Toyota claims sixth Le Mans victory

For the sixth time in its history, Toyota has triumphed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

After only managing 14th and 15th in qualifying, few would have awarded Toyota the rank of pre-event favourite.

BMW and Cadillac stole much of the early headlines, and the team notably decided to opt for an offset strategy by pitting after just half an hour.

The offset strategy allowed for steady progress, however Toyota’s woes were compounded by a slow puncture for the No.7 car just four hours in.

A series of safety cars during the night allowed both cars to make up ground, and Brendon Hartley in the No.8 car was part of a particularly memorable nighttime duel with the two Cadillacs.

Come Sunday, the team found a significant turn of pace and was able to dispatch the No.12 Cadillac despite brake issues on the No.8 car. These problems forced it into the role of rear gunner tasked fending off the ever-present No.20 BMW of Robin Frijns, Rene Rast and Sheldon Van der Linde.

Despite being eventually overhauled, the combined efforts of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa allowed the sister car to hang on and take victory by just over ten seconds. 

This may be Toyota's sixth overall victory but having previously won out against relatively weak opposition, 2026 marks the first time the team has withstood a sustained, multi-team scrap for the win. One that left Nyck de Vries feeling understandably relieved. 

They may not have had the fastest car, but BMW made its presence felt through unwavering consistency. The No.20 car was largely void of the reliability issues or on track skirmishes that hindered many of its rivals. As a result, it remained a persistent threat, particularly during the final hours.

The team may have lost out on both championship leads as well as a first Le Mans win in 27 years, but with second place, the No.20 crew remain firmly in the hunt for the overall championship.  

Cadillac is likely to be among the most disappointed after this year’s Le Mans. After being stripped of pole with one car and lining up on the front row with another, the team wasted little time in making up for lost ground.

The No.38 car of Sebastien Bourdais, Earl Bamber and Jack Aitken regularly troubled the likes of Toyota and BMW and even led at the six hour mark. A sensational run from the No.12 car meant the team ran first and second for much of the night.

A drive-through penalty for the No.8 Toyota looked to be the lucky break Cadillac needed. Unfortunately, the No.38 car was wheeled into the garage shortly after, which ended its hopes of victory.

Bourdais did little to hide his disappointment, describing the result as a “dagger in the heart”, particularly given the commendable performance Cadillac Hertz Team Jota had put in. 

The No.12 car soldiered on but, despite the best efforts of Will Stevens, Norman Nato and Alex Lynn, was unable to keep pace with the leading trio come Sunday and ended up a somewhat distant fourth. 

Having won the three previous Le Mans 24 Hours, Ferrari's 2026 performance has been something of a disappointment. After missing out on Hyperpole 2, the No.51 car had an uneven race.

Antonio Fuoco suffered a spin at Tertre Rouge two and a half hours in and dropped to ninth. Steady progress was made during the night before the No.50 Ferrari ground to a halt on Sunday morning.

Things weren’t much easier for the No.51 car as Alessandro Pier Guidi collided with Jonas Reid in the No.9 LMP2 Proton at the Esses three and a half hours in. Team-mate James Calado later took over and was able to make steady progress during the night, even so, fifth was all they could manage. 

After qualifying a lowly 17th, there was to be no repeat of last year’s heroics for the No.83 AF Corse. A largely trouble-free run from Yifei Ye, Robert Kubica and Phil Hanson was rewarded with seventh place. 

Elsewhere, the Aston Martin Thor Team spent much of the race stuck in the midfield. The No.007 car eventually finished eighth, while the No.009 car suffered a late tyre failure, which relegated it to 14th. 

Alpine were a consistent fixture in the top six during the opening exchanges, particularly with the No.35 car of Antonio Felix da Costa, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi. However, the team was unable to keep pace with the likes of Toyota, BMW and Cadillac and ended the race in sixth and tenth.  

Peugeot benefited somewhat from the misfortune of others, but the 9X8’s lacklustre pace meant it did little to trouble those around it. The two cars finished the race in 11th and 12th, respectively.

Having played down expectations in the weeks leading up to the race, Genesis had its fair share of teething problems. The No.19 car stopped on track twice during the night but was able to carry. It eventually finished 13th, registering some very useful competitive kilometres. Having avoided such mechanical woes, the No.17 car suffered terminal tyre damage after running over a kerb on Sunday morning. 

The highs of Thursday’s pole position must feel like a long time ago for No.15 BMW’s crew. After losing the lead on the very first lap, the car steadily worked its way down the field.

A collision with a backmarker in the sixth hour resulted in a puncture and reduced the No.15’s race to an elaborate test session. It took the chequered flag last of the surviving Hypercars and 54th overall. 

In LMP2, the No.30 Duqueine Team car of Richard Verschoor, Doriane Pin and Julien Andlauer led for much of the race, only to suffer brake failure with less than five hours to go.

This handed the win to the No.43 Inter Europol Competition car of Jakub Jerzy Śmiechowski, Tom Dillmann and Nick Yelloly. 

In LMGT3, the No.27 Aston Martin led for the majority of Saturday but was blindsided by a commendable night stint for the No.33 Corvette. The Heart of Racing Team’s efforts would later fall victim to a gearbox issue. 

With this win, Toyota has established itself as a bona fide Le Mans legend. However, the performances of BMW and Cadillac, coupled with the classified BoP, suggest that this year’s World Endurance Championship is anything but settled.