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In the previous post we looked at why Porsche couldn't defeat Ferrari at Le Mans despite arguably better strategy, fewer mistakes, and a car not that much slower than the clearly excellent 499P.
Now, we're going to take a much wider view and look at every Hypercar team's performance, starting towards the bottom and working our way up. To calculate pace figures, we've found each's car top 20% laps and calculated them into an average.
Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing
Car #101
Filipe Albuquerque, Jordan Taylor, Ricky Taylor
Finishing position: DNF
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.698
Fastest lap: 03:28.784 (Filipe Albuquerque)
Number of pit stops: 17
Total time in pits: 24:31.322
A team's first time at Le Mans is always going to be tough. Especially when said team is racing with a new manufacturer partner in the LMDh era, learning about a new car and all the processes that go with that.
In a race of incredibly low attrition, in the Hypercar class, and a very fast pace race with few full course yellows and only a single safety car, new teams to Le Mans were always going to struggle.
As such, Wayne Taylor Racing were the first Hypercar retirement from the race. But, they qualified well, getting into Hyperpole and starting 14th, before being hit at the start. This caused performance problems later in the race. The car later retired around the half way mark, as Filipe Albuquerque had a power issue half way down the Mulsanne Straight.
Rating: 4/10
Cadillac Whelen (Action Express)
Car #311
Felipe Drugovich, Frederik Vesti, Jack Aitken
Finishing position: DNF
Top 20% average lap time: 03:30.092
Fastest lap: 03:28.253 (Jack Aitken)
Number of pit stops: 22
Total time in pits: 56:56.876
The third time at Le Mans for Action Express Racing, but the team's first DNF at the French endurance classic.
For both IMSA Cadillac teams it probably wasn't the week they were hoping for. The #311 AXR car easily got into Hyperpole but then somewhat fell back in the race, retiring in on Sunday morning with issues while Fred Vesti was at the wheel.
With JOTA brand new to the Cadillac and vastly outperforming both IMSA teams, AXR and WTR will have to step up their game to take the battle to the Kent-based squad.
Rating: 5/10
BMW M Team WRT
Car #15
Dries Vanthoor, Kevin Magnussen, Raffaele Marciello
Finishing position: 18th (in class, 31st overall)
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.100
Fastest lap: 03:26.930 (Dries Vanthoor)
Number of pit stops: 32
Total time in pits: 64:04.675
Car #20
René Rast, Robin Frijns, Sheldon Van Der Linde
Finishing position: 17th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.295
Fastest lap: 03:26.724 (René Rast)
Number of pit stops: 32
Total time in pits: 78:57.047
Oh dear BMW. A bit of a disaster for the German manufacturer / Belgian team.
The two BMWs were running well for most of the race, and looked especially fast over a single lap. Both the #15 and #20 ran well within the top 10 for the majority of the race, and looked good to take home decent points in a double points-scoring round of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
That said, they didn't have the ultimate pace of the front-running Ferraris and Porsche, or the JOTA-run Cadillacs. But still, it was going decently.
But then, disaster in the final two hours. First the #20 car, with Sheldon van der Linde at the wheel, had a mechanical problem, pulling into the pits on lap 350.
Then, just a few laps later, the #15 sister car, which had Kevin Magnussen at the wheel, was also pushed back into the garage.
Both cars spent quite some time in the pits, and finished 18th and 19th.
Rating: 4/10
Peugeot
Car #93
Jean-Eric Vergne, Mikkel Jensen, Paul Di Resta
Finishing position: 16th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:30.656
Fastest lap: 03:28.909 (Mikkel Jensen)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 54:53.913
Car #94
Loïc Duval, Malthe Jakobsen, Stoffel Vandoorne
Finishing position: 11th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:30.705
Fastest lap: 03:29.141 (Malthe Jakobsen)
Number of pit stops: 31
Total time in pits: 44:19.484
From heroes (sort of) at Spa, to nowhere at Le Mans.
After a good race at Spa, on the pace and fighting well within the top 10, Peugeot were expecting good things at Le Mans.
However, the team were, truthfully, a bit at sea in France. The Balance of Performance was bewilderingly out of their favour, leaving them a mountain to climb before the week had even started.
