Hyperpole
In summer air and asphalt temperatures, drivers had 30 minutes on Thursday evening to fight for the best grid spots. Porsche Penske Motorsport had nominated Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki to drive the No. 5 Porsche 963, with Felipe Nasr from Brazil at the wheel of the No. 75 car. Makowiecki only stepped in after a good 15 minutes to increase the chance of a clear run. At the end of his single flying lap, the No. 5 Porsche got caught behind a rival, lost critical fractions of seconds and clocked a time of 3:25.176 minutes.
Nasr waited three more minutes before making his attempt. When the session was red-flagged due to a burning vehicle on the Mulsanne straight, his pursuit came to an abrupt halt. With barely more than five minutes remaining on the clock, the hyperpole was restarted. While Makowiecki didn’t make another attempt, the Brazilian went out on the track a second time with a fresh set of Michelin racing tyres. His time of 3:24.531 minutes planted him and his teammates Nick Tandy (United Kingdom) and Mathieu Jaminet (France) on the fourth grid spot. On Saturday, the trio Makowiecki, Dane Cameron (USA) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) line up on the grid in seventh place.
The No. 6 car shared by works drivers Kévin Estre from France, André Lotterer from Germany and Laurens Vanthoor from Belgium will tackle the centenary race of the world’s largest endurance event from P9. In Wednesday’s qualifying session, the trio narrowly missed out on making it into the hyperpole for the eight fastest hypercars. The Porsche 963 fielded by the customer team Hertz Team Jota heads into the classic from position 16. A total of eight Porsche 911 RSR contest the GTE-Am class.
“Fourth place – huge congratulations to the team,” says Urs Kuratle, Director of Factory Motorsport LMDh. “We didn’t necessarily assume that we would have the best-placed hypercar on the grid according to the LMDh regulations. But we still fought hard for it. The red flag during the session helped us a bit. It gave us a chance to sort ourselves out and make another attempt with the No. 75 car. We just had to make sure that the car returned with enough fuel in the tank. A huge thank you also goes to our people back home in Weissach. We’ve had a difficult week with unplanned activities and we received great support from them that went above and beyond what’s normal.”
“It’s a nice outcome for us with grid positions four and seven,” states Jonathan Diuguid, Managing Director at Porsche Penske Motorsport. “Because of the red flag, we had to change our plans at short notice and quickly update our fuel and energy calculations to give Felipe Nasr a chance of a flying lap. He and Fred Makowiecki did a great job. Now we’re excited to the start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.”
On Friday, 9 June, the cars contesting the 24-hour race will take a break from the racetrack. Instead, the focus at the 91st edition of the endurance classic will turn to the traditional drivers’ parade in the city centre of Le Mans, which this year begins at 2 pm. An hour before the green flag, Porsche invites media representatives to a press conference in the adjacent Théâtre des Quinconces. At 6:30 pm, fans are treated to another driver parade in front of the main grandstands at the start-finish straight. The race gets underway on Saturday at 4:00 pm (CEST).
Drivers’ comments after the hyperpole session
Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “The red flag threw a spanner in the works for me, as did the fact that I was held up by a slower vehicle at the end of my flying lap. But it doesn’t matter, qualifying for a 24-hour race isn’t that critical. It’s more important that we have a good car over the whole race distance.”
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #75): “That was really intense. We only had enough fuel on board for exactly two flying laps. When the red flag came out on my first run, we first had to work out whether we’d have enough fuel for another attempt. There was a lot of discussion behind the scenes, but in the end, the guys did an awesome job and made it possible for me to turn a second timed lap. I then drove my heart out and pushed to the absolute limit. I’m very pleased with the fourth grid spot and I’m happy for the team.”
