The user manual for the 2026 Hyperpole of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

To 24 Hours of Le MansIt's best to start the week off on the right foot. This means successful practice sessions. However, while a strong showing in qualifying is highly recommended to secure a good position during the early hours of the race, it's not absolutely essential. Last year, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson started from a modest 13th.^e place, which had not prevented the Classic Ferrari for sale 499P of AF Corse to take it the next day! As has been the case since 2020, the date of the introduction of thehyperpole, the Qualifications and thehyperpole will take place over two consecutive days. On Wednesday, June 10, after the first free practice sessions in the afternoon, the LMP2 and LMGT3 cars will have 30 minutes to qualify in the Top 12 and secure their place in thehyperpole the following day. Then, it will be the Hypercars' turn to take to the track, also for 30 minutes, to try and break into the Top 15 and qualify for the...hyperpoleFor the others, their ranking in this qualifying session will determine their position on the starting grid.

Everyone to their posts

Thursday, June 11th, it's time for...hyperpoleAs in 2025, the format is divided into two phases, similar to the qualifying rounds in Formula 1The LMP2 and LMGT3 cars will kick things off. During the first 20-minute session, dubbed hyperpole 1 (H1), the 12 cars in each category will attempt to reach the Top 8 to advance to the final phase: thehyperpole 2 (H2), the final 15-minute session where pole position will be awarded. This elimination format will then be applied to the Hypercars. The 15 best from the previous day will first compete in H1 to determine the 10 finalists for H2.

The new rule this year is that Hypercars and LMP2 cars must field all three drivers… if they make it to H2. The choice of drivers remains at the discretion of the teams, as long as each crew member records a lap time between qualifying, H1, and H2. This new rule is adjusted for LMGT3. The Bronze-rated driver will be required to drive in the very first qualifying session on Wednesday, thus freeing up the other drivers (Silver, Gold).

The Endurance Being a team sport rather than an individual one, the aim is to highlight the unity, cohesion, and overall driving skill of a crew, rather than focusing everything on a single driver. A strategic dimension will also come into play: should they save their best driver for H2 on Thursday evening, risking elimination in qualifying on Wednesday? Or should they make a strong start to secure at least a place in H1?

Furthermore, with this new format, Hypercars are no longer hampered by traffic from lower categories. This will therefore also be the case for LMP2 and LMGT3.

hyperpole

Wednesday, June 10

Qualifications for thehyperpole – LMGT3 and LMP2: 30 minutes, 12 qualified (5 LMP2 and 12 LMGT3 eliminated)

Qualifications for thehyperpole – Hypercar: 30 minutes, 15 qualified (6 eliminated)

Thursday June 11

hyperpole 1 (H1) – LMGT3 and LMP2: 20 minutes, 8 qualified (4 eliminated)

hyperpole 2 (H2) – LMGT3 and LMP2: 15 minutes, Top 8

Thehyperpole 1 (H1) – Hypercar: 20 minutes, 10 qualified (5 eliminated)

hyperpole 2 (H2) – Hypercar: 15 minutes, Top 10.