) for the final system checks. The finish on Sunday, June 16th at 4:00 p.m. will mark the end of the 92nd edition of the French endurance classic.
Racing action in the supporting program at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 23 LMH hypercars or LMDh cars from nine manufacturers (BMW, Porsche, Ferrari, Toyota, Peugeot, Lamborghini, Alpine with Mick Schumacher, Cadillac and Isotta Fraschini) are fighting for the prestigious overall victory among the 62 cars in total.
In addition to the fourth round of the 2024 WEC racing calendar, a varied supporting program ensures variety on the track. The Lamborghini Super Trofeo will hold two races on Thursday (1:15 p.m. to 2:00 p.m.) and Saturday (9:15 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.). Two races are also scheduled for ‘Road to Le Mans’ with its mixed starting field: on Thursday from 6:35 p.m. to 7:25 p.m. and on Saturday between 10:35 a.m. and 11:30 a.m. Music concerts in the evening round off the program.