Competitors! Start your engines! Le Mans 24 Hour preview!

Calling all petrol heads! Start your engines and buckle up for a mouth-watering weekend of epic motorsport action as Le Mans 24 hours limbers up to grace our screens once again. With a 62-car grid, featuring 16 hypercars, and over 300,000 fans expected to be in attendance to witness this event celebrate its centenary, the anticipation will be reaching fever pitch proportions at La Sarthe this weekend.

Of course, the prospect of yet more enticing, high-octane motorsport action brings with it a whole host of talking points, namely: can Toyota make it six wins on the bounce or will any of the chasing pack throw a spanner in the works?

We start by turning our attention to the question that’s on every motorsport fan’s lips at the moment – can anybody stop Toyota GAZOO Racing? Toyota have held an iron grip on this event since 2018, picking up no fewer than 5 wins on the bounce since then, and are looking to write their name into Le Mans folklore by becoming just the third team in this event’s history to score a double hat-trick of consecutive wins alongside Ferrari (1960-1965) and Porsche (1981-1987).

Judging by their thundering start they’ve made to the new-look FIA WEC class this season, it would take nerves of steel to bet against Toyota taking the chequered flag at La Sarthe once again. Last year’s winners have picked up 3 wins out of 3 so far this season, as well as 1-2 finishes at Sebring and Spa, and are looking like the team to beat once again here.

What’s more, all 6 drivers across both cars know what it takes to win this race and will all want to sample the sweet taste of victory once again. Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa bagged the grand prize last year and will be itching to bring home the bacon once again, as victory would see Hartley and Buemi pick up their 4th and 5th Le Mans triumphs respectively. 

Likewise, Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López will also be gunning for their second Le Mans victory together and will be taking the ever reliable and pacey GR010 HYBRID to its absolute limit in their quest for victory.

Despite Toyota’s dominance, victory is far from a done deal for the Japanese automotive giant and the chasing pack will be itching to spoil their party. Perhaps the main threat to Toyota’s supremacy comes from none other than Ferrari – AF Corse. 

It’s been an impressive start to the season for The Prancing Horse so far, as the 499 landed a pole on its maiden outing at Sebring and, thanks to its blistering pace over a single lap, the 499 has demonstrated it potentially has the pace to match Toyota’s GR010 HYBRID. What’s more, they’ve also got a talented roster of drivers at their disposal and have been racking up the points this season with three podium finishes already under their belt.

However, there are still two niggling doubts Ferrari will need to overcome if they are to do the one thing they haven’t done this season, win races. Firstly, they need to up their game in terms of tactics and secondly, they need to improve the 499’s cold tyre performance as this cost them at Spa earlier this season.

Another supercar manufacturer who’ll be hoping to relive the joys of previous Le Mans glories here is Porsche, who are bringing a trio of cars decked in a colourful livery that pays homage to its previous winners from years gone by. That being said, it’s looking like victory could be a bit of an ask for the Germans on this occasion as it’s been a bumpy start to the season for them this time around with the 919 Hybrid suffering from reliability hiccups and tyre life also being an issue towards the end of races.

Last but not least, we shift our attention to Cadillac, who make their grand return to Le Mans after a 21-year absence with their V-Series R, which has already won twice in the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship in its first season. What’s more, they have winning pedigree in their ranks as Cadillac Racing is operated by Chip Ganassi racing who have triumphed in Daytona 24 hours and at Le Mans back in 2016 with the Ford GTE.

However, while the signs have been encouraging for Cadillac as the V-Series R’s reliability and ability to extend its tyre life are key advantages, it hasn’t shown that it’s got the straight-line speed to match the likes of Toyota and Ferrari as of yet. That being said, a podium could very well be in reach for the Americans if they play their cards right here.

Whatever happens, we’re set to be in for an absolute cracker of a race with twists and turns galore!