Grid positions for the 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours
Hypercar class:
1. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (I/E/DK), Ferrari #50, 3:22.982 minutes
2. Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi (I/UK/I), Ferrari #51, 3:23.755 minutes
3. Hartley/Buemi/Hirakawa (NZ/CH/J) Toyota #8, 3:24.451 minutes
4. Jaminet/Nasr/Tandy (F/BR/UK), Porsche 963 #75, 3:24.531 minutes
7. Cameron/Christensen/Makowiecki (USA/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, 3:25.176 minutes
9. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6
16. Félix da Costa/Stevens/Ye (P/UK/CHN), Porsche 963 #38
GTE-Am class:
1. Catsburg/Keating/Varrone (NL/USA/ARG), Corvette #33, 3:53.092 minutes
2. Al Harthy/Dinan/Eastwood (OMN/USA/IRL), Aston Martin #25, 3:53.905 minutes
3. Flohr/Castellacci/Rigon (CH/I/I), Ferrari #54, 3:54.582 minutes
9. Andlauer/Pedersen/C. Ried (F/DK/D), Porsche 911 RSR #77
10. Barker/Pera/Wainwright (UK/I/UK), Porsche 911 RSR #86
12. Bovy/Frey/Gatting (B/CH/DK), Porsche 911 RSR #85,
13. Cressoni/Picariello/Schiavoni (I/B/I), Porsche 911 RSR #60
15. Cairoli/Hyett/Jeannette (I/USA/USA), Porsche 911 RSR #56
16. Fassbender/Rump/Lietz (IRL/EST/A), Porsche 911 RSR #911
17. Hardwick/Heylen/Robichon (USA/B/CDN), Porsche 911 RSR #16
20. J. Ried/Tincknell/Yount (D/UK/USA), Porsche 911 RSR #88
Qualifying
Porsche Penske Motorsport has qualified for the hyperpole with two Porsche 963 – and thus has a chance to claim pole position in the shootout for this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The factory team’s two hybrid prototypes with the starting numbers 5 and 75 wrapped up the qualifying session on Wednesday on positions five and eight. With P9, the No. 6 sister car narrowly missed out on securing a crucial top-8 result. In the GTE-Am category, none of the eight Porsche 911 RSR qualified for the hyperpole, which will be held on Friday.
In sunny conditions and temperatures of around 27 degrees Celsius, the qualifying session on the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures proved difficult: two interruptions with red flags and numerous yellow flags repeatedly hampered the qualifying attempts of racing cars. Only in the second half of the qualifying could Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki in the No. 5 Porsche 963 and Brazilian Felipe Nasr in the No. 75 sister car make any decisive improvement on their times.
At the end of the session, the two 515+ kW (700 PS) hybrid prototypes from Weissach initially posted the fifth and sixth fastest times. Subsequently, the two fastest lap times of the Porsche 963 which flies the starting number 75 to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the Porsche sports cars were cancelled: A torque sensor had recorded performance peaks that were outside the range prescribed by the regulations. Fortunately for Nasr and his teammates Nick Tandy from Great Britain and Mathieu Jaminet from France, it was still enough for eighth place.
Towards the end of the session, the French local hero Kévin Estre put in a last-ditch sprint at the wheel of his No. 6 car, only to have his attempt at making it into the top 8 thwarted by yellow flags, heavy traffic and deteriorating tyres. The vehicle, which Estre shares with Belgian Laurens Vanthoor and German André Lotterer, will start the race to mark the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans from position nine.
In today’s hunt for top times, only the eight fastest cars in each class qualify for the so-called “hyperpole”. This 30-minute session begins at 8 pm on Thursday (June 8) and determines the positions of the first four grid rows. The grid spots for the remaining drivers who did not qualify for the shootout have been allocated based on today’s result. This applies to the Porsche 963 fielded by the customer team Hertz Team Jota in the hypercar class with 16th place and to all eight Porsche 911 RSR in the GTE-Am category.
“What a crazy qualifying! I have mixed feelings about our result,” explains Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “Two of the three works cars made it into the hyperpole, although we were biting our nails with our number 75 car after the two fastest lap times were thrown out. It’s a shame that our third car missed out on qualifying for the hyperpole by such a tiny margin, but we simply have to accept that now. I also feel very sorry for our customer team, Hertz Team Jota, whose Porsche 963 was unable to turn a timed lap due to a defect.”
“A look at the result shows that things are really tight here at Le Mans,” states Jonathan Diuguid. The Managing Director at Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: “The competition is fierce and exciting. We’re excited to see how the order will look in the hyperpole on Thursday. Until then, I hope we can continue to improve our cars.”
In the GTE-Am category, in which five customer squads campaign a total of eight Porsche 911 RSR, none of the vehicles from Weissach made it into the top eight. Ultimately, Julien Andlauer set the fastest lap time for a 911 with ninth place at the wheel of Dempsey-Proton Racing’s No. 77 entry. The Frenchman was just two-tenths of a second short of qualifying for the hyperpole. The Porsche run by the Iron Dames team with drivers Rahel Frey from Switzerland, Sarah Bovy from Belgium and Michelle Gatting from Denmark tackles the 91st edition of the long-distance classic from P12. Hollywood star Michael Fassbender from Ireland and his teammates Richard Lietz from Austria and Martin Rump from Estonia qualified on P16 in their class.
