Photography courtesy of FIA WEC, Aston Martin, Porsche & Rolex
Le Mans, nestled at the confluence of the Sarthe and Huisne rivers in northwestern France, is more than a medieval city with Gallo-Roman walls and a beautiful cathedral – it’s a living monument to motorsport legend. Long before seatbelts were standard, and pit boards turned digital, the 24 Hours of Le Mans was already challenging drivers and machines in a relentless pursuit of speed, stamina, and survival. Since 1923, this storied race has posed two deceptively simple questions: how far, and how fast, can you go in a single day? The answers have never been easy – but that’s exactly the point.
Staged on a fearsome mix of public roads and permanent circuit, what’s become known as Circuit de la Sarthe is sports car racing’s Mecca. Its challenge is brutal: hit top speeds on the Mulsanne Straight followed by hard braking into tight chicanes and tricky corners, carry as much speed as you dare through the famous Esses, Tertre Rouge and the Porsche Curves, repeated hour after hour, day into night and back again. Attrition isn’t a possibility, it’s a guarantee – even in this modern day and age of meticulous preparation.
It’s also dangerous, always has been. The dark 1955 race is still remembered with reverence and grief. That year, a Mercedes-Benz 300 SLR piloted by Pierre Levegh was launched into the crowd after contact with another car. The crash killed Levegh and over 80 spectators. It remains the worst-ever disaster in world motorsport history and a permanent scar on Le Mans’ legacy. But, as horrible as that was, it is also part of what makes Le Mans mythic.
The danger is a staple of this crucible of speed and stamina. It’s why Steve McQueen’s 1971 film Le Mans – light on dialogue but heavy with authenticity and incredible action – still resonates. Shot during the actual 1970 event, the real footage was blended with weeks of scripted filming with the sensational prototype cars from Porsche and Ferrari after the race. It showcased to the world what the racing drivers already knew: there’s no theater quite like La Sarthe.
For car manufacturers, Le Mans is the ultimate billboard. Ferrari, Porsche, Ford, Audi, Toyota and many more have all poured fortunes into chasing its elusive trophies, and got the bragging rights of victory as receipts. Why? Because a win here isn’t just about pace. It’s about durability, strategy, and survival. To conquer Le Mans is to say your car, your team, your drivers and your strategy was best not for a lap, but for an entire rotation of the earth.
It isn’t just a race. Le Mans is a ritual, a memory factory, and the place where heroes go to write history at over 200 mph. Miss this weekend’s slice of racing history at your peril, and here’s what to look out for…
Ferrari Versus Porsche Is The Headline Act
Sports car racing is complicated. It’s part of its charm, but a major stumbling block to casual fans, and essential to its competitive dynamic that allows the different shapes and sizes of car to race head-to-head on a relatively (if slightly artificial) level playing field. The necessary evil is called Balance of Performance, a constantly shifting scientific system that determines each manufacturer’s minimum weight, maximum power, power-to-weight ratio and maximum energy stint (that’s gas and hybrid). Some you win, and some you lose.
Even in the top Hypercar class, two types of prototype cars are allowed: LMH (Le Mans Hypercar, which permits a wide variety of architectures and notably authorizes the presence of a hybrid system on the front axle) and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona hybrid, where each manufacturer’s powertrain is mated to a chassis supplied by either Dallara, Multimatic, Ligier or ORECA).
Let’s take an example from each type. Ferrari’s 499P is built to the LMH rules set, and has won the Le Mans 24 Hours for the two most recent editions. Run by the AF Corse team, it’s a four-wheel drive car, powered by a 3-liter twin-turbo V6 engine on the rear axle and a 200 kW electric motor (powered by a bespoke 900 V battery pack, recharged by Ferrari’s own energy recovery system) on the front axle.
The Italian marque has dominated this season’s FIA World Endurance Championship (of which Le Mans is the fourth round) with wins at the Qatar 1812 km, Six Hours of Imola and Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps (pictured above). Naturally, the outfit tops the rankings in the 2025 Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship standings.