Phil Oakley
Put that together with a car that isn't as easy to extract pace from compared to the old car, as technical director Olivier Jansonnie told Only Endurance at Spa, and it wasn't a good combination for performance.
Let's not beat around the bush here. Peugeot were the two slowest cars in the average pace table, slower even the new Aston Martin Valkyries. Three of Peugeots drivers were also the slowest out of all the Hypercar drivers when looking at top 20% average pace — Duval, Vergne, and Di Resta.
Tim Fullbrook
The big question is, what will Peugeot do now? To say the 2024 car has been a disappointment is an understatement both for them and the fans. Sources tell Only Endurance that a new car is almost certainly on the way for 2027, and Peugeot senior management figures have repeatedly said they are committed long term to WEC.
But the rest of 2025 and 2026 will be tough for The Lion — if they stick around for 2026, that is.
More on that in another article, coming soon.
Rating: 4/10
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Car #8
Brendon Hartley, Ryo Hirakawa, Sébastien Buemi
Finishing position: 16th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.498
Fastest lap: 03:27.811 (Ryo Hirakawa)
Number of pit stops: 31
Total time in pits: 58:05.404
Car #7
Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, Nyck De Vries
Finishing position: 5th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.186
Fastest lap: 03:27.086 (Kamui Kobayashi)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 44:00.084
A race of two halves for Toyota.
They never had the pace of the three Ferraris or #6 Porsche, but were in or around the top five for most of the race with the #8 car, even leading for a little while during the night. Albeit, that was only in the pit stop cycle, but it shows they were at or near the front.
But in the 21st hour of the race, as it neared its conclusion, it all came undone for the #8 car. As Ryo Hirakawa exited the pits, the car's front left wheel came loose as a result of the nut not being fastened correctly. The tyre then punctured, for good measure. The Japanese driver had to do an entire, very slow, lap on a flat tyre, with the wheel eventually detaching itself completely.
This was followed by a long stay in the pits for repairs, taking them out of contention.
The #7 car fared better in the overall results, but never had the pace to challenge for better than fifth. Toyota's key issue was a lack of straight line speed compared to Ferrari and Porsche, which put them back into the second group with the JOTA-run Cadillacs.
Rating: 7/10
Aston Martin THOR
Car #007
Harry Tincknell, Ross Gunn, Tom Gamble
Finishing position: 14th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:30.445
Fastest lap: 03:28.459 (Tom Gamble)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 49:08.905
Car #009
Alex Riberas, Marco Sorensen, Roman De Angelis
Finishing position: 12th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:30.644
Fastest lap: 03:28.004 (Marco Sorensen)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 43:31.149
Beating both BMWs, Peugeots, and a Toyota, plus scoring first WEC points with a 12th-placed finish, which becomes 10th when the two non-manufacturer-points-scoring cars (#83 Porsche and #4) are removed? Job well done for Aston.
Yes the car still isn't where Aston Martin or factory partner team Heart of Racing want it. There's still work to do, but scoring the team's first points, at Le Mans, is a huge reward for the programme.
And, both cars survived the race with no major issues, a testament to the car's reliability.
To add to that, the #009 also got into Hyperpole, the first time for a Valkyrie.
The #007 generally didn't fare as well as the points-scoring #009, with Harry Tincknell telling Only Endurance before the race that 'We just went a little bit different on the setup paths. When we went more in their [#009's] direction last night, it was way better.'
But nevertheless, points on the board for Aston Martin is good progress that will hopefully lead to further points this year.
Rating: 8/10
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Proton Competition
Car #99
Neel Jani, Nicolas Pino, Nicolas Varrone
Finishing position: 13th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.705
Fastest lap: 03:27.480 (Nicolas Varrone)
Number of pit stops: 32
Total time in pits: 45:21.421
Let's be honest here: Proton clearly are not operating on the same level as the factory Penske-run factory team.
The single #99 Proton Porsche 963 was 1.130 seconds on average off the leading #83 Ferrari, when accounting for top 20% pace. With the best of the Porsches, the factory #6 car, less than a tenth off the #83, Proton were a second off the best Porsche running at or near the front of the field for the whole race.
