Michael Shank Racing’s #49 Ligier JS P2-Nissan caused the second red flag of the Le Mans 24 Hours Test Day.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

The 2025 season of the European Le Mans Series is shaping up to be one of the most competitive ever with a bumper 44-strong grid featuring no fewer than ten manufacturers. Fascinating battles are in store for the continent’s most iconic circuits!

Forty-four cars will line up for the forthcoming season of the European Le Mans Series &ndash; one more than in 2024.&nbsp; The grid will comprise 13 LMP2s, seven entries in the LMP2 Pro/Am class, 11 LMP3s and 13 LMGT3s.

In the LMP2 class, reigning champions Ao by TF will be back to defend their title. IDEC Sport, Inter Europol Competition, United Autosports, Nielsen Racing and Algarve Pro Racing will be doubling up this season by fielding two Oreca 07-Gibsons. The influx is a sign of the ELMS&rsquo; growing attraction for young talent who have learned the ropes in single-seaters. AF Corse, the 2024 LMP2 Pro/Am champions, will also be looking to retain their crown.

<h2>Wind of change in LMP3</h2>

The LMP3 class will see the introduction of the third generation of these prototypes. The new cars will be driven by a 470-hp Toyota V35A V6 twin-turbo engine which promises a step-up in performance over the former Nissan unit. The LMP3 grid will be dominated by nine Ligier JS P325s, but the addition of a Duqueine D09 and a Ginetta G61-LT-P325-EVO to the mix will bring a touch of technical diversity.

<h2>Welcome to McLaren and Corvette</h2>

Equally fierce battles await in the LMGT3 class with an impressive array of carmakers in the field. Customer teams of Aston Martin (Racing Spirit of L&eacute;man), Corvette (TF Sport), Ferrari (Richard Mille AF Corse, AF Corse, Spirit Of Race, Kessel Racing, JMW Motorsport and GR Racing), Mercedes-AMG (Iron Lynx), McLaren (United Autosports) and&nbsp;Porsche (Proton Competition and Iron Dames) will all be itching to come out on top. Four female drivers are set to take the wheel in this class, including Lilou Wadoux who will line up for Richard Mille AF Corse in a Ferrari 296 LMGT3 and the Iron Dames trio of C&eacute;lia Martin, Sarah Bovy and Michelle Gatting in a Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The provisional&nbsp;<a href="http://storage.googleapis.com/doc-prod/Xqy4YNc4IecauspaJVLw99JW.pdf">entry list</a> also comprises three reserve teams, ready to seize the opportunity in case of a withdrawal. They are LMP2 outfit DKR Engineering, and High Class Racing and Team Virage in LMP2 Pro/Am.

Pierre Fillon, President, Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest: The ELMS boasts a record 44-car grid for 2025 &ndash; the maximum capacity. Next year&#39;s championship is wide open and promises to be hotly disputed, especially with drivers like Jamie Chadwick, Charles Milesi and Fabio Scherer in the mix.&nbsp; Europe&#39;s most awe-inspiring circuits form the backdrop to the season, with the Silverstone round a highlight to look forward to.&nbsp;See you in Barcelona in April for the kick-off.&nbsp;

Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Lequien, General Manager, Le Mans Endurance Management: The 2025 European Le Mans Series grid will be the biggest for many a year. We are delighted to see this championship continue to thrive and attract the world&rsquo;s top teams and drivers. This season will also see Mercedes-AMG make their ELMS d&eacute;but while McLaren will be back for the first time since 2014. We shall also have a Corvette on the grid after a&nbsp;seven-year break. With six manufacturers in LMGT3, 2025 promises to be an excellent vintage for the ELMS. Once again, the LMP2 stands out with a formidable 21-car field, including seven Pro/Ams. The LMP3 category featuring new Ligier, Duqueine and Ginetta prototypes powered by Toyota engines will continue to offer an excellent introduction to Le Mans Prototype multi-class racing for beginners and seasoned racers. We extend a warm welcome to the teams and drivers returning to the ELMS and to those set to make their championship d&eacute;but in Barcelona. We are greatly looking forward to April&rsquo;s curtain-raiser there and an action-packed season.

