Mans 24h, H4: Toyota extends advantage over BMW in the evening

Toyota extends its lead with four hours elapsed at Le Mans 24 Hours, holding a clear advantage over BMW and Cadillac in the Hypercar class. The #8 Toyota TR010, after an early undercut, had built roughly a half-minute gap by hour four as Sebastien Buemi continued a triple stint and Hartley pressed the pace. Jota’s #38 Cadillac V-Series.R moved into second by the second Mulsanne chicane, passing the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Sheldon van der Linde, before BMW briefly reclaimed the lead at the next pit stop.

Behind the leaders, Louis Deletraz’s Jota Cadillac remained fourth, while a trio behind were disrupted by a virtual safety car at the start of the fourth hour, forcing full-service pit stops. The #51 Ferrari fell to tenth after Alessandro Pier Guidi earned a drive-through penalty for contact with the #9 Proton LMP2, and the #83 AF Corse Ferrari incurred a five-second penalty for an unsafe release.

In LMP2, Duqueine seized the lead with Richard Verschoor at the wheel in the third hour, and Manthey took the LMGT3 lead as Ayhancan Guven surged the Porsche 911 GT3 R forward. The race remains highly dynamic, with pace, strategy and penalties shaping the early hours as night approaches.