24 Hours of Le Mans: How motorsport’s premier endurance race works and how to watch

Photo by James Moy Photography/Getty Images

Pole position has been claimed, the starting grid is set, and now you can be ready too for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Memorial Day Weekend in the United States saw two legs of the “Triple Crown of Motorsport.” Unofficially, the Indianapolis 500 and the Formula 1 Monaco Grand Prix comprise two pillars of motorsport’s triumvirate of glory.

The third leg is upon us.

This weekend sees the 92nd installment of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the greatest endurance event in motorsport. Similar to the Indianapolis 500 and the Monaco Grand Prix, a victory at Le Mans means eternal glory for the winning team, and the winning drivers.

Here is everything you need to know about this year’s installment of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

What is the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

As stated above, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance event — more on that in a second — and part of the World Endurance Championship. Back in 1906 the Automobile Club de l’Ouest was founded, a motoring organization dedicated to both car building, and car racing.

At the 1922 Paris Motor Show at the Grand Palais George Durand, the Secretary General of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, met with two other motorsport figures: Motorsport journalist Charles Faroux and industrialist Émile Coquille, and the three discussed the world of motorsport and automotive development.

During the discussion Faroux, the chief editor of La Vie Automobile, outlined how readers wanted what he termed a “confrontation” between industrially-built cars. That led to the idea of an endurance event, to test speed, durability, reliability, and innovation. Their original concept called for a winner to only be declared after winning the endurance event in successive seasons, although that concept was finally shelved, leading to the event we know today as the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Simply put, this is an endurance event where the winning team is not the one that simply drives the fastest, but the one that covers the greatest distance during the 24-hour period. Teams are comprised of three drivers, and there are strict rules regarding how long each driver can be behind the wheel. For example, each driver must drive for at least six hours, but no longer than 14 hours total. Drivers cannot driver more than four hours in any six-hour period, otherwise a penalty will be imposed.

And if this is your first 24 Hours of Le Mans or you have been away from the event for five years, you have to prove you are up to the task by clocking in time on the simulator as well as putting in ten laps on Test Day.

What kind of cars participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Over the years different classes of cars have participated in the event. This aims to allow drivers and manufacturers to test themselves against their peers on a leveled playing field. Given that the 24 Hours of Le Mans is in part a test of automotive innovation, the classes of cars have changed throughout the years.

This year the premier level at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is the “Hypercar” division, which replaced the previous premier level of Le Mans Prototype 1, or LMP1 for short. The other two divisions in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans is the LMP2, and the LMGTE or LMGT3 class. The second class, LMP2, contains cars that are similar to the Hypercar division, but with reduced power. The LMGTE contains grand touring cars, which might look slightly similar to sports cars that you may see on a residential street.

For example, here is the #44 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3 of John Hartshorne, Ben Tuck, and Christopher Mies in action during Le Mans Practice earlier this week:

Photo by James Moy Photography/Getty Images

While this is the #311 Whelen Cadillac Hypercar in practice on Wednesday:

Photo by Bruno Vandevelde/Eurasia Sport Images/Getty Images

A little different than your average road car.

What is the track like?

Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans, also known as Circuit de la Sarthe, is the permanent home of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Located in Le Mans, Sarthe, France, the track is a 13.626 kilometer circuit, or 8.467 miles long.

And while the 24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance test, the layout of this circuit means drivers are full throttle for the vast majority of the lap:

As outlined by Yannick Dalmas, who has won this prestigious race four times (1992, 1994, 1995, and 1999), drivers are on full throttle around 85% of the lap. “Le Mans is incredible! You have to be humble,” said Dalmas in this breakdown of the event. “On every lap, you take over 300 km/h four or five times. During the day and during the night. And this in extreme heavy traffic that forces you to constantly judge and find the best racing line.”

What are pit stops like?

Pit stops follow their own set of rules and regulations, and are also a critical part of the race, both in terms of what team can emerge on top as well as the underlying aim of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Aston Martin breaks down the pit stop procedure as follows:

“Fuel will always be added before anything else is done. The rules state that no other work is allowed during refuelling, but a driver change can begin to take place. The driver taking over opens the car door and helps his colleague to get out of the car. The departing driver takes out his seat insert and drinks bottle, and the pit crew member who is assigned as the driver assistant helps to strap in the driver who is taking over.

