Cadillac held the advantage over Toyota as the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans reached half distance following another intense phase of the Hypercar battle.
Jack Aitken led in the #38 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R after a short-filled stop helped him move ahead of the #8 Toyota TR010 Hybrid. The sister #12 Cadillac followed in second, while Brendon Hartley held third for Toyota after recovering from an earlier mistake at Mulsanne Corner.
Meanwhile, Heart of Racing Team led LMGT3 with its #27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3, while Duqueine Team and Inter Europol Competition continued to exchange the LMP2 lead.
Cadillac and Toyota resume fight after Safety Car
The race returned to green shortly after midnight following the first Safety Car period.
Before the restart, Sébastien Buemi completed a demanding fourth stint on the same set of Michelin medium tyres in the #8 Toyota. He built a 13-second advantage through a series of rapid laps before handing the car back to Hartley.
The strategy underlined Toyota’s confidence in its tyre management. The team stretched one set of medium-compound tyres across four consecutive stints as it attempted to retain track position and reduce time in the pits.
Hartley initially inherited Buemi’s advantage and maintained control when the race resumed. However, the New Zealander lost the gap at approximately 01:20 after outbraking himself at Mulsanne Corner.
He rejoined just ahead of Will Stevens in the #12 Cadillac, which immediately placed the Toyota under pressure.
Stevens applies sustained pressure to Hartley
Stevens remained close to Hartley for several laps and forced the Toyota driver to defend his position.
The #12 Cadillac had already featured prominently throughout the race, and its pace kept Hertz Team JOTA firmly involved in the fight for overall victory.
At the same time, the #38 Cadillac also closed on the leading pair. Earl Bamber handed the car to Aitken at approximately 01:30, giving the British driver an opportunity to attack on a different fuel sequence.
Hertz Team JOTA then used a short-filled stop to move the #38 ahead of the #8 Toyota. As a result, the two Cadillac entries ran first and second, with Stevens leading Aitken until approximately 02:30.
Hartley fights back against the #12 Cadillac
Hartley refused to let Cadillac control both leading positions.
The Toyota driver recovered from his earlier mistake and eventually moved past Stevens to reclaim second. Nevertheless, Aitken had already created enough space at the front to protect the lead.
The #38 Cadillac continued to increase its advantage as the race approached half distance. Aitken ultimately built a 22-second gap over the sister #12 car by the 12-hour mark.
Although Hartley had passed Stevens on track, the differing pit-stop sequences continued to affect the order. Cadillac therefore reached halfway with both cars firmly inside the leading group and the #38 holding a clear advantage.
BMW remains within reach of leading trio
The #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 held fourth through much of the early morning running.
Sheldon van der Linde lost some ground compared with BMW’s earlier challenge for the lead. However, he kept the car in contact with Cadillac and Toyota as the race entered its second half.
The #20 had previously matched Toyota and Cadillac through the opening hours, although its pace faded slightly during the cooler night conditions.
Even so, BMW remained close enough to benefit from any errors, penalties or strategic changes among the leading three cars.
Kobayashi moves the #7 Toyota into fifth
The #7 Toyota continued its recovery after the slow puncture that disrupted Nyck de Vries during the fourth hour.
Kamui Kobayashi moved the car back through the order and closed on the #101 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac.
Shortly before the halfway point, Kobayashi completed an on-track pass at Mulsanne Corner to take fifth position.
The move placed both Toyotas inside the leading five and confirmed the #7 car’s continued progress after it had earlier fallen towards the rear of the Hypercar field.
Ferrari #50 drops out of overall contention
The #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P suffered a major setback shortly after the race returned to green during the ninth hour.
The car required a fire extinguisher change, which forced Ferrari to keep it in the pits for an extended period. The repair cost eight laps and dropped the entry to 18th overall in Hypercar.
Ferrari had already attempted to recover from Antonio Fuoco’s earlier spin after contact with the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca at Tertre Rouge.
However, the fire extinguisher issue effectively removed the #50 from the fight for overall victory and placed it behind the heavily delayed #15 BMW.
Genesis loses positions after Mulsanne stoppage
Genesis Magma Racing produced a strong first half during its Le Mans debut.
The #19 GMR-001 remained competitive through the opening 12 hours and ran inside the leading group for significant periods.
However, Paul-Loup Chatin stopped on the Mulsanne Straight at approximately 03:25. The incident triggered the race’s third Full Course Yellow.
Chatin managed to restart the car and return to the circuit. Nevertheless, the stoppage cost four positions and interrupted Genesis’s encouraging run.
Aston Martin leads close LMGT3 fight
Heart of Racing Team controlled LMGT3 at the halfway point with the #27 Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3.
Mattia Drudi and Zacharie Robichon built a small advantage while the Aston Martin supporters around the circuit watched the car lead its class.
The two Akkodis ASP Lexus entries remained close behind. Jack Hawksworth pursued the leader in the #78 Lexus RC F LMGT3, while José María López continued the chase in the sister #87 car.
However, tyre and fuel strategies regularly changed the order throughout the class. With 23 LMGT3 entries still circulating, the battle remained tightly packed as the race entered Sunday morning.
Corvette and Mercedes join LMGT3 lead group
The fight at the front did not remain an exclusive contest between Aston Martin and Lexus.
The #33 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 GT3.R moved into contention through a strong middle phase. Jonny Edgar, Ben Keating and Nicky Catsburg combined to bring the car closer to the leaders.
The #62 Team Qatar by Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG GT3 also remained in touch with the Corvette.
Consequently, four manufacturers occupied the leading positions in LMGT3, with Aston Martin, Lexus, Corvette and Mercedes all featuring inside the top four.
The #150 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari encountered trouble during the 12th hour. The car required a replacement door and lost time in the pits.
Duqueine and Inter Europol exchange LMP2 lead
Duqueine Team and Inter Europol Competition continued to trade the LMP2 lead during the early morning.
The #30 Duqueine Oreca-Gibson had controlled much of the opening half through strong stints from Richard Verschoor, Doriane Pin and Julien Andlauer.
However, the #343 Inter Europol Competition entry remained close enough to challenge through Nico Müller, Bijoy Garg and Reshad de Gerus.
At 04:00, Pin held the class lead for Duqueine ahead of Garg in the #343 Oreca.
The sister #43 Inter Europol entry ran third with Tom Dillmann behind the wheel, giving the Polish team two cars inside the leading three.
Trulli triggers second Full Course Yellow
Enzo Trulli encountered trouble in the #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca shortly before the race reached half distance.
The Le Mans rookie locked his brakes and slid into the gravel at Arnage at approximately 03:17.
Race control activated the second Full Course Yellow while marshals recovered the car.
The rescue team returned the Oreca to the circuit, and Trulli continued in 16th position in class.
Cadillac controls the race at half distance
Aitken reached the 12-hour mark with the #38 Cadillac at the head of the field and a 22-second advantage over the sister #12 entry.
Toyota remained a constant threat after demonstrating strong pace and impressive tyre longevity, while BMW continued to shadow the leading group.
The opening half also delivered setbacks for Ferrari, Genesis and the pole-sitting #15 BMW, which left the leading fight increasingly focused on Cadillac, Toyota and the remaining BMW.
In the support classes, Aston Martin held a narrow LMGT3 advantage, while Duqueine and Inter Europol remained locked in a close LMP2 contest as the race entered its second half.
