A lap of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit with Loïc Duval

To celebrate his 43rd birthday this Thursday, June 12, Loïc Duval (Peugeot) takes you on a tour of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit, an event he won in 2013 with Audi.

Published 12/06/2025 à 12:21

Medhi Casaurang

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A lap of the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit with Loïc Duval

© DPPI / Julien Delfosse

Pit straight

The climb to the Dunlop chicane provides a first glimpse of the traffic situation on the lap ahead. The wide right-hander, followed by the braking area, isn't easy, but the track climbs steeply and the braking distance is relatively short.

The Esses of the Forest

A very technical section, even if it doesn't seem so. It's a very fast finish down from La Chapelle, with a compression in the first right-hand bend. You have to let yourself slide into the next left-hand bend, but be careful of the car's power loss in the final right-hand bend. You often see cars put two wheels in the grass on the left before the Tertre Rouge.

The Hunaudières

A magical moment. The quiet moment on the circuit where you can breathe. Mind-blowing speeds and very late braking in the two chicanes.

Mulsanne

After this long straight, we come to a big braking point where it really turns, with no escape. There's this little funnel just before that means we don't have a visual cue for the turn when we brake. It's technically very difficult.

Indianapolis

One of those magical corners where you enter very, very quickly with a slight compression. The two corners are linked with the right, then the left, with a lot of banking (incline of the track), but the brake lock is unforgiving in the left curve.

Arnage

The slowest corner on the circuit, the one where you think you didn't brake late enough, and the day you think you did, you're in the tire wall...

turns Porsche

The Justice of the Peace. It's a fun place for a driver, it goes very fast and it comes together very strongly. When there's traffic, we don't overtake the GTs, we avoid them because of the speed difference. I've always liked this passage and I have my little signature on a wall there (track exit during testing in 2014 with Audi, which led to his withdrawal. Editor’s note).

Ford Chicanes

It's a big challenge because we're coming into a very fast sequence after the Porsche corners. We have to calm down because the kerbs are very high, and in qualifying, that's where we can win or lose everything.

Loïc duval will start from 17th place in the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 with Malthe Jakobsen and Stoffel Vandoorne aboard the Peugeot 9X8 n°94.

ALSO READ > Porsche No. 6 disqualified from qualifying, Aston Martin No. 009 re-selected for Hyperpole 1

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Medhi Casaurang

Passionate about the history of motorsport across all disciplines, I learned to read thanks to AUTOhebdo. At least that's what my parents tell everyone when they see my name inside!

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