Le Mans 24 Hours 2025 preview: the Aston Martin Valkyrie’s biggest test

The Le Mans 24 Hours is back for its 93rd running, with an even more diverse grid of 62 contenders hitting Circuit de la Sarthe on Saturday June 14 to embark on one of motorsport’s toughest challenges. If you can peel your eyes away from the track action, new car reveals and debuts are also set to take place before the race comes to a close on Sunday at 1600.

A total of 38 turns over 8.5 miles make Circuit de la Sarthe a challenge for a single lap, but all 62 racers will attempt to lap the circuit for 24 hours straight. In the hypercar category, 21 racers will compete this year, and while that’s two down on 2024, it’s hardly a disappointing showing. A pack of four V8-powered Cadillac V-Series R Hypercars will add plenty of theatre, with Ferrari hoping for a third victory in a row with three 499Ps. Peugeot will return with its 9X8 too, with the Alpine A424, BMW M Hybrid V8 and Toyota GR010 also hitting the track.

> Here’s the Aston Martin Valkyrie LMH in its final Le Mans-ready form

As if the Cadillac won’t create enough sound, The Heart of Racing is bringing a pair of Aston Martin Valkyries to the table, marking the model’s Le Mans debut. Powered by the same Cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 as the road car, race-optimised for the extreme conditions of an endurance race, it'll be fascinating to see (and hear) it on the track. It marks the first time since the end of the 1990s GT1 era that a car closely related to road-going machinery has been in the fight for outright victory at Le Mans.

Matching Cadillac with four Hypercars is Porsche, with a group of 963s hoping to continue some of the success they’ve already seen. It looks as if there might be even more than just four in attendance, too, with the one-off 963 ‘RSP’ road car also likely to make its debut. Peugeot will also reveal something for the road with the world debut of its new 208 GTi on June 13. 

> The Peugeot 208 GTi is returning, just not quite in the form you might expect

In the LMP2 class, 17 Oreca 07’s will battle it out through day and night, with 24 LMGT3 class cars bolstering numbers further still. The latter features everything from Ferrari’s successful 296 GT3 to the Porsche 911 GT3 R, Ford Mustang LMGT3 and even the ageing Lexus RC F. Sadly, there will be no Garage 56 entry this year.

This year there are plenty of big names from motorsport, with Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor in the number 6 Porsche 963, Mick Schumacher in the number 36 Alpine A424, Jenson Button in the number 38 Cadillac and Antonio Giovinazzi and Robert Kubica in the Ferrari 499P. 

Le Mans 2025 timings and schedule

• Wednesday June 11: Free Practice 1 will run from 1400 - 1700 for the main grid before qualifying at 1845 - 1915. Free Practice 2 will commence at 2200, running until midnight. 
• Thursday June 12: Free Practice 3 runs between 1445 and 1745, with Hyperpole then running from 2000 - 2155. Free Practice 4 kicks off at 2300. Earlier in the day, the Porsche Spring Challenge begins its first race at 1310, with the Road to Le Mans grid hitting the track at 1825.
• Friday June 13: The schedule goes quiet for Friday, until the V8s of the Mustang Challenge disturb the silence at 1100, before the track’s opened to the public at 1500. Attendees can also attend the Kung's concert between 2000 and 2300.
• Saturday June 14: The main event kicks off after race two for the Ford Mustang Challenge and Road to Le Mans, with the full 62-car grid warming up at midday. A hydrogen demonstration will take place at 1410 before the gridwalk at 1525 - 1550, with the flag dropping for Le Mans 24 Hours 2025 at 1600.

Will Ferrari come out on top with an outright victory for the third year running? Performance has been strong this year so far, but time will tell…