Audi locks-out Le Mans grid
Audi R18 E-Tron Quattros secure 1-2-3 grid positions for Le Mans 24 Hours at La Sarthe.
Audi made its intentions of dominating Le Mans again quite clear during qualifying, by securing the first three spots on the grid for the first time since 2002.
The 3m 22.349s lap set by Frenchman Loïc Duval in the number 2 Audi on Wednesday night remained unbeaten on Thursday due to bad conditions and several red flag incidents. This means the lead car will be shared by Duval, record Le Mans winner Tom Kristensen as well as Allan McNish.
Starting the race from P2 on Saturday will be the number 1 Audi R18 E-Tron quattro of last year’s winners Marcel Fässler, André Lotterer and Benoît Tréluyer, followed by the number 3 of Lucas di Grassi, Marc Gené and Oliver Jarvis.
Toyota could not match the pace of the Audi’s in qualifying with their TS030 hybrid, but will hope to use the fuel advantage, potentially worth an extra two laps during the race to deny Audi another Le Mans title. The Toyotas, driven by Davidson, Buemi, Fassler and Wurz, Lappiere, Nakajima line up behind the Audis in P4 and P5.
The Tricolour will signal the start of the race at 3pm on Saturday 22 June local time and 2.00pm GMT.
