Qualifying Report

2025 24 Hours of Le Mans - Qualifying

Qualifying for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans saw Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-AMG in the thick of the action. Here’s how the German manufacturers fared ahead of Saturday’s race.

Jean-Paul Hackett

12 Jun 2025 — 4 min read

Photo by BMW Motorsport

German Contenders Set the Stage

Qualifying for the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans, held over two days, set the tone for a race week with few equals in world sport. As the sun set on Thursday, the familiar names of Porsche, BMW, and Mercedes-AMG found themselves at the sharp end of the grid, but also nursing setbacks and weighing up what comes next.

A Revised Format – Higher Stakes, Tighter Margins

Le Mans qualifying is no longer a routine affair. This year, the ACO’s new two-stage format focused on speed and nerves. The opening session on Wednesday gave each class just 30 minutes to book a slot in Hyperpole. Only the best advanced: 15 Hypercars, 12 each from LMP2 and LMGT3. Thursday’s sessions then delivered two shootouts, first to trim the field, then a final 15-minute run for pole with a clear track for the Hypercars.

This system favoured those able to switch on tyres quickly and extract a flying lap on demand, no mean feat at the Circuit de la Sarthe, where traffic, surface changes, and nerves play havoc with even the best.

Porsche: Chasing Number 20

No other brand has a record like Porsche at Le Mans. Their bid for a 20th outright win looked serious from the start, with three factory-run Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 Hypercars and a customer entry from Proton. The factory cars made a strong impression in Wednesday’s session:

#5 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Julien Andlauer, Michael Christensen, Mathieu Jaminet) finished 6th, safely through to Hyperpole. Andlauer said afterwards, ‘The car felt good. There’s more to come if we get the balance right for cooler conditions.’
#4 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, Pascal Wehrlein) scraped into the cut. Nasr, who put in a big lap under pressure, admitted, ‘We’re not where we want to be on braking and top speed. But we’re in the fight, and there’s time to find more.’ Wehrlein, making his Le Mans debut as reigning Formula E champion, faces a steep learning curve.
#6 Porsche Penske Motorsport (Kévin Estre, Matt Campbell, Laurens Vanthoor) was the top hope after Estre went fourth quickest. But post-session checks revealed the car was underweight, a clear breach of the rules. The car was relegated to the back of the Hypercar grid. Urs Kuratle, Porsche’s LMDh director, did not make excuses: ‘We made a mistake. Now it’s about turning the page and preparing for the race.’
#99 Proton Competition (Neel Jani, Nicolás Pino, Nicolás Varrone) was 19th, not a threat for the front, but it made the grid without drama.

Jonathan Diuguid, managing director at Porsche Penske Motorsport, kept expectations realistic: ‘We’re struggling a little with front tyre warm-up, especially on car #4. But the pace is there. We’re still in this.’

A note on the pace: Alex Lynn, in the #12 Cadillac, set a fastest lap 1.8 seconds under last year’s pole. The field is getting quicker and tighter by the year.

BMW: Hitting Their Stride

BMW has unfinished business at Le Mans. With BMW M Team WRT now firmly established, two BMW M Hybrid V8s line up in Hypercar. There are also two EVO-spec BMW M4 GT3s in LMGT3. BMW wants a result in both classes.

#15 BMW M Team WRT (Raffaele Marciello, Kevin Magnussen, Dries Vanthoor) was the story of qualifying. Second fastest, just 0.040 seconds off pole, has the paddock talking. Magnussen said, ‘We got the car in the window for the first time this week. It’s tight at the top, and you need everything to line up. I’m happy with the lap, but it could have been even better.’
#20 BMW M Team WRT (Robin Frijns, René Rast, Sheldon van der Linde) suffered a hiccup in testing but made the Hyperpole cut. The team kept quiet about the qualifying time, but all three drivers looked upbeat. Team boss Andreas Roos described the test day as ‘hugely valuable’, even with the minor setback.
In LMGT3, Team WRT #46 (Kelvin van der Linde, Valentino Rossi, Ahmad Al Harthy) set the fastest time in class. Rossi, in particular, looked comfortable: ‘The car gives me a good feeling. I’m enjoying Le Mans more each time.’
The Bend Team WRT #31 (Augusto Farfus, Timur Boguslavskiy, Yasser Shahin) also reached Hyperpole. Farfus summed up the mood: ‘Much better prep than last year. The field is close, but we’ve taken a step.’

Both WRT-run BMWs in LMGT3 made it to Hyperpole, which is no small feat.

Mercedes-AMG: Silver Arrows Back on the Big Stage

The return of Mercedes-AMG to Le Mans after 26 years adds a welcome dimension. Partnering with Iron Lynx, the brand enters three AMG GT3s in LMGT3, wearing a nod to Sauber-Mercedes C9 glory days.

Iron Lynx #60 (Matteo Cairoli, Matteo Cressoni, Claudio Schiavoni) features deep experience. Cairoli knows the circuit: ‘There’s nothing like Le Mans. Every lap, something new.’
Iron Lynx #61 (Martin Berry, Lin Hodenius, Maxime Martin) stands out with 18-year-old Lin Hodenius as the youngest on the grid. Martin faces three 24-hour races in three weeks, a rare feat.
Iron Lynx #63 (Stephen Grove, Brenton Grove, Luca Stolz) brings a family angle, with the father-son Grove duo making their debut.

Drama came in qualifying when the #60 car triggered a red flag, with fuel pressure or tyre delamination suspected. The session stopped early, so some rivals were left stranded, unable to improve. Christoph Sagemüller (head of Mercedes-AMG Motorsport) called the brand’s return ‘a proud moment’, while Stefan Wendl (customer racing boss) underlined the hard work behind the scenes. Drivers, including Cairoli and Martin, spoke about the crowd's energy and the weight of history.

Looking Ahead

We now wait for the final Hyperpole shootout, which will set the grid and award the first championship point of the week. The red flag in LMGT3 qualifying leaves a question over who might have improved, but the German teams look competitive in both Hypercar and GT3. Not every storyline is written yet, especially with the full grid still being finalised at press time.

For now, Porsche chases redemption, BMW dreams of a first win in the hybrid era, and Mercedes-AMG aims to make up for lost time. Le Mans does not give up its secrets early.