Ferdinand HabsburgPlayer·Ferdinand Habsburg delivers an early statement at Le Mans, putting Alpine on top of the first qualifying session and underlining the French manufacturer’s prototype resurgence on home soil.
In a tightly fought 30‑minute run on the Circuit de la SartheVenue·Circuit de la Sarthe, Habsburg posts a 3:23.135 in the No. 35 Alpine prototype to lead the opening qualifying phase for the 24 Hours of Le MansCompetition·24 Hours of Le Mans. He edges Louis DelétrazPlayer·Louis Delétraz in the No. 12 Cadillac by just 0.013 seconds, with Jordan TaylorPlayer·Jordan Taylor completing the top three in the additional No. 101 Cadillac entered by Wayne Taylor RacingTeam·Wayne Taylor Racing.
All three advance to Hyperpole, where the grid’s sharp end will be decided, but it is Alpine’s performance that stands out. For a brand rebuilding its top-class endurance programme, topping the very first timed fight of Le Mans week is a concrete sign that the A424 project now carries genuine one‑lap speed as well as long‑run ambition.
The first qualifying also delivers an immediate setback for the reigning Le Mans winners, who are set to start 17th after failing to reach Hyperpole. Their privately run No. 83 Ferrari cannot replicate last year’s form in traffic and time management, with Phil HansonPlayer·Phil Hanson ending the session 2.360 seconds off Habsburg’s benchmark and marooned in the midfield. Starting 17th around a 24‑hour classic is not fatal for a repeat bid, but it significantly complicates strategy, especially in the opening hours when traffic and safety cars often reshape the race.
The traffic‑affected middle of the Hypercar order also tells its own story. Stoffel VandoornePlayer·Stoffel Vandoorne places the No. 93 Peugeot 16th, 1.843 seconds down on Habsburg, narrowly ahead of the second Peugeot, which is split by Hanson’s Ferrari. Neither Peugeot progresses, while Alessandro Pier GuidiPlayer·Alessandro Pier Guidi in the No. 51 Ferrari secures the final Hyperpole berth, 0.375 seconds clear of Vandoorne. At the other end of the scale, Malthe JakobsenPlayer·Malthe Jakobsen in the No. 94 Peugeot is slowest of the session, 2.525 seconds away from the outright pace.
In LMP2, Doriane PinPlayer·Doriane Pin underlines her growing reputation by leading a 19‑car field. She stops the clock at 3:34.662 in the No. 30 Duqueine entry, 0.567 seconds ahead of Ian AguilarPlayer·Ian Aguilar in the No. 37 CLX MotorsportTeam·CLX Motorsport prototype. Only the quickest LMP2 crews progress, and four teams see their qualifying hopes cut at the first hurdle: No. 44 Proton CompetitionTeam·Proton Competition, No. 25 Algarve Pro RacingTeam·Algarve Pro Racing, No. 48 RD LimitedTeam·RD Limited and No. 3 DKR EngineeringTeam·DKR Engineering will occupy the back rows of the LMP2 grid.
The new‑look LMGT3 class, the largest category in this year’s race with 25 entries, produces its own early drama. Peter DempseyPlayer·Peter Dempsey sets the pace in the No. 34 Corvette with a 3:55.744, 0.207 seconds ahead of Eric PowellPlayer·Eric Powell in the No. 77 Ford. Under the regulations, LMGT3 teams must use their bronze‑rated drivers in this first qualifying phase, pushing amateur racers into the spotlight and leaving the higher‑graded silver, gold and platinum drivers to handle Thursday’s Hyperpole.
That rule shapes a brutal cut. Ten LMGT3 crews drop out at the end of Q1: No. 62 Mercedes driven by Abdulla Al‑Khelaifi, No. 10 McLaren with Antares AuPlayer·Antares Au, No. 33 Corvette of Ben KeatingPlayer·Ben Keating, No. 79 Mercedes with Johannes ZelgerPlayer·Johannes Zelger, Ferrari entries No. 150 (Custodio ToledoPlayer·Custodio Toledo) and No. 57 (Takeshi KimuraPlayer·Takeshi Kimura), the No. 59 Aston Martin of Clément MathieuPlayer·Clément Mathieu, the No. 58 McLaren of Alexander WestPlayer·Alexander West, plus two more Corvettes, the No. 2 of Prince Jefri IbrahimPlayer·Prince Jefri Ibrahim and the No. 13 of Arek FirdianPlayer·Arek Firdian. For all of them, the first qualifying session decides their starting slots, removing the safety net of a late‑evening flyer.
Attention now turns to Hyperpole, which will again split the field by class. The LMP2 and LMGT3 runners share the track in two separate sessions scheduled for 20:00 and 20:35 local time, before the Hypercar prototypes take over at 21:05 and 21:40. After the first Hyperpole phase, only the ten fastest cars in each category advance to a second shootout, where the battle for class pole truly begins.
Strategy already comes into play. Regulations allow each driver to contest only one of the three time‑trial phases — initial qualifying, Hyperpole 1 or Hyperpole 2 — forcing teams to plan carefully how they deploy their line‑ups. With Alpine at the top of the early order, Cadillac in close attendance and last year’s winners staring at a long climb from 17th, the storylines are set. The first check of outright pace is complete; the next, more intense examination awaits under the Le Mans night.
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