24 HOURS OF LE MANS 2023. The first hours of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which started at 4 p.m. on Saturday, were very lively. How to follow the race on TV, on which channel? We tell you everything!
[Updated June 10, 2023 at 8:42 p.m.] The show is in full swing at Le Mans where the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans keeps all its promises. With numerous off-tracks and race interruptions, with the arrival of the rain also at the end of the afternoon, the changes of leaders were incessant. Ferrari, Toyota, Cadillac, Porsche but also Peugeot… They all led the race at one time or another after only 4 hours of racing.
The ranking of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is based on the number of laps covered between Saturday 4 p.m. and Sunday 4 p.m. There is a general classification but also a classification by categories. Three categories coexist: the Hypercars group together the favorites (Toyota, Glickenhaus, Porsche…), the LMP2 prototypes a little less powerful and the LMGTE am, the only GT category now. Note that a Nascar Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 will be the only competitor in the Innovative Cars category.
The ranking (top 5) at 8:00 p.m. after four hours of racing
View the standings live.
On a track that was still wet, Toyota quickly took the lead by placing Sebastien Buemi’s #8 in the lead ahead of the leading Ferraris. If the head of the race passed the first corners without incident, an outsider has already lost big, Cadillac with the crash of the n°311 painfully returning to the pits after only five minutes of racing. The race was then neutralized under safety car to repair the damaged safety rails before the race resumed at 4:40 p.m.
The Cadillac n°3 soon after also had its share of problems, returning to the pits with Sébastien Bourdais at the wheel. Cadillac therefore only has one Hypercar in the lead group, the n°2 in the hands of Earl Bamber who even occupied the lead at 6 p.m. taking advantage of slow zones following accidents and offbeat strategies. With the arrival of the rain, accidents, off-tracks and interruptions followed one another resulting in a waltz of the leaders. Among the losers at the start of the race were the No. 3 Cadillacs and No. 93 Peugeots after Jean-Eric Vergne went off the track. The No. 6 Porsche also lost time shortly after 8 p.m. following a puncture. For the rest, nothing is decided as the performances on the track are close between Toyota, Ferrari and Porsche, Cadillac and Peugeot still appearing as solid outsiders.
This year, two TV channels are broadcasting the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Eurosport, a broadcaster for many years, provides full coverage via Eurosport channels 1 and 2 (as well as the paid Eurosport Player app). The broadcast took place at 3 p.m. on Saturday June 10, one hour before the start, for broadcast until Sunday, with a part reserved for the post-race. Eurosport is accessible by subscription.
La Chaîne L’Equipe provides free broadcasting of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2023. Available on TNT (channel 21) or via the internet (connected TV or internet box), La Chaîne L’Equipe will broadcast the pre-race, the start at 16 hours then many hours of racing.
You can also follow the race live on the net via the on-board cameras offered by Peugeot Sport on board the 9X8 n°93 and n°94.
62 teams of three drivers each are entered in the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. Here is the complete list of entries (PDF document) by clicking here. Five-time defending champion, Toyota will once again be the huge favorite this year. For the centenary race, Peugeot and Ferrari sign their big comeback, after 50 years of absence for the brand with the prancing horse, and will be surrounded in particular by Porsche and Cadillac in the premier category.
