Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

As it happenedended

Le Mans 2019 results: Positions and standings as No 8 wins 24 Hours after Toyota changed wrong tyre on No 7

Re-live all the action from the 87th running of the Le Mans 24 Hours at the Circuit de la Sarthe

Jack de Menezes
Sunday 16 June 2019 11:51 EDT
Comments
Le Mans 2019 winners Toyota head to the podium

Your support helps us to tell the story

From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.

At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.

The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.

Your support makes all the difference.

Toyota took an expected victory in the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours, but noe was prepared for the controversial ending that saw the No 7 car lose the win an hour from the finish after the team replaced the wrong wheel during an unscheduled pit stop, leaving the car that had led for nearly 12 consecutive hours limping around the circuit with a punctured tyre.

The No 7 car of Conway/Kobayashi/Lopez lost the lead of the race to the No 8 of Buemi/Alonso/Nakajima at the start of the final hour after it picked up a puncture, only for a faulty sensor telling the team to change the wrong wheel when it pitted from the lead to gift the sister car the win, with the No 11 SMP Racing BR1 of Petrov/Aleshin/Vandoorne finishing in third. A series of safety car periods throughout the night saw the No 26 G-Drive Racing move clear in LMP2 only to suffer a 20-minute delay in the pits to leave the No 36 Signatech Alpine in the lead, while the GTE Pro lead is with the No 51 Ferrari after its nearest rival, the No 63 Corvette, spun out with three hours to go with the No 91 and 93 Porsches in second and third, while the No 85 Ford is clear in GTE Am.

However, both Aston Martins crashed out of the GTE Pro battle inside 20 minutes of each other, with the GTE Am class No 98 already out, while Corvette Racing saw the No 64 become the first official retirement after a heaving crash early on. Re-live the live updates below.

What time does it start?

The 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours starts at 2pm BST (3pm CET) on Saturday 15 June.

When is the finish?

The chequered flag will drop at the end of the first lap after 2pm on Sunday 16 June.

How to watch

The 24 Hours of Le Mans will be shown live on Eurosport, along with a number of other sessions during the week.

Twenty-four-hour race coverage will be shown from the moment the flag drops to the chequered flag on Sunday, along with pre- and post-race analysis.

Viewers can watch the race coverage online by subscribing to the Eurosport Player, which comes with the added bonus of no advert breaks for uninterrupted Le Mans coverage. Viewers can buy a monthly pass for £6.99, sign up for a monthly subscription for £4.99 a month or buy a discounted annual pass for £39.99.

There will also be regular 10-minute catch-up shows screened every two hours until 11pm on Saturday, and again from 8am on Sunday morning.

Hour 3: BACK TO GREEN

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 16:47

Hour 3: The No 29 is forced to pit to have a new set of tyres fitted, dropping out of third place in class that will need it to fight back up through the field. The No 69 also pits for new tyres and Westbrook hands over to IndyCar great Scott Dixon.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 16:49

Hour 3: A 30 stop-and-hold penalty has been dished out to the No 20 High Class Racing LMP2 of Mathias Beche for speeding under the FCY. Meanwhile, the No 67 Ford is likely to receive a sanction of its own too after an unsafe release puts it straight into the path of the GTE Am TF Sport Aston Martin, with Jonathan Bomarito reacting superbly to hit the brakes and veer right to avoid contact in the pit lane.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 16:58

Hour 3: Big moves in the LMP2 class just as the third hour comes to an end. The No 37 Jackie Chan DC Racing car has fought its way up into the mix and does what the No 38 couldn't do earlier, diving inside of the No 31 DragonSpeed into Mulsanne corner with a fully committed move to take third place in class. Half-a-lap later, the G-Drive Racing entry that had the 10-second penalty gets past the long-time leader of the No 36 Alpine on the run between the Mulsanne chicanes.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:03

END OF HOUR THREE STANDINGS

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:04

Hour 4: Here's the earlier pit lane incident that has the No 67 Ford under investigation for an unsafe release.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:08

Hour 4: How's that GTE Pro battle going? After making their fourth stop of the race, the Corvette of Jan Magnussen - having taken over from Antonio Garcia  - remains out in front, but he's being hunted down by the No 51 Ferrari of James Calado who has worked his way up through the field and is 13 seconds off the lead. The No 67 Ford is in third but faces a possible penalty, with the No 93 Porsche set to benefit from any penalty that comes their way. They sit ahead of the fifth-plaved No 68 Ford, the No 71 Ferrari, the No 91 Porsche, the second Corvette of Tomy Milner in eighth and the No 92 Porsche that has fallen back a touch, with the No 69 Ford rounding out the top 10.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:11

Hour four:​ We haven't had too much about the lead Toyotas so far, mainly because it's all gone according to plan for the No 7 and No 8 so far. There's plenty of time for that to change, with Kobayashi currently 57.8s ahead of Alonso. Rebellion remain third with Nathaniel Berthon now at the wheel of the No 3.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:21

Hour 4: Four hours and 20 minutes in and the GTE Pro battle is alive and well! With Fords running fourth and fifth, Joey Hand gets past the No 67 of Bomarito and he'll see if he can take the fight to the lead Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche in the 68 Ford. At the same time, the 67 gets a drive-through penalty for that unsafe release and Bomarito comes in at the end of the lap to serve it.

Behind them, the battle for fifth is raging with the No 92 Porsche leading a GTE train, with the second Corvette sweeping past the No 69 Ford and then the No 91 Porsche to move up to sixth in class.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:25

Hour 4: Can Joey Hand take the fight to the No 93 Porsche was the question asked, the answer is yes he can. He's right onto the rear bumper of the US works Porsche, and gets a radio message to stay calm and pick his moment wisely, though he loses ground slightly as the No 8 Toyota of Alonso slides between them to lap the pair.

Jack de Menezes15 June 2019 17:27

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in