24 Hours of Le Mans – Saturday, 12:00 AM: It’s a free-for-all!
At midnight, the 24 Hours of Le Mans were still as undecided as ever. The fierce battle between Porsche and Audi continues to thrill the spectators. However, Mark Webber's crew, penalized for overtaking under yellow flags, will have to fight to get back to the top.
As the drivers plunge into the depths of the Le Mans night, the suspense remains intact. The anticipated duel is currently meeting all the public’s expectations: when the clock struck midnight on Saturday, the final hierarchy of this 24 Hours of Le Mans was still profoundly unclear…
Between Porsche and Audi, the flirtation is torrid: the gaps are only a few seconds, and the last hours of Saturday offered, to our great delight, wheel-to-wheel explanations, overtaking and re-overtaking, thrills and admiration.
At midnight, the Porsche No. 19 driven by Nico Hülkenberg leads the race. René Rast, in the Audi No. 9, follows closely at less than five seconds behind (the gaps were even less than two seconds earlier in the race). In third place is an Audi, No. 2, driven by Marcel Fassler.
The Audi No. 2 fought for a long time on the track with the Porsche No. 17 driven by Mark Webber. However, as the duel raged on, the Australian driver was guilty of overtaking under yellow flags, probably that of a backmarker, likely inadvertently. The race director’s sanction was merciless: Mark Webber received a one-minute stop-and-go penalty… before having to stop again the next lap to refuel. The hopes for victory haven’t completely vanished, but they are certainly slimmer now.
Another unfortunate favorite: the crew of the Audi No. 8, which suffered from Loïc Duval’s accident in the late afternoon. Oliver Jarvis was two laps behind the leaders at midnight. As for the Toyotas of Alexander Wurz and Sebastien Buemi, they are not on pace, being three and six laps behind, respectively…
In LMP2, few changes are to be noted: car no. 47 of the KCMG team still leads the field, followed by car no. 46 of the Thiriet by TDS Racing team.
In GTE Pro, GP2 driver Richie Stanaway grabbed first place thanks to the power of his Aston Martin Vantage No. 99. Oliver Gavin’s Corvette is only 40 seconds behind. In GTE Amateurs, former F1 driver Pedro Lamy still holds the lead.
