Forestier Racing by Panis Sets the Pace in Final Session Before Hyperpole
The final dress rehearsal before the highly anticipated Hyperpole took place during Free Practice 3, giving all qualified crews one last opportunity to fine-tune their preparations ahead of Thursday’s crucial showdown. The three-hour session also allowed teams to focus on long-run work in race conditions. Forestier Racing by Panis heads into Hyperpole full of confidence after the #29 ORECA 07 topped the timesheets.
Free Practice 3
LMP2
The fastest time of Free Practice 3 went to the #29 ORECA 07 of Forestier Racing by Panis. Oliver Gray, Louis Rousset and Esteban Masson put themselves in the perfect position ahead of Hyperpole, with the first phase set to begin at 8:00 PM.
Their benchmark lap of 3:34.252 edged the #30 ORECA 07 of Duqueine Team by the narrowest of margins — just one thousandth of a second.
Having led Wednesday’s qualifying session, Doriane Pin, Richard Verschoor and Julien Andlauer remain among the favourites. The trio has been consistently competitive since Sunday and will undoubtedly be strong contenders in the battle for pole position.
Nico Müller, Reshad De Gérus and Bijoy Garg placed the #343 ORECA 07 of Inter Europol Competition third, less than half a second off the pace. The defending 2025 winners are firmly back among the frontrunners as the key sessions approach.
The #14 ORECA 07 of TDS Racing finished fourth overall. Tobias Lüke, Mathias Beche and Kévin Estre once again led the Pro-Am category, while the top five was completed by Nielsen Racing’s #24 ORECA 07, driven by Jack Doohan, Edward Pearson and David Heinemeier Hansson.
Hypercar
Alpine Endurance Team continues to build momentum. After securing pole position in Qualifying 1 with the #36, it was the turn of the #35 machine of Victor Martins, Jules Gounon and Frédéric Makowiecki to shine, finishing second overall.
Just 0.423s separated the French Hypercar from the session-leading car. Alpine’s sister entry, the #36 driven by Charles Milesi, António Félix da Costa and Ferdinand Habsburg, also remained within one second of the pace, ending the session seventh.
Both Genesis Magma Racing GMR-001s secured top-ten finishes, providing a solid platform heading into Hyperpole. The #17 crew of Mathys Jaubert, André Lotterer and Luis Felipe Derani finished fifth, while the #19 shared by Paul-Loup Chatin, Mathieu Jaminet and Daniel Juncadella completed the top ten.
LMGT3
The first Ferrari 296 LMGT3 assembled at ORECA’s workshops finished fourth in Free Practice 3. Davide Rigon, Thomas Flohr and Francesco Castellacci placed the #54 Vista AF Corse entry inside the top five.
The sister #21 Ferrari and the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari also secured places inside the top ten. All three Italian GT cars will therefore take part in Hyperpole.
Hyperpole will be split into two phases. The first LMP2 and LMGT3 session will begin at 8:00 PM and last 20 minutes. The ten fastest cars from each category will then advance to the pole shootout, a 15-minute session running from 8:35 PM to 8:50 PM.
The Hypercar field will follow the same format, with Hyperpole 1 starting at 9:05 PM and Hyperpole 2 getting underway at 9:40 PM.