To win the 24 Hours of Le Mans, you have to align all the planets: driving, strategy, car, execution in the pits. Each team works on it with all its competitive science. Fortunately, this science isn't exact, and the human factor plays a role in the most renowned of endurance races. At the crossroads of reflection, analysis, and instinct, the intuition of all involved is called upon.

"If an idea crosses our minds and resonates with us, then it's worth pursuing, or at least taking seriously. Without necessarily waiting for confirmation, it's always useful to listen to our inner voice." This sentence wasn't coined by a 24 Hours of Le Mans participant, but by Emeric Lebreton, a doctor of psychology (Psychologies Magazine, April 16, 2025). This "idea that crosses our minds," this "inner voice," is a kind of gray area defined as the immediate knowledge of the truth, without recourse to reasoning or experience, sometimes as an irrational feeling (Larousse), a presentiment. For Mathieu Jaminet, intuition is rather guided by clues, signs that are sometimes barely perceptible.

"That little thing that makes us feel things. Sometimes it's good, other times less so. We don't always feel the same thing as our teammate. I think it comes mostly from experience. I also believe that some have better intuition than others. At the 24 Hours of Le Mans, this will come into play during the race, to adapt to the unfolding events, to a potential safety car exit, the slow zones, any unforeseen event. We can have a wealth of details, clues, a bit of experience that tells us that events will take one direction or another."

The Frenchman readily acknowledges that "in a sport where you try to do everything in a factual and highly considered way, you sometimes create your own luck by having the right intuition. […] It's important to control all the parameters, of course, but you have to try to keep that little something extra, the winner's luck."

For racing drivers, there is a fine line between intuition, on the one hand, and experience, reflexes, instincts, or even acquired automatisms. Thus, for José María López (Lexus RC F LMGT3 #87 Akkodis ASP Team): "When things get complicated, the intuition element becomes stronger. You can't be a machine because the track conditions are constantly changing. So, you need a mix of technique and instinct. You have to constantly adapt." Célia Martin (Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #85 Iron Dames) refers to her feelings. "There's theory: you learn the braking points, the turning points by heart on the simulator. And then, when you find yourself on the Le Mans circuit for the first time, you have to add a part of feeling. You have to mix technique and instinct." When you get the mix right, it makes for some good stuff.”

In a gray area between deliberate action and pure reflex, intuition is important for the drivers we interviewed. Frédéric Makowiecki, driver of the #36 Alpine A424, agrees. "Instinct is fundamental. Very often, we only have a short time to react to a situation. You have to do what you think is best, without thinking too much. When you explain it to the engineers, they have a hard time understanding, but at 340 km/h, the slightest unforeseen event can become complicated." At that point, according to the French driver, intuition plays a role in decision-making. In racing, the brains of engineers, but also those of drivers, are in high demand. You have to process information very quickly and make the right decision. Driving a Hypercar, an LMP2 or an LMGT3 car, or deciding on race strategies, requires technique, experience, and intelligence. But not everything is smooth sailing: there are many hazards, and intuition helps everyone adapt to the conditions. Let's give the final word to David Floury (technical director of the Toyota Gazoo Racing team in the FIA ​​WEC): "In racing, we often have to make decisions without having all the parameters at our disposal. We have to make estimates on some of them. Intuition has a role to play in racing, but with the arrival of new technologies like artificial intelligence, its role will diminish."