All three Proton drivers were slower than the majority of the Porsche factory drivers, although in fact Nico Varrone was quicker than Le Mans debutant Pascal Wehrlein.
Rating: 5/10
Alpine Endurance Team
Car #36
Frédéric Makowiecki, Jules Gounon, Mick Schumacher
Finishing position: 10th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.415
Fastest lap: 03:27.326 (Mick Schumacher)
Number of pit stops: 34
Total time in pits: 46:04.333
Car #35
Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin
Finishing position: 9th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:30.062
Fastest lap: 03:27.919 (Paul-Loup Chatin)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 44:15.654
Alpine were, unfortunately, never in the hunt for the win at Le Mans this year.
They lacked both overall pace and pace in a straight line, which as we know is absolutely crucial at Le Mans.
But, points for both cars is decent damage limitation, in a race where it was clear from practice that challenging at the front would be tough.
Unusually for Alpine, the #35 car fared better results-wise in the 24 hours, finishing ninth with the sister #36 car a lap behind in 10th. That said, the #36 car had both a higher average pace and faster single lap, with the pitfall being a drive through penalty for pit lane speeding early in the race for Makowiecki.
The French squad will be hoping for more from the rest of the WEC campaign, as they look to build on a strong start to the season, with podiums in Imola and Spa for the #36 trio.
Rating: 6/10
Porsche Penske Motorsport
Car #4
Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Pascal Wehrlein
Finishing position: 8th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.450
Fastest lap: 03:27.077 (Pascal Wehrlein)
Number of pit stops: 32
Total time in pits: 42:42.581
Car #5
Julien Andlauer, Mathieu Jaminet, Michael Christensen
Finishing position: 6th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:29.031
Fastest lap: 03:26.881 (Mathieu Jaminet)
Number of pit stops: 34
Total time in pits: 46:24.064
Car #6
Kévin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell
Finishing position: 2nd
Top 20% average lap time: 03:28.661
Fastest lap: 03:27.158 (Matt Campbell)
Number of pit stops: 31
Total time in pits: 42:06.870
When looking at Porsche's race at Le Mans you really have to separate it out, between the #6 car, and then the #4 and #5.
We've already written about the #6's excellent race, so go read that if you haven't already. It was a near-perfect race for them, with the only 'mistake' really being a slow puncture during the night forcing an unscheduled pit stop, plus the safety car coming at the wrong time. Nothing the team could do about the latter, though.
Phil Oakley
OK, yes, the #6 did disqualified from qualifying for a technical infringement (underweight car). This meant they couldn't take part in Hyperpole and would start from the back of the Hypercar field.
But this didn't really impact them in the race, with Kevin Estre storming through the field to be fifth after the first round of stops. It does leave you wondering how things could have been different if they'd started higher up... but that's motorsport.
The #4 and #5 never quite had the #6's pace. They ran well within the top 10 all race for the most part, but couldn't quite find a way to break into the higher echelons with Ferrari and the team car.
Still, a podium is a good achievement which shows the huge amount of progress Porsche have made since last year with the 963 at Le Mans, and especially since their woeful 2023 race. There's always next year for that all-important win.
The lack of a win did mean Laurens Vanthoor, or alternatively Nick Tandy and Felipe Nasr, didn't manage to claim the Triple Crown (Daytona, Sebring, Le Mans) in a single year — something no one has ever done. And with how hard all three races are to win , it looks likely that will remain uncompleted for a long time yet.
Rating: 8.5/10
Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA
Car #38
Earl Bamber, Jenson Button, Sébastien Bourdais
Finishing position: 7th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:28.946
Fastest lap: 03:26.063 (Sébastien Bourdais)
Number of pit stops: 34
Total time in pits: 45:10.741
Car #12
Alex Lynn, Norman Nato, Will Stevens
Finishing position: 4th
Top 20% average lap time: 03:28.834
Fastest lap: 03:26.883 (Alex Lynn)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 43:25.963
Lack of straight line speed had, in some ways, put paid to JOTA and Cadillac's chances of a win even before the race started.
