The script for Le Mans feels familiar this year: an American manufacturer, swaggering into Europe with power, pride, and something to prove. Only this time, it’s not Ford gunning for Ferrari—it’s Cadillac. And make no mistake, the stakes are just as high.
Back in 1966, Henry Ford II sent his Detroit muscle across the Atlantic to give Enzo Ferrari a black eye—and boy, did they deliver. The GT40s didn’t just beat Ferrari; they buried them. They swept the podium. They came back in 1967 and did it again for good measure. They last won in 1969, on the 14th June 1969 - 56 years ago to the very day that an American manufacturer last won the French endurance classic.
Fast forwarding to 2025, and Cadillac is looking to write the next chapter in that long-simmering rivalry.
Ferrari—now twice-defending Le Mans champions—has been untouchable all season long in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship. Three races, three wins. The 499P has been seemingly unbeatable in the hands of AF Corse. They’re the team to beat. They know it (even if they won't admit it). We all know it.
However, this weekend, Cadillac has defied expectations.
They’ve locked out the front row. Let me say that again: Cadillac is starting 1–2 at Le Mans, ahead of both factory Ferraris, the best of which will start seventh.
But, Cadillac don't believe Ferrari have shown what they've got so far in practice.
Phil Oakley
Sebastien Bourdais spoke to French media after qualifying.
'There are some who are not showing what they are capable of,' said the Frenchman to Florian Defet at endurance24.fr (translated from French).
'We saw two or three little things that we don't like at all... Ferrari is clearly hiding its hand.'
He continued: 'Ferrari is making fun of us. When you see what Yifei [Ye, in the #83 Ferrari] did yesterday [in qualifying], with 45 or 50 kilos of fuel, a 3:23.9 on the first lap... you have to stop.'
In endurance racing, pole doesn’t guarantee much—except a statement. Alex Lynn admitted as much when speaking to media, including Only Endurance, after qualifying.
'Pole at Le Mans is always special, no matter,' said the Briton.
'It’s the race of the year, so to prove yourself over one lap… yeah, it doesn’t mean anything for the race, but it does mean something on pride. And that’s what we go racing for, right?'
Either way, Cadillac’s statement is clear: They’re here. They’re not backing down. And they just might win this thing.
The #12 and #38 Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercars looked composed, quick, and confident in qualifying—traits that have eluded them in past WEC outings.
They've brought more than speed to La Sarthe; they've brought swagger. And if you’re a fan of American racing history, it’s hard not to feel a little tingle of GT40 déjà vu.
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It should be added, too, that Cadillac have four factory cars at Le Mans this year — the most of anyone. There's the two JOTA-run cars, the full-time WEC entrants. Then, there's the IMSA full-time cars, from Wayne Taylor Racing and Action Express Racing.
While AXR and WTR are the 'guests' here, both have looked quick in the run-up to the race. The AXR crew, composed of Fred Vesti, Felipe Drugovich, and Jack Aitken may be young and a little inexperienced at Le Mans, but they're all quick drivers.
'We have Fred here for the first time [with Action Express]. Felipe the second. It's my third, we kind of know what we're doing,' said Aitken to Only Endurance.
'Like I said, we're trying to get the car into as good of shape as possible through practice.
'The weather looks like it should be good unlike the previous years, that's something a bit different, so it should be a bit more straightforward. And that's all we can really take at the moment,' said the Briton.
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But let’s not get ahead of ourselves.
This year’s Hypercar class is a knife fight in a phone booth. Ferrari, despite starting behind Cadillac, has proven time and again that they’re masters of long-distance warfare.
Porsche’s 963 may have stumbled early in the season, hampered by BoP adjustments and inconsistent pace, but never count Stuttgart out at Le Mans. While the 963 doesn't need to prove itself on the global stage, it arguably does have something to prove at Le Mans.
James Jackson
Toyota, the five-time defending WEC champs before Ferrari’s rise, have the experience and the strategy chops to climb through the field when it matters. BMW’s M Hybrid V8 has been quietly gaining strength, and Alpine—after a rocky start—showed flashes of promise in the lead-up to the race.
We’re talking about six manufacturers, any of whom realistically have a shot at the win.
Even Aston Martin and Peugeot, both off the pace this week to varying degrees, are lurking in the shadows. And Le Mans has a way of humbling everyone. Just ask Toyota in 2016. This place doesn’t hand out victories—it rips them away.
As the old adage says: Le Mans chooses the winner. You're racing the track as much as you're racing the competition.
But this year, all eyes are on that front row. On Cadillac. On the rebirth of an old rivalry that once reshaped the landscape of endurance racing.
So here we are—on the brink of a 24-hour showdown that feels part race, part rematch. Cadillac leads the field, BMW and Porsche are on the second row, and Ferrari is back in an uncharacteristic seventh, at best.
Whether this ends in American glory, another chapter in Ferrari’s modern dominance, a first Le Mans win for the Porsche 963, or someone else, one thing’s certain: we’re in for a race worthy of the history books. And if Cadillac pulls it off? We might just be watching the next great Le Mans legend come to life.
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