On Thursday, a three-hour free practice session is scheduled at 3 pm to prepare for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. From 8 pm, a total of 24 cars in three classes will go head to head in the hyperpole session in a bid to clinch the best grid positions in the Hypercar, LMP2 and GTE-Am categories. The day wraps up with another two-hour practice from 10 pm.
Drivers’ comments on the qualifying
Frédéric Makowiecki (Porsche 963 #5): “It was tricky. On my fastest lap, I got held up behind an LMP2 car in the first chicane and lost time in the process. At first, I thought I’d have to abandon my attempt, but I went full throttle instead. That was enough to put me quite far ahead. Our team did a great job in the lead-up to qualifying. I’m proud of the whole team.”
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #75): “I’m pleased that we made it into the hyperpole – even though it was close in the end. It’s great that one of our sister cars is also in the top 8. It was difficult to attack at the right moment and it was a question of luck: will I get a clear lap or not? I’m happy that it was enough for us. This result shows that we’ve made noticeable progress. It’s a well-deserved reward for our team’s hard work.”
Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “What a nightmare. During my attempts, something always got in the way: red flags, slow zones or slower cars in front of me. I didn’t find one single clear lap. In the end, I didn’t have any fresh tyres left for a serious attack. Today just wasn’t our day. That happens sometimes. Let’s now focus on the race. We need to try to have a consistently fast car over 24 hours.”
Qualifying result
Hypercar class:
1. Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen (I/E/DK), Ferrari #50, 3:25.213 minutes
2. Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi (I/UK/I), Ferrari #51, 3:25.412 minutes
3. Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez (UK/J/ARG), Toyota #7, 3:25.485 minutes
5. Cameron/Christensen/Makowiecki (USA/DK/F), Porsche 963 #5, 3:25.848 minutes
8. Jaminet/Nasr/Tandy (F/BR/UK), Porsche 963 #75, 3:26.589 minutes
9. Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor (F/D/B), Porsche 963 #6, 3:26.900 minutes
16. Félix da Costa/Stevens/Ye (P/UK/CHN), Porsche 963 #38, no lap time
GTE-Am class:
1. Perez Companc/Rovera/Wadoux (ARG/I/F), Ferrari #83, 3:51.877 minutes
2. Flohr/Castellacci/Rigon (CH/I/I), Ferrari #54, 3:51.941 minutes
3. Catsburg/Keating/Varrone (NL/USA/ARG), Corvette #33, 3:52.288 minutes
9. Andlauer/Pedersen/C. Ried (F/DK/D), Porsche 911 RSR #77, 3:53.481 minutes
10. Barker/Pera/Wainwright (UK/I/UK), Porsche 911 RSR #86, 3:53.531 minutes
12. Bovy/Frey/Gatting (B/CH/DK), Porsche 911 RSR #85, 3:53.603 minutes
13. Cressoni/Picariello/Schiavoni (I/B/I), Porsche 911 RSR #60, 3:53.626 minutes
15. Cairoli/Hyett/Jeannette (I/USA/USA), Porsche 911 RSR #56, 3:53.947 minutes
16. Fassbender/Rump/Lietz (IRL/EST/A), Porsche 911 RSR #911, 3:54.129 minutes
17. Hardwick/Heylen/Robichon (USA/B/CDN), Porsche 911 RSR #16, 3:54.293 minutes
20. J. Ried/Tincknell/Yount (D/UK/USA), Porsche 911 RSR #88, 3:58.486 minutes
Pre-Test
Porsche Penske Motorsport used the so-called pre-test at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for intensive work on the set-up of the three Porsche 963. On the 13.626-kilometre Circuit des 24 Heures in France, the hybrid prototypes in special livery completed many consistent laps. The LMDh customer squad Hertz Team Jota also impressed during the total six hours of driving at Le Mans. In the GTE Am class, the eight Porsche 911 RSR cars from five customer teams reeled off an extensive programme.