Meanwhile, Ferrari’s chief rival Porsche – the reigning FIA WEC champion – has built its 963 model to the LMDh rules set. Run the Porsche Penske Motorsport squad, and using a chassis built by Multimatic, it’s a two-wheel drive car powered by a 4.6-liter twin-turbo V8 engine, which is assisted by a 50 kW electric motor.
The German marque, and its American team, won both the WEC and America’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship last year. In 2025 so far, Porsche Penske Motorsport is only sixth in the Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers' Championship standings, but remains a favorite to score what would be a 20th outright victory for the manufacturer.
For the record, Porsche currently reigns with 19 overall wins at Le Mans, while Ferrari has 11 (two behind second-placed Audi, which is currently inactive in sportscars due to its Formula 1 ambitions).
Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Will Be Fan Favorite On Debut
It certainly won’t win, but Aston Martin’s Valkyrie will become an instant fan favorite on its Le Mans debut, thanks to its sonorous V12 engine and wild underfloor aero tunnels. This hypercar was designed by Adrian Newey – one of the most successful Formula 1 engineers in history – about a decade ago, and is exactly the type of car that Le Mans organizers wanted when they allowed exotic road cars, alongside purpose-built racers, into the Hypercar class.
The car that was originally codenamed AM-RB 001 (reflecting its collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies) will finally be unleashed at the world’s most famous sports car race. The road car’s Cosworth-built 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 – capable of producing 1,160 horsepower (865 kW) and 900 Nm (664 lb-ft) of torque – has had to be substantially detuned to 680 horsepower, per regulatory requirements.
Its rival manufacturers have several years of experience to draw upon, so its Aston Martin Thor Team is stepping into a long learning process at this highest level of endurance racing, and as such, seeing both Valkyries cross the finish line would make for a satisfying result. Expect Aston to trail its rivals, but only Cadillac’s V-Series.R (powered by a 5.5-liter naturally aspirated V8) sounds anywhere near as good in the top class.
Plenty More To Watch Besides
As well as Ferrari, Porsche and Aston Martin, there are a plethora of other manufacturers with designs on victory – or at least the podium. Remember the BoP we mentioned earlier? Well, home hero Peugeot has been given the largest weight break for its dramatic looking 9X8 cars, while Toyota, Cadillac, Alpine and, somewhat surprisingly, Ferrari have been handed power increases from 2024’s race. BMW is another giant brand that’s shown impressive flashes of speed this year, without backing that up with results. Is this the race where it comes to the fore?
The 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours brings yet further intrigue with the fiercely competitive LMP2 category (smaller prototypes that use a common Gibson-built 600 hp 4.2-liter V8 engine) providing a proving ground for raw driving talent and engineering ambition, while the LMGT3 class boasts a host of production-based endurance racers. With entries from Ford, Ferrari, BMW, Porsche, Corvette, Aston Martin, and Lexus, these cars are as close to showroom dreams as endurance racers get.
McLaren marks the 30th anniversary of its sole Le Mans victory with a two-car attack with 720S cars run by Zak Brown’s United Autosports team. Meanwhile, the Iron Lynx team brings the Mercedes name back to Le Mans for the first time since 1999. And one of the most popular entries is always the all-female Iron Dames Porsche of Celia Martin, Rahel Frey and Michelle Gatting.
But the Dames have already been dealt a vicious blow: Sarah Bovy will replace Gatting, who sustained foot fractures during a driver change in testing. Never underestimate how Le Mans can bite you, even before the race weekend has begun...
On the BoP front, Chevrolet’s Corvette Z06 GT3.R and the Ford Mustang GT3, have been handed power increases and weight decreases compared to last year’s race. Can we expect an all-American battle for victory between these two heavyweights? It could just be on the cards…
But Le Mans is never just about what happens in the classes – it’s about the overall spectacle, the survival (for drivers, teams, cars and the spectators on the banks and grandstands), and the stories that emerge from the darkness (and potentially rain) and glory of racing for 24 straight hours. Whether you’re trackside with earplugs, a beer and a baguette (recommended!), or watching bleary-eyed from halfway around the world on TV (don’t forget your own beer and baguette supply!), Le Mans in 2025 promises all the drama, danger, and desire that has made it the most mythologized motor race on Earth.
If you really care about cars, you owe it to yourself to witness it for yourself one day.
