Sébastien Bourdais secured the fastest time for Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA during the final practice session for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans on Thursday night, June 11, 2026. Driving the No. 38 Cadillac V-Series.R, the French veteran clocked a 3m26.
843s lap exactly as the checkered flag fell at the Circuit de la Sarthe. This late surge provided some solace for the team, which had lost its pole position just over an hour earlier following a pre-start procedure violation during the Hyperpole session.
The hour-long Free Practice 4 session was held under cover of darkness, allowing all 62 teams a final chance to refine their setups before the race. Robin Frijns took second place in the No. 20 BMW M Team WRT Hybrid V8, finishing just 0.194s behind Bourdais.
Mike Conway, Kamaui Kobayashi, and Nyck de Vries followed in third with the No. 7 Toyota Gazoo Racing TR010 Hybrid, marking a diverse top three for the session.
The fourth and fifth positions in the Hypercar class were secured by the second Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA entry and the Alpine Endurance Team. The No. 12 Cadillac V-Series.R, piloted by Louis Delétraz, Will Stevens, and Norman Nato, took fourth. Meanwhile, the No.
35 Alpine A424, shared by António Félix Da Costa, Charles Milesi, and Ferdinand Habsburg, finished fifth. Such technical precision in night conditions is vital, much like how Price overcomes Littler in elite darts matches where the smallest margins dictate success.
Drivers complete mandatory night certification requirements
A primary focus for many teams during the session was ensuring their drivers met the night-driving certification. To be eligible for the overnight stints during the race, specific drivers must complete at least five laps in the dark. Ferdinand Habsburg of the Alpine Endurance Team successfully met these requirements.
JOTA Cadillac driver Earl Bamber and United Autosports LMP2 entrant Rasmus Lindh also completed their necessary night laps without incident.
This final hour of track time proved remarkably clean, with no major incidents or mechanical failures reported across the field. Teams utilized the stable conditions to finalize fuel consumption data and tire wear projections. Meticulous preparation is a hallmark of world-class racing, mirrored in other disciplines where Littler leads technical drills to ensure his teammates are sharpened for peak performance under high-pressure scenarios.
Barnicoat and Vaxiviere pace the LMP2 category
In the LMP2 class, the No. 183 AF Corse Oreca 07-Gibson topped the charts with a time of 3m36.111s. The car, driven by Matthieu Vaxiviere and Ben Barnicoat, led the field by a comfortable margin. The No. 30 Duqueine Team ORECA followed in second, finishing approximately 0.7 seconds behind the AF Corse entry.
The No. 37 CLX Motorsport ORECA rounded out the top three as the class specialized in long-run pace.
LMP2 remains a highly competitive class because every entry utilizes the same Oreca chassis and Gibson engine. This creates a scenario where driver consistency and pit-stop efficiency are the ultimate separators. With the session concluding without disruption, these teams now move into their final race-day preparations with significant data on how the Gibson powertrain handles the cooler evening air in France.
Corvette secures one-two finish in LMGT3 session
The LMGT3 class was dominated by the Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, which secured the two fastest times in the category. Jonny Edgar, Ben Keating, and Nicky Catsburg led the way in the No. 33 TF Sport entry with a lap of 3m55.262s. Charlie Eastwood followed closely in second place for the No.
34 Racing Team Turkey by TF Sport, finishing a mere 0.073 seconds behind the leader.
The Heart of Racing Team prevented a full Corvette sweep of the top three positions. Eduardo Barrichello, driving the No. 23 Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3, finished the night in third place. Barrichello’s best effort was just over a tenth of a second off the pace of the leading No. 33 Corvette.
Just as Arthur Fils and World Cup updates capture the attention of global fans, the LMGT3 battle is expected to draw major focus during the 24-hour marathon.
With all practice sessions now concluded, the focus shifts to the upcoming race schedule. On Saturday, June 13, the 62 teams will return to the Circuit de la Sarthe for a 15-minute warm-up at 12:00 local time.
This serves as the final systems check before the official start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans at 16:00. While Cadillac showed impressive speed in the final practice, they face a long battle against the pole-sitting BMWs and the consistently fast Toyotas.
