After Felix Rosenqvist won the Indianapolis 500 and Kimi Antonelli dominated the Monaco Grand Prix, attention shifts to Le Mans for endurance racing’s ultimate prize.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans forms part of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
It’s been a short build-up to the crown jewel event this year. War in the Middle East forced the postponement of the Qatar season-opener, which instead took place at Imola.
There have been just two WEC races this season, offering a glimpse of the form guide for Le Mans.
At Imola, Toyota overcame hometown favourites Ferrari thanks to Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa and Sebastien Buemi in the GR010.
The momentum swung massively in BMW’s favour at Spa where Robin Frijns, Rene Rast and Sheldon van der Linde scored the brand’s first Hypercar win with the M Hybrid V8.
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Toyota, Ferrari, and BMW are the only three brands to stand on the podium this season so far.
Alpine and Aston Martin are arguably in the ‘best of the rest’ category, having both scored fourth-place finishes at Imola and Spa respectively.
Peugeot and Cadillac are yet to crack the top five this season, though pole position for the French marque at Spa showed the 9X8 is no slouch.
Here’s everything you need to know about the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
When is the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
The 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans takes place on June 10-14.
What time does the 24 Hours of Le Mans start?
The 24 Hours of Le Mans starts at midnight (AEST) on June 14 and continues through Sunday before finishing that night.
2026 24 Hours of Le Mans schedule
| Thursday, June 11 | Duration | AEST | ACST | AWST | NZST |
| Free Practice 1 | 180 minutes | 12:00 | 23:30 (-1) | 10:00 (-1) | 02:00 |
| Qualifying (LMP2/LMGT3) | 30 minutes | 02:45 | 02:15 | 12:45 | 04:45 |
| Qualifying (Hypercar) | 30 minutes | 03:30 | 03:00 | 01:30 | 05:30 |
| Free Practice 2 | 120 minutes | 06:00 | 05:30 | 04:00 | 08:00 |
| Free Practice 3 | 180 minutes | 22:45 | 22:15 | 20:45 | 00:45 (+1) |
| Friday, June 12 | |||||
| Hyperpole 1 (LMP2/LMGT3) | 20 minutes | 04:00 | 03:30 | 02:00 | 06:00 |
| Hyperpole 2 (LMP2/LMGT3) | 15 mintues | 04:35 | 04:05 | 02:35 | 06:35 |
| Hyperpole 1 (Hypercar) | 20 minutes | 05:05 | 04:35 | 03:05 | 07:05 |
| Hyperpole 2 (Hypercar) | 15 mintues | 05:40 | 05:10 | 03:40 | 07:40 |
| Free Practice 4 | 60 minutes | 07:00 | 06:30 | 05:00 | 09:00 |
| Saturday, June 13 | |||||
| Warm-up | 15 minutes | 20:00 | 19:30 | 18:00 | 22:00 |
| Sunday, June 14 | |||||
| Race | 24 hours | 00:00 | 23:30 (-1) | 22:00 (-1) | 02:00 |
How to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Australia
Every session of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is live-streamed in Australia on Stan Sport or via the official FIAWEC+ streaming platform.
How to watch the 24 Hours of Le Mans in New Zealand
Every session of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is live-streamed via the FIAWEC+ streaming platform.
24 Hours of Le Mans Stan Sport broadcast schedule (AEST)
Wednesday, June 10
9:45pm – Free Practice 1
Thursday, June 11
2:30am – Qualifying
5:45am – Free Practice 2
10:30pm – Free Practice 3
Friday, June 14
3:45am – Hyperpole
6:45am – Free Practice 4
Saturday, June 15
7:45pm – Warm-up
11:00pm – Race
24 Hours of Le Mans live timing
Live timing is available on the official WEC website HERE
24 Hours of Le Mans classes explained
There are three classes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and by extension the FIA World Endurance Championship.
HYPERCAR (18) – Is for the fastest prototypes. This year’s grid features 18 Hypercars from Ferrari, BMW, Aston Martin, Cadillac, Toyota, Peugeot and Genesis.
Teams build their Hypercars to LMH or LMDh specification.
LMH cars are custom-built from start to finish, with each manufacturer designing and building its chassis and engine. Ferrari, Toyota, Aston Martin, and Peugeot built their cars to LMH.
LMDh allows manufacturers to enter via a common platform chassis. Brands can build their cars around a chassis supplied by Dallara, Ligier, Multimatic or Oreca.
Common parts relating to the gearbox and hybrid system are supplied by Xtrac and Williams Advanced Engineering respectively. BMW, Cadillac, Alpine and Genesis built their cars to LMDh regulations.
Flexibility of regulations means there are multiple engine configurations, including turbocharged inline four-cylinders, V8s, and even a V12.
LMP2 (19) – Is the stepping stone to Hypercar. Every entry in LMP2 runs an Oreca powered by a Gibson-built V8. LMP2 cars are slightly slower than Hypercars.
Given the cars are identical, the fight for LMP2 honours is often one of the best to watch. Within LMP2, there is the Pro-Am class, of which there are nine entries.
LMGT3 (25) – Is for FIA homologated GT3 cars. Aston Martin, Corvette, Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, Mercedes-AMG, McLaren, Lexus, and Ford are represented.
LMGT3 cars are the slowest at Le Mans, but make no mistake, they still reach high speeds down the Mulsanne Straight.
CLICK HERE for the 24 Hours of Le Mans entry list
24 Hours of Le Mans spotter guide
CLICK HERE for the 24 Hours of Le Mans spotter guide
Who are the Australians racing at Le Mans?
This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans features four Australian drivers, but no one in the Hypercar class.
Jack Doohan will make his Le Mans debut in the #24 Nielsen Racing LMP2 entry with David Heinemeier Hansson and Edward Pearson.
James Allen will race the #99 AO by TF entry with American duo Dane Cameron and PJ Hyett, though they will be in the Pro-Am division within LMP2.
In LMGT3, Yasser Shahins makes his first start in a Porsche 911 GT3 R since winning the race in 2024. He’ll drive the #92 Manthey Racing entry with Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera (pictured above).
Martin Berry will race the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG with Rui Andrade and Maxime Martin (pictured below).
Who is absent from Le Mans in 2026?
Porsche’s exit from the FIA World Endurance Championship means Matt Campbell is absent from this year’s event.
Brenton Grove and Stephen Grove have also elected not to return after their bucket list adventure last year.
How long is Circuit de la Sarthe?
Circuit de la Sarthe is 13.626 km long with 38 turns (18 left and 20 right)
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