“Once the refuelling is completed, the air line is plugged in and the internal air jacks lift the car up. The [tires] are then changed, with a maximum of two mechanics working together to change all four wheels and [tires].”

It is also important to note that all of this happens after the car is shut off. This is not only a safety mechanism, but another hurdle that the manufactures have to clear as part of this test of durability. “Unlike most other forms of motorsport, the Le Mans rules demand that the driver must switch off the car’s engine before the stop and then restart it unassisted once the procedure is over,” notes Aston Martin. “This small detail forms an important part of the endurance element of the race, because starter motors and the electrical system have to be able to cope with the demands of this constant stop-start cycle.”

What is “Garage 56?”

Some years, the 24 Hours of Le Mans features an “innovative” car design, that competes out of Garage 56. Added in 2012, Garage 56 is in a separate class of its own, and the car competing in this position does not have to abide by the technical rules and regulations of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

As such, it cannot claim victory. However, cars competing in this category often push the design and technical envelope, fitting with the history and mission of the event.

For example, the first-ever Garage 56 entry was the Highcroft Racing “Delta Wing” seen below:

Photo by Rick Dole/Getty Images

Then in 2014 Team NISMO drove the Nissan Zeod out of Garage 56, a design similar to the 2012 Delta Wing:

Photo credit should read JEAN-FRANCOIS MONIER/AFP via Getty Images

Last year’s entry out of Garage 56 was a effort to bring NASCAR to Le Mans. The Next Generation Camaro certainly accomplished that mission, standing out from the moment it hit the track. See if you can spot the car in the 2023 Le Mans field:

The team, with drivers Jimmie Johnson, Jenson Button, and two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Mike Rockenfeller, was running at the finish of the race, and finished 39th out of 62 teams.

If you are hoping for something similar this year, however, I am afraid I have some bad news. There is not a Garage 56 car in this year’s field.

Are there drivers from F1 or other series in this years field?

Yes, and we can start with the aforementioned Button. The 2009 F1 Drivers’ Champion is back, and is one of 18 drivers with F1 experience in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. Button is driving for the #38 Porsche team. Other drivers with F1 experience include Nyck de Vries (#7 Toyota), Daniil Kvyat (#63 Lamborghini), Sebastien Bourdais (who will be part of the team that starts third, the #3 Cadillac), and Romain Grosjean (#19 Lamborghini), among others.

Those others include Antonio Giovinazzi, who was part of the Ferrari team that won a season ago, is back with the #51 Ferrari team. Mick Schumacher, who was a full-time F1 driver with Haas, makes his Le Mans debut with the #36 Alpine.

“I’ve discovered the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit at night over the last two days. The team and I prepared for the event during tests at Motorland Aragón, which made it much easier for me to acclimatise to these unique conditions,” said Schumacher after qualifying on Thursday in the team’s post-session report. “I really enjoyed it, as the feeling and atmosphere are so different from anything I’ve experienced before. It promises to be an exciting race, and I’m very much looking forward to it.”

Here are the drivers with F1 experience in this year’s Le Mans field.

There are also drivers from other series in the event. Grosjean is one, as he now competes in IndyCar. Other IndyCar drivers in the 24 Hours of Le Mans are Alex Palou (#2 Cadillac) and Scott Dixon, who will join Bourdais in the #3 Cadillac.

What is the starting order?

While qualifying on pole position for the 24 Hours of Le Mans is not as critical as it is at other motorsport events, such as the F1 Monaco Grand Prix, it is still a noteworthy accomplishment. In Thursday’s qualifying session the #6 Porsche team nipped the #2 Cadillac team, and Porsche will start up front.

Here is the full starting grid as of Thursday night:

Ok I’m in. How do I watch?

First off, the 24 Hours of Le Mans begins on Saturday, June 15, at 10:00 a.m. Eastern.

To watch, you need to have a subscription to MAX or MAX plans start at $9.99 per month, and the streaming service is offering a current promotion that includes one free week of the platform.