Porsche 963s Secure Hyperpole Spots at Le Mans
- Porsche Blog
- Jun 13
- 3 min read
Porsche Penske Motorsport has successfully qualified two factory Porsche 963s for the Hyperpole session at Le Mans, despite a setback with one car. The intense qualifying session saw the number 5 and number 4 cars secure their spots, setting the stage for a thrilling battle for pole position in the new Hyperpole format.
Porsche's Hyperpole Qualification
In a scorching qualifying session with temperatures exceeding 30 degrees Celsius, the 13.626-kilometer Circuit des 24 Heures saw fierce competition among Hypercar prototypes. Only the top 15 cars advanced to Thursday's Hyperpole session.
Number 5 Porsche 963: Driven by Julien Andlauer, Mathieu Jaminet, and Michael Christensen, this car secured sixth place early in the session.
Number 4 Porsche 963: Felipe Nasr, Nick Tandy, and Pascal Wehrlein's car clinched 14th place just before the session ended, moving up to 13th due to a penalty to a sister car.
Number 6 Porsche 963: Kévin Estre initially set the fourth-fastest time but the car was relegated to the back of the Hypercar grid for being below the minimum weight requirement.
Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh, acknowledged the weight issue with the number 6 car, stating, "We are now concentrating on preparing for the race." Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport, added, "I hope that we can further improve our Porsche 963 in the run-up to the big race."
LMGT3 Class Success
In the LMGT3 class, amateur drivers took to the track for qualifying. Ryan Hardwick, driving the number 92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R, delivered a strong performance.
Hardwick secured third place, earning a spot in the Hyperpole session for the up to 516 kW (565 PS) nine-eleven.
The other two identical Manthey and Iron Dames cars finished 19th and 20th, missing out on the Hyperpole.
New Hyperpole Format Explained
The 24 Hours of Le Mans introduces a new two-part Hyperpole format this year, designed to prevent obstructions and allow for top times.
Hyperpole 1 (20:00 CEST): LMP2 and LMGT3 categories compete for 20 minutes. The top eight cars in each class advance.
Hyperpole 2 (20:35 CEST): The eight fastest LMP2 and LMGT3 cars battle for best grid positions in a 15-minute session.
Hyperpole 1 (21:05 CEST): Hypercar class competes for 20 minutes. The top ten cars advance.
Hyperpole 2 (21:40 CEST): The final shootout for pole position among the top ten Hypercars lasts 15 minutes.
Driver Reactions
Julien Andlauer (Porsche 963 #5): "Sixth place and only seven tenths of a second behind the absolute top time – we can live with that. My lap was okay and the car felt good.
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #4): "I'm glad that we made it into the Hyperpole at the last moment - that was important for the entire team of our number 4 car."
Ryan Hardwick (Porsche 911 GT3 R #92): "Our team at Manthey did a great job of turning things around and made the perfect changes to the set-up. The nine-eleven was really good again in qualifying."
Qualifying Results Highlights
Hypercar Class:
LMGT3 Class:
The stage is now set for an exciting Hyperpole session, with Porsche aiming for top grid positions ahead of the main race.
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