The drivers and team knew this too. The Cadillac is fast over a single lap — we saw this in Hyperpole with Alex's Lynn's magnificent pole lap — but struggles more over a race stint. Unfortunately, a first race win for an American manufacturer since 1969 wasn't to be.
James Jackson
Don't take this the wrong way, though: Cadillac were fast at Le Mans. Just look at both the average pace, and the fastest laps. They were right up there. But they were generating the lap time in the wrong way, fast in the high speed corners and not quite quick enough — by a few kph — in a straight line. Those few kph can really cost you on the Mulsanne and the run down through the trees to Indianapolis.
And, if you're fast in the high speed bits, you catch other cars who may be slightly slower — but then they pull away if they're slightly quicker in a straight line. And generally, you can't overtake in the high speed corners, like Porsche Curves. See the problem?
But still. Fourth and seventh, plus a front lock out in Hyperpole, is a great result for a partnership that's still finding its feet, between JOTA and Cadillac.
Rating: 8/10
Ferrari AF Corse
Car #50
Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
Finishing position: DSQ
Top 20% average lap time: 03:28.635
Fastest lap: 03:26.714 (Nicklas Nielsen)
Number of pit stops: 33
Total time in pits: 45:26.303
Car #51
Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi, James Calado
Finishing position: 3rd
Top 20% average lap time: 03:28.652
Fastest lap: 03:26.778 (Antonio Giovinazzi)
Number of pit stops: 35
Total time in pits: 47:20.311
Let's not beat around the bush here. Ferrari have built an incredible car that just works at Le Mans.
Three wins in three years, over three vastly different races, with no real mechanical issues? These wins aren't just down to a favourable Balance of Performance. The 499P is, arguably, now the standard at Le Mans, the car to beat.
Ferrari had a great race at Le Mans. But, it wasn't without issues. Both cars got penalties; in the #51's case, two, a drive through and a stop go. But the 499P was quick enough that it didn't matter.
The #50 car was also disqualified after the race, from fourth, for a rear wing that did not comply with the technical regulations due to the car losing some bolts in the wing assembly during the race.
Phil Oakley
They were quick in a straight line, with easily the worst post-250kph power of their main rivals from Porsche, Toyota and Cadillac. This was the major factor – it made them hard to overtake. So even if their competition could make up time in the corners, the Ferraris could just pull away in a straight line.
Ferrari have said repeatedly that their aim this year wasn't inherently to win Le Mans. Instead, they're gunning for the world championship. As such they've largely got this sewn up now, although Porsche took a giant leap forwards at Le Mans.
Phil Oakley
That said, Ferrari claim the next few rounds will be tougher, because the 499P doesn't suit those tracks as much as Le Mans and the rounds before it.
Rating: 8.5/10
AF Corse
Car #83
Philip Hanson, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye
Finishing position: 1st
Top 20% average lap time: 03:28.575
Fastest lap: 03:26.562 (Robert Kubica)
Number of pit stops: 32
Total time in pits: 45:10.234
What can we say about AF Corse's 'privateer' Le Mans win? Just epic.
Beating the factory Ferraris, the first win for both a Pole and Chinese national, the first privateer/customer win for quite a while, and the first non-factory Ferrari win since 1965. Quite a few excellent stories from the yellow #83's win.
They raced well, barely putting a foot wrong all race. The one big error was a drive through on Sunday morning, for a yellow flag infringement at Mulsanne Corner while Phil Hanson was in the car.
After the race, Hanson told reporters, including Only Endurance:
The drive through was lucky because at that point, we were P2 to the #51, right? It was a local yellow flag on the exit of Mulsanne. I was following James [Calado, in the #51]. I kind of registered it, but the car was so far off, I didn't think to show awareness that I'd seen it.
And quite often you just have to back out throttle to make aware that you're under control. I understand yellow flags, what they mean, And the consequence. So I think it was fair enough.
They also got a five second penalty, to be taken at a pitstop, for gaining a last advantage at marshal post 16, just after the second chicane on the Mulsanne Straight, a few hours into the race.
But overall, it was a great race for the #83, taking the fight to the factory cars and winning the biggest race of them all.
Rating: 9.5/10
Feature image: DPPI / WEC
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