When is 24 Hours of Le Mans? What's the schedule? How to watch in UK? Are Jenson Button and Sebastian Vettel driving?
Updated 15/06/2024 at 17:12 GMT
The 101st edition of 24 Hours of Le Mans will take place this month, with Ferrari the defending champions. Former Formula 1 drivers Jenson Button, Mick Schumacher, Romain Grosjean will be among those looking to impress at the iconic 24-hour endurance race. We run through everything you need to know about 24 Hours of Le Mans, including when it starts, the format, and how to watch in the UK.
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It’s that time of year again – the 24 Hours of Le Mans time of year.
The 101st edition of the iconic endurance will feature a stacked hypercar race that is bolstered by the additions of BMW, Lamborghini, Isotta Franshini and Alpine.
Ferrari were champions in 2023, but will they repeat with such strong competition?
Among the drivers will be former Formula One drivers Jenson Button, Mick Schumacher, Romain Grosjean, Robert Kubica and Daniil Kvyat.
When is 24 Hours of Le Mans? Who’s racing? What’s the schedule? And how to watch in the UK on discovery+? We run through everything you need to know…
When is 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024?
The 2024 edition of 24 Hours of Le Mans starts on Saturday, June 15 at 3pm UK time and finishes 24 hours later on Sunday, June 16.
The preparations for the race started on Wednesday, June 12 with free practice and qualifying, which was topped by BMW's Dries Vanthoor.
Hyperpole, which determines the positions for the three classes in the race, takes place on Thursday, June 13.
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24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 schedule
(All times UK)
Wednesday, June 12
- 1pm: Free practice 1
- 6pm: Qualifying
- 9pm: Free practice 2
Thursday, June 13
- 2pm: Free practice 3
- 7pm: Hyperpole
- 9pm: Free practice 4
Saturday, June 15
- 11am: Warm-up
- 3pm: Le Mans 24 start
Sunday, June 16
- 3pm: Le Mans 24 finish
View the full Le Mans week schedule here.
How to watch 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 in the UK
You can watch all the action from Le Mans 24 in the UK with discovery+, where fans can enjoy a subscription that includes TNT Sports, Eurosport and entertainment in one destination.
24 Hours of Le Mans explained
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance race held at the Circuit de la Sarthe which runs continuously over a 24-hour period.
The team that covers the most distance over the course of the race will win the race. Each team has three drivers that alternate over the course of the 24 hours.
No driver can race for more than 14 hours in total.
There are three different classes of cars: Hypercar, LMP2 and LMGT3.
The hypercars are the fastest cars in endurance racing.
How does qualifying work and what is Hyperpole?
The qualifying session on Wednesday will see all the cars on the track looking to set the fastest times.
Most of the starting positions will be determined by qualifying, but the eight fastest cars in the three classes will qualify for Hyperpole on Thursday.
The Hyperpole session lasts for 30 minutes and will determine the top eight places in each class.
Who is racing at 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024?
This year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will see a bumper 23 hypercars in action, seven more than last year’s race.
Ferrari are the defending champions and are sticking with the same driver line-ups that saw them take victory a year ago.
New entrants BMW, Lamborghini, Isotta Franshini and Alpine will be looking to make their mark.
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Former Formula One world champion Jenson Button will be driving for Porsche while Mick Schumacher drives for Alpine.
Sebastian Vettel tested for Porsche but will not be competing at the race this year.
MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi will be driving a BMW in the LMGT3 class.
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Stream Le Mans 24 live and on-demand on discovery+
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