Samwise Sportscar & Endurance Newsletter
Wednesday, June 10, 2026
Alpine Sets Fastest Time in Qualifying; Defending Champion Ferrari #83 Eliminated
Ferdinand Habsburg put the #35 Alpine A424 Hypercar fastest in the opening qualifying session for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, posting a 3:23.135 to edge Louis Deletraz’s #12 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota by just 0.013 seconds. Jordan Taylor’s #101 Cadillac was third. The biggest shock was the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P — defending race winner — failing to make the top 15 and missing Thursday’s Hyperpole, condemning it to start from 17th on the grid. The #50 and #51 factory Ferrari entries did advance to Hyperpole. The top 15 in each class progress to Thursday’s two-stage Hyperpole shoot-out.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Cadillac Locks Out Top Two in Le Mans Opening Free Practice
Cadillac locked out the top two positions in the opening Free Practice session for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, held on Wednesday at Circuit de la Sarthe. Earl Bamber set the fastest time of 3:23.786 in the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota entry, with Jordan Taylor second in the #101 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac, 1.652 seconds behind. BMW’s René Rast was third in the #20 at 1.747 seconds off the pace, followed by Will Stevens in a third Cadillac — the #12 — in fourth. Alpine’s Ferdinand Habsburg completed the top five. Rivals sat more than 1.7 seconds off Cadillac’s leading pace.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Ferrari Admits Most Difficult Le Mans Defence Despite Three Consecutive Wins
Ferrari management has acknowledged the three-time defending Le Mans champions face their most difficult race in recent memory, with team leadership stating they are “not the favourites” despite three consecutive race victories. Ferrari finished behind both BMWs at Spa-Francorchamps and was outpaced by Toyota at Imola earlier in 2026. The #83 AF Corse 499P failed to make the top 15 in qualifying and will start 17th, missing Hyperpole entirely. Team leadership stated the squad must “maximise everything that is under our control” and noted that “sometimes it is not the fastest car that wins, but the one that interprets the race best over the course of 24 hours.”
Sources: Motorsport.com
All Eight Manufacturers Within a Second: Le Mans 2026 Most Competitive Hypercar Field Ever
Analysis of the 2026 Le Mans Test Day has shown this year’s Hypercar field may be the most evenly matched in the modern endurance era. All eight manufacturers managed consistent lap times below three minutes and 30 seconds — a benchmark only a handful of cars reached in 2025. The total number of individual sub-3:30 laps recorded at the test more than doubled from 178 laps in 2025 to 362 in 2026. Aston Martin’s #007 Valkyrie set the fastest test day lap at 3:26.293, and four manufacturers — Toyota, Cadillac, Alpine and Aston Martin — emerged as the leading contenders based on average pace across the session.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Toyota Accuses Le Mans Rivals of ‘Stupid Games’ Over Test Day Pace Management
Toyota GR Racing has accused rival Hypercar manufacturers of hiding their true pace during the Le Mans Test Day, with team management describing the behaviour as “stupid games.” Toyota posted the fastest average lap times during Sunday’s test but is treating the data with scepticism. The Japanese manufacturer won the 2026 WEC season opener at Imola before finishing off the podium at Spa-Francorchamps. Toyota’s concern reflects the unique dynamics of endurance testing, where teams frequently run conservative programmes to avoid revealing performance ahead of the race. The 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans begins on Saturday at Circuit de la Sarthe with eight Hypercar manufacturers competing.
Sources: Motorsport.com
Pin Tops LMP2 Qualifying; Dempsey Sets Pace in LMGT3 at Le Mans
Doriane Pin dominated the joint 30-minute LMP2 and LMGT3 qualifying session at the 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours, setting a 3:34.662 in the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca-Gibson, more than half a second clear of second-placed Ian Aguilera in the #37 CLX Motorsport. Pin’s time secured Duqueine a front-row start for Thursday’s Hyperpole. In LMGT3, Peter Dempsey set the pace in the #34 TF Sport Corvette Z06 GT3.R with a 3:55.744, ahead of Eric Powell’s #77 Proton Ford Mustang GT3. Neither Garage 59 McLaren 720S GT3 car made the top 15 cut in LMGT3, leaving both entries outside the Hyperpole groups.
Sources: Dive-Bomb
Aston Martin Returns to Le Mans with Raised Expectations After Spa Breakthrough
Aston Martin heads to the 94th Le Mans 24 Hours with genuine confidence after a breakthrough fourth-place finish at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. The #007 Valkyrie of Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell crossed the line five seconds off the race-winning BMW — the programme’s best WEC result in its tenth series appearance. The sister #009 car retired following a late crash. Aston Martin also topped the Le Mans Test Day on Sunday, setting the fastest time of 3:26.293, placing the Valkyrie among the leading Hypercar contenders for Saturday’s race. The Valkyrie is the only non-turbocharged, non-hybrid entry in the current field, using a naturally aspirated V12.
Sources: DailySportscar
Jamie Chadwick Becomes First Woman to Drive a Hypercar at Le Mans
Three-time W Series champion Jamie Chadwick became the first woman to drive a Hypercar at the Circuit de la Sarthe, completing five laps in the #17 Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001 during the Le Mans 24 Hours Test Day. Chadwick had raced in LMP2 at Le Mans previously with IDEC Sport and was promoted to Genesis Magma Racing reserve driver earlier this year. Her historic laps coincided with Genesis making its own debut as the first South Korean manufacturer to race in the premier class at Le Mans. Chadwick told reporters after the test she intends to work her way up to a full Hypercar drive.
Sources: 24h-lemans.com
WEC Hypercar — Drivers
1. René Rast / Robin Frijns / van der Linde — 35 pts
2. Hartley / Hirakawa / Buemi — 26 pts
3. Magnussen / Marciello / Vanthoor — 25 pts
4. Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries — 25 pts
After Round 2 — Spa-Francorchamps
WEC Hypercar — Teams
1. BMW — 59 pts
2. Toyota — 52 pts
3. Ferrari — 42 pts
4. Aston Martin — 14 pts
5. Alpine — 14 pts
6. Peugeot — 9 pts
7. Cadillac — 8 pts
IMSA GTP — Drivers
1. Jack Aitken — 1,760 pts
2. Laurin Heinrich — 1,616 pts
3. Julien Andlauer — 1,606 pts
3. Felipe Nasr — 1,606 pts
After Round 5 — Detroit
IMSA GTP — Teams
1. #31 Cadillac Whelen — 1,760 pts
2. #7 Porsche Penske Motorsport — 1,606 pts
3. #93 Acura Meyer Shank Racing — 1,552 pts
Curated by JD · samwise.agency
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