Mattia DrudiPlayer·Mattia Drudi has secured a second consecutive LMGT3 pole position for Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin at the 24 Hours of Le MansCompetition·24 Hours of Le Mans, converting the marque’s one-lap pace into a valuable grid advantage for this year’s 94th running of the race.
Driving the #27 Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3, Drudi delivers in the decisive closing phase of Hyperpole 2, stopping the clock at 3:52.433. His lap puts the car almost a full second clear of Alessio RoveraPlayer·Alessio Rovera in the FerrariTeam·Ferrari #21, who will start second in class.
The result confirms both a personal milestone for Drudi and a statement of intent from Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin in the new LMGT3 era. For the second year in succession, the British manufacturer’s GT contender will lead the LMGT3 field away when the race begins on Saturday afternoon.
Behind Drudi and Rovera, LexusTeam·Lexus locks out the second row. José María LópezPlayer·José María López places the LexusTeam·Lexus #87 third, edging Jack HawksworthPlayer·Jack Hawksworth in the LexusTeam·Lexus #78, whose crew endure a fraught start to the session after a door problem delays their early run. Once on track, Hawksworth recovers to bank a time good enough for fourth.
BMWTeam·BMW forms an all-Bavarian third row. The BMWTeam·BMW #32, handled in Hyperpole by Sean GelaelPlayer·Sean Gelael, earns fifth on the grid, with Parker ThompsonPlayer·Parker Thompson putting the sister BMWTeam·BMW #69 into sixth. The spread of manufacturers at the sharp end underlines how competitive LMGT3 has become in only its second Le Mans appearance.
The remainder of the top ten features a broad mix of GT heavyweights. Dennis MarschallPlayer·Dennis Marschall qualifies the FerrariTeam·Ferrari #74 in seventh, followed by the Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin #23 of Jonny AdamPlayer·Jonny Adam in eighth. Timur BoguslavskiyPlayer·Timur Boguslavskiy secures ninth for PorscheTeam·Porsche #91, while Ben TuckPlayer·Ben Tuck completes the leading group in tenth with the FordTeam·Ford #77.
The foundation for Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin’s pole push comes earlier in the evening. At the end of Hyperpole 1, Zacharie RobichonPlayer·Zacharie Robichon sets the pace in the #27 with a 3:53.166, ensuring the car’s progression to the final shootout. Dan HarperPlayer·Dan Harper closes out the initial top ten for BMWTeam·BMW with the #69, only just keeping Logan SargeantPlayer·Logan Sargeant at bay.
Sargeant, the former Formula 1 driver, misses the Hyperpole cut by 0.054 seconds in the FordTeam·Ford #88, meaning he and team-mates Stefano GattusoPlayer·Stefano Gattuso and Gianmarco LevoratoPlayer·Gianmarco Levorato will line up 11th in LMGT3. In a field of 25 LMGT3 entries, that slender margin underlines how little separates mid-grid contenders from the fight for class pole.
Several notable names fall away at the end of Hyperpole 1. The MercedesTeam·Mercedes #62 of Julian HansesPlayer·Julian Hanses, the MercedesTeam·Mercedes #61 of Rui AndradePlayer·Rui Andrade, the FerrariTeam·Ferrari #54 of Francesco CastellacciPlayer·Francesco Castellacci, and the PorscheTeam·Porsche #92, which has won the class for the past two years with Riccardo PeraPlayer·Riccardo Pera, all fail to advance.
Ten further crews see their pole hopes end even earlier, eliminated after the previous day’s qualifying. Among them are McLarenTeam·McLaren #10, McLarenTeam·McLaren #58, Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin #59, MercedesTeam·Mercedes #79, CorvetteTeam·Corvette #2, CorvetteTeam·Corvette #13, CorvetteTeam·Corvette #33, CorvetteTeam·Corvette #34, FerrariTeam·Ferrari #150 and FerrariTeam·Ferrari #57. The CorvetteTeam·Corvette #34 had originally set the fastest qualifying time before scrutineers disqualify the car for a diffuser that does not comply with the regulations, a reminder of how tightly policed LMGT3 has become.
For Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin and Drudi, though, the story is clear. The #27 starts from the best possible position, having demonstrated both outright speed and composure under pressure. Over 24 hours, track position is only one piece of a complex puzzle that will also demand reliability, traffic management and faultless pit work.
When the race begins at 17:00 local time on Saturday, 13 June, the LMGT3 class will launch into the longest stint of the World Endurance Championship season with a familiar sight at the front: an Aston MartinTeam·Aston Martin on pole and a pack of FerrariTeam·Ferrari, LexusTeam·Lexus, BMWTeam·BMW, PorscheTeam·Porsche and FordTeam·Ford challengers close behind, all intent on turning qualifying promise into a Le Mans class victory.
Hypercars on track during the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2026 qualifying session. (PsnewZ/IMAGO)
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