The 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025 - Interim Report 1

A Porsche from the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team has established itself at the front of the field in the first four hours at Le Mans. The 963 with start number 5 led the 93rd edition of the 24-hour classic for long stretches, but subsequently fell back due to a penalty. The sister car with the number 6 is keeping in touch with the leaders after four hours and an exciting chase. Meanwhile, the number 4 car lost some ground in the world's greatest endurance race. In LMGT3 class, the Porsche 911 GT3 R from Manthey 1st Phorm is among the leaders after the first four stints.

Under cloudy skies and temperatures of around 24 degrees Celsius, a total of 62 race cars took to the track at 4 p.m. on Saturday to compete in the endurance classic. In the early stages of the 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, two Porsche in particular stole the show: French driver Julien Andlauer took the 963 with start number 5 from third place to the lead in the very first lap thanks to some consequent manoeuvring. The hybrid prototype then led the race for over two hours before dropping back into midfield due to a drive-through penalty. The number 6 car started from the back of the Hypercar field and put in an impressive charge, with Kévin Estre improving by seven positions on the opening lap. After just one hour, the race car from Weissach was already back among the top three. Three hours later, the Porsche driven by reigning world champions Estre and Laurens Vanthoor (Belgium) was still in the leading group. Australian Matt Campbell is supporting the duo at Le Mans.

‟The start went really well. All three Porsches made up positions. We were able to drive at the front initially, but now the situation has changed,” said Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. ‟Ferrari is very fast during the evening and is now setting the pace. But we still have 20 hours to go. I am convinced that we will have an intense battle. Our 963 are running cleanly and without any worries.”

‟We did a great job of leading the race with two of our WEC cars,” explains Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport. ‟We had a problem with the tyres on the number 4 car, which we had to change early. Unfortunately, the number 5 sister car received a drive-through penalty after four hours. That set us back a bit, but there’s still a long way to go in the race.”

Porsche 911 GT3 R puts in a strong performance in LMGT3 class

In LMGT3 class, the three Porsche 911 GT3 R fielded by Manthey got through the first four hours well. Ryan Hardwick started the race in the number 92 car under the Manthey 1st Phorm banner. The American fell back a little in the early stages of the race but was then able to work his way back up the field. He was followed by Porsche works driver Richard Lietz from Austria, who brought the 911 up to third place. The identical cars from Iron Dames and Manthey held their own in midfield after four hours.

Racing for Charity: Porsche donates to support sick children

The sports car manufacturer will donate 500 Euros for every lap completed by the three factory Porsche 963 in the Le Mans race. After the endurance highlight of the 2025 season, the total amount will go to two organisations that are committed to supporting and caring for seriously ill children worldwide: Kinderherzen retten e.V. and Interplast Germany e.V. Over the past two years, the initiative has already raised €1,811,000. As in 2023, Porsche received the ‘Sustainability Award’ from Le Mans organiser ACO for its commitment again this year.

The race on TV and stream

In Germany, the free TV channel Nitro from the RTL Group and the sports channel Eurosport are broadcasting the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The official apps of the FIA WEC and the Le Mans organiser ACO offer a paid live stream and live timing. The 93rd edition of the endurance classic will end on Sunday, 15 June at 4 p.m. local time (CEST).

Driver comments on the start phase

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): ‟My start to the race was great, everything went according to plan. I took the lead on the first lap. We then held the lead for a long time. We were even able to get three stints out of the tyres. Our pace was good, but now Ferrari seems to be getting faster and faster. We can't keep up with them at the moment. Our priority now is to get through the next few hours without any problems. That's all we can do.”

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): ‟Surprisingly, I had to drive the start. That wasn't planned, but the regulations required us to do so. Our car is working great. I really enjoyed it and was completely in the zone. At the end of my stint, I was in the leading group. Hopefully, we can stay in the top five. Let's see what happens in the remaining 20 hours.”

Nick Tandy (Porsche 963 #4): ‟We had to deal with severe vibrations, which meant we had to change tyres early. That set us back, so now we have to work our way back up again. Hopefully, we've already had all our problems in this race and will be able to drive to the end without any difficulties.”

Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): ‟We started in fifth place and fell back a little at first because there were some professional drivers on the track. But I was able to work my way back into the top 10 when other gentleman drivers took over the wheel. Now we're moving forward again, and the race is developing well for us. Our Porsche is competitive, my co-drivers are very fast, and the Manthey 1st Phorm team is certainly one of the best here in the paddock. I'm looking forward to a good result. Let's see what the race has in store for us.”

All results available at fiawec.alkamelsystems.com.