How 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours Qualifying works
Essentially, qualifying for the Le Mans 24 Hours works very similarly to the F1 knockout qualifying in place since 2006.
There are three classes at Le Mans - Hypercar, LMP2, LMGT3.
The Hypercars are the ones who will be going for outright pole position, and the overall victory come Sunday, with LMP2 and LMGT3 fighting for respective class wins.
For qualifying, the Hypercars are placed into their own sessions, with LMP2 and LMGT3 squeezed together.
On Wednesday, 10th June, two sessions will be run with every car out on track, split into Hypercar and the LMP2/LMGT3s.
The 15 fastest Hypercars, 12 fastest LMP2s and 12 fastest LMGT3s will then advance through to Thursday's Hyperpole sessions. Think of this as F1's Q1.
On Thursday, in Hyperpole 1, the five slowest Hypercars are eliminated with the slowest four in LMP2 and four from LMGT3 being cut.
In Hyperpole 2, the remaining 10, 8, and 8 cars go for class pole, and for the 10 Hypercars, overall pole.
In a small change to 2025, three-driver crews must use a different driver in every segment of qualifying, with the only exception being in LMGT3, where a bronze-rated driver must qualify in the first session.
Check out the time schedule for 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying!
Qualifying start time for 2026 Le Mans 24 Hours
| Date | Session | Class | Time - LOCAL - CET |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 10th June | Qualifying | LMP2/LMGT3 | 18:45-19:15 |
| Wednesday 10th June | Qualifying | Hypercar | 19:30-20:00 |
| Thursday 11th June | Hyperpole 1 | LMP2/LMGT3 | 20:00-20:20 |
| Thursday 11th June | Hyperpole 2 | LMP2/LMGT3 | 20:35-20:50 |
| Thursday 11th June | Hyperpole 1 | Hypercar | 21:05-21:25 |
| Thursday 11th June | Hyperpole 2 | Hypercar | 21:40-21:55 |
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