The 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours: 21 Hypercars on Michelin rubber
With a field of no fewer than 21 Hypercars all capable of chasing a podium finish, the 93rd running of the Le Mans 24 Hours has the makings of being yet another classic. Michelin – which will continue to supply endurance racing's headlining prototypes exclusively until 2029 – is hoping to equal the record for the highest number of wins by a single tire manufacturer. Its current MICHELIN Pilot Sport Endurance range is due to be superseded in 2026 by new tires that contain 50 percent renewable or recycled raw materials.
When Michelin was named by the ACO (Automobile Club de l'Ouest) and FIA (Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile) as sole supplier to the World Endurance Championship's headlining Hypercars from 2021, it responded by developing a specific, all-new range in a period of just 10 months with the help of advanced simulation technology.
Those original MICHELIN Pilot Sport slicks and rain tire have since undergone minor specification changes (size, tread pattern of the Wet) to keep apace with the evolution of the cars themselves. In the process, they have won every one of the 30 FIA World Endurance Championship rounds that have taken place since the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in 2021.
Michelin Motorsport's current-generation rain tire (blue sidewalls) and soft (white sidewalls), medium (yellow) and hard (red) slicks will be appearing at Le Mans for the last time this year, however. This is because they are due to be replaced in 2026 by a new range, again developed using simulation technology and now, significantly, containing 50 percent renewable or recycled raw materials.
“Michelin has long seen endurance racing in general and Le Mans in particular as invaluable hi-tech laboratories,” observes Pierre Alves, manager of Michelin Motorsport's endurance-racing programs. “At Le Mans in 2021, we presented a demonstration tire that featured 46 percent sustainable raw materials. Four years on and our engineers are putting the finishing touches to a completely new range of actual racing tires that take this proportion to 50 percent. Developed using simulation technology, they have been tested by our Hypercar partners at a variety of circuits and deliver superior performance to the current solutions which themselves set new standards in terms of longevity and consistency.”
The 21 Hypercars contesting this year's Le Mans will all compete on Michelin tires and every one of them has a realistic chance of finishing on the podium when the race concludes at 4pm on Sunday, June 15. Prior the post-race celebrations, however, anything can happen around the 13.626-kilometer circuit that the prototypes cover at average speeds in excess of 220kph.
Ferrari, for example, will be aiming to make it three victories in a row, while Porsche is targeting a 20th Le Mans success and Toyota is hoping to stem a three-year win-less run. Alpine and Peugeot are nurturing hopes of a home win, but BMW and Cadillac will both be out to scupper that plan. Meanwhile, Aston Martin returns to La Sarthe with a prototype for the first time since 2011, to the delight of the 300,000-strong crowd's significant British contingent.
Track action is scheduled to kick off with the traditional pre-race Test Day on Sunday, June 8, followed by the official midweek free practice and qualifying sessions. The top 15 Hypercars in the latter will participate in Hyperpole 1, from which the 10 fastest cars will go on to contest Thursday's Hyperpole 2 shootout for pole position.
The famous twice-around-the-clock race itself will get under way at 4pm Saturday, with the cars flagged away by tennis superstar Roger Federer.