Cadillac builds its week with one goal: to win

Since Test Day and the first laps on the main circuit, the teams have been building their preparations for the double-hour race in their own way. Cadillac initially kept a relatively low profile on Sunday. Toyota and Ferrari topped the timesheets, while the V-Series.Rs completed a series of laps: 253 laps, or more than 3,450 kilometers in total for the #311, #12, #38, and #101.

The competitiveness began to show during free practice: the two Cadillacs driven by the Jota Sport team were consistently in the top 10 of the Hypercar category in all sessions this week. The #12 and #38 were even the fastest, respectively in qualifying and in free practice 1. What can we conclude from this? That the pace is good for the gold-painted cars, both over a single lap and over longer stints. Even Whelen (the #311) shows pure performance. As proof, Jack Aitken is now the Hypercar track record holder with a time of 3:22.742.

Only three drivers have gone under 3:23 since the start of hostilities. Jack Aitken, then, but also Alex Lynn in 3:22.847 and… Dries Vanthoor in the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 of BMW M Team WRT (3:22.887). Is a Cadillac-BMW battle on the cards?

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One thing is certain, the two brands that rely on Dallara for their chassis will be in front during the first laps. Because the two Hypercars of the propeller brand are 4th and 6th on the grid, with the #15 ahead of the #20. Porsche, 3rd and 5th (the #5 ahead of the #4) follows a trajectory close to Cadillac. Many laps chained during the Test Day (254), a presence among the best times. But it is indeed the seal of America that marks the tests. What will happen in the race?

Friends and enemies

In the LMP2 category , which only sees Oreca 07 chassis on track, three teams stand out at the end of the Hyperpole: #29 from TDS Racing, #43 from Inter Europol Competition and #199 from AO by TF. 

During the final Hyperpole session, the drivers of these three cars followed each other, observed each other. They challenged each other. Mathias Beche took over from Clément Novalak in the #29, Tom Dillmann followed Nick Yelloly in the #43, and finally Dane Cameron was replaced by Louis Delétraz in the #199. These six are in another dimension, in the Top 10 fastest drivers in the category at the moment.

Will this trio of teams be the future winner? It's hard to say. Especially since one team, loyal to the discipline and ultra-experienced, is just a few tenths behind: United Autosports. The Anglo-American team of Richard Dean and Zak Brown is the only one to have placed both cars in Hyperpole 2. In 2024, United Autosports won the LMP2 category with the trio Bijoy Garg / Oliver Jarvis / Nolan Siegel. We're working, we're preparing. To try to retain the title.

Ever faster LMGT3s

The race promises to be a competitive LMGT3 race , after we saw eight different brands battle for Hyperpole in the final session. Individual performances are important, but in a category that requires a Bronze-rated driver, you have to move away from the time reference. Just like in LMP2, reading the results raw can be a deception.

Certain numbers come up often, and lead us to discern the forces at play: the #46 BMW M4 LMGT3 of Team WRT – very well driven by Ahmad Al Harthy, Valentino Rossi and Kelvin Van Der Linde – is often in front. The same goes for the #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3 of Akkodis ASP Team, with Arnold Robin, Jack Hawksworth and Finn Gehrsitz appearing in the top three in three sessions out of seven possible. And then, almost inevitably, it's a Porsche that we see also at ease:  the #92 911 GT3 R LMGT3 of Manthey 1ST Phorm. Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz, the "3Rs", have in their hands a car capable of winning. In 2024, it was Porsche that shone for the very first year of LMGT3...

MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi rode in Hyperpole 2, chasing the best time.

The category is only in its second year at Le Mans, which explains why lap times are improving session after session. As in Hypercar, we now have a new track record. Benjamin Barker clocked 3:55.263 in 2024, which was surpassed by... eight cars in 2025. Aston Martin, BMW, Chevrolet, Ferrari, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes, and Porsche all have a representative who has done better.

The room for improvement in this “young” LMGT3 category is real, and the battle is intense, with no brand truly gaining the upper hand.