At the official test day in Le Mans, the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team intensively adapted to the special features of the 13.626-kilometer Circuit des 24 Heures. In the two three-hour sessions, the three Porsche 963 completed a total of 142 laps (1,934.9 kilometres) in bright sunshine and temperatures of up to 27 degrees Celsius. In addition to set-up work, tyre testing was the focus of the only testing opportunity at La Sarthe. The #75 car was in the pits for around two hours in the afternoon because a component of the braking system had to be replaced. Meanwhile, Belgian Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel of the No. 6 Porsche 963 set the second fastest lap time of the entire test day in 3:29.648 minutes. The identical over 500 kW (680 PS) strong hybrid prototype of the customer squad Hertz Team Jota circled the legendary circuit in western France 55 times. In the GTE Am category, the eight Porsche 911 RSRs fielded by five privateer teams covered a total distance of 6,213 kilometres.
“Our lap times may look good, but the results from the test don’t mean too much,” sums up Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh. “The most important thing is that all the cars, including the customer car from Hertz Team Jota, are in one piece. We were able to reel off plenty of laps and learned a lot about the special track at Le Mans, on which we are otherwise never able to test. We generated important data. I’m also very pleased with how smoothly the processes worked in our big team with three cars. It was a successful day for us overall.”
“It was very important that we were able to put our team structure, all the tools and all the equipment to the test during this day,” summarises Jonathan Diuguid. The Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport adds: “We have a third car on the grid here in addition to our two cars from the FIA WEC. The effort is enormous. Our No. 75 was in the pits for some time to replace a component but, overall, we still completed a lot of laps. It was a productive day in which we gained important knowledge, especially in the afternoon in higher temperatures.”
There will be no driving at all at Le Mans on Monday (June 6). On Tuesday, too, the 62 cars entered in total will remain in the garages. However, the drivers will be available to fans both at the track and in the city centre as part of autograph sessions. The Circuit des 24 Heures, which consists of around 70 percent public roads, will not be reopened for the first practice sessions until Wednesday.
“In Le Mans, our three Porsche 963 will be truly eye-catching at the 75th anniversary of our brand and the 100th anniversary of the 24-hour race. I do not doubt that this design will immediately win the hearts of fans,” says a delighted Thomas Laudenbach. “We embraced the vehicle designs from Porsche’s rich and illustrious history at Le Mans,” adds the Vice President of Porsche Motorsport. “The 917 as a pink “pig” and the “hippie car” from 1970 – these liveries have made racing history and are still popular today. With our special design on the three Porsche 963, we’re continuing this great tradition at Le Mans.”
Drivers’ comments after the test day
Dane Cameron (Porsche 963 #5): “It was an important and good test day for the entire team and for our No. 5 crew. I’ve been looking forward to this moment for months: finally driving the Porsche 963 at Le Mans. I enjoyed it very much. In the morning the track offered little grip, but that improved noticeably as the day went on. We completed our planned programme without mayor interruptions. Now it’s time for analysis. The basis is already very good. We’re now building on that.”
André Lotterer (Porsche 963 #6): “In the first few laps we weren’t entirely happy with the balance of the car. But we subsequently made noticeable progress. The drivability got better and better. We’re at Le Mans with the Porsche 963 for the very first time. Now we’ve generated important data that we’ll analyse intensively in the coming days. It was nice that our car worked without any technical issues throughout the day. It was also important to get to know the current condition of the track. I have the impression that the bumps have become more extreme in some places – for example in the Indianapolis area.”
Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #75): “Unfortunately, an issue with the braking system cost us some time. We found a solution and ended up with good lap times. For me as a driver, it was a great feeling to be back at Le Mans and behind the wheel of the Porsche 963. It really is a unique experience to drive such a car on this great track. We may not have been able to complete our entire programme with our starting number 75, but we’re still satisfied with the day.”
Yifei Ye (Porsche 963 #38): “Our car is running really well on this very special track. Our main aim today was to collect important data. We succeeded in doing that very well. The focus of our work wasn’t on achieving the fastest possible lap times. We’re learning all the time. Now we have to analyse the findings from today and translate this into further progress. For me, driving on the Le Mans track is always associated with great emotions because I lived in this city for some time as a teenager.”
Ben Barker (Porsche 911 RSR #86): “It was good that we were able to experience the changes to the track today. The curbs in the Tertre Rouge area are new, and there’s also new tarmac in some sections. Le Mans is so different from other tracks, so every driver always needs a few laps to get back into the rhythm. That’s exactly what we did today. So far, our car feels really good, it was a perfect test day.”