The season will kick off with the official pre-season tests on 31 March and 1 April at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya with the opening round &ndash; the 4 Hours of Barcelona &ndash; held at the same venue on 6 April. With such a stunning, bumper grid, the 2025 European Le Mans season promises to satisfy the appetite of the growing hordes of endurance fans in Europe.

ELMS 2025 season draws top-notch grid

Belgian driver and Iron Dames team member Sarah Bovy is an endurance racing poster child for tenacity. With four participations in the 24 Hours of Le Mans to her credit, she continues to push the envelope all while promoting inclusion and diversity in motorsport.

At the 2024 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans, Iron Dames&#39; #85 Lamborghini Hurac&aacute;n LMGT3 Evo2 shared by&nbsp;Sarah Bovy/Michelle Gatting/Rahel Frey finished fifth in the LMGT3 category. The talented team had hoped for better results.&nbsp;Sarah Bovy: The disappointment was greater in&nbsp;2023 when we just missed claiming a category podium finish after leading the race for a time. This year, we steadily climbed the standings as our competition made mistakes. We didn&#39;t have the pace, so it was hard to vie for a more positive result. In the end, we were extremely proud to place the car in the top 5. Naturally, it makes us want to return and do better.

Bovy and Iron Dames don&#39;t limit their&nbsp;efforts to just the track. They also devote their time to inspirational projects. This year, their &quot;Every Dream Matters&quot; initiative&nbsp;aimed to&nbsp;promote&nbsp;inclusion and value&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/le-mans-students-design-livery-for-iron-dames-lamborghini-58681" target="_blank">the dreams of children from the Michel Ange public elementary school in Le Mans</a>. Bovy:&nbsp;Initially our project focused on boosting the image of women in motorsport, but we knew we could do more. We wanted to become more inclusive and reach everyone. That is why we founded this project. We had the tremendous honour of meeting students who shared their dreams through drawings. They were goofy,&nbsp;very funny and ambitious, but they were always dreams that matter. All of these drawings were then transformed into patterns using AI&nbsp;to create the livery of our car. We are very pleased with the way the public has embraced&nbsp;this project and our livery.

<h2>2025: A New Chapter</h2>

After joining&nbsp;Iron Dames as an amateur driver in 2021,&nbsp;Bovy is on the cusp of taking&nbsp;a decisive step in her career&nbsp;in 2025. Next year, she will compete as a professional driver for the first time.&nbsp;Bovy:&nbsp;Thanks to the support I have from the team and my teammates, as well as&nbsp;the experience I have gained, I have grown. This is a new dream I am about to realise after&nbsp;taking part in the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans. I have always tried to be as professional as possible in my racing career. In 2025, I intend to prove I can also become a competitive professional driver.

Bovy is more than simply a talented driver. She proudly serves as an ambassador for women in a largely masculine&nbsp;sport, and a source of inspiration for all those who dare to dream big. With her presence on the track and involvement in initiatives like &quot;Every Dream Matters&quot;, she is opening doors for a new&nbsp;generation and helping dreams come true.

With 2025 in her sights, Bovy seems more determined than ever to push the boundaries and see&nbsp;her name among the great figures of motorsport.

Sarah Bovy: the rise of a passionate and committed Iron Dame

With back to back wins in 2023 and 2024, Ferrari solidified its comeback at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Between the challenges caused by changing weather conditions, a daring race strategy and an exhilarating rivalry with Toyota, the Italian team did not disappoint at the 92nd running of the race.

<h2>Combat in the Rain</h2>

The&nbsp;92nd&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans was constantly threatened with rain, adding a healthy dose of difficulty and requiring drivers to take additional risks. Miguel Molina, driver of the winning #50&nbsp;Ferrari 499P, especially remembers his nighttime stint: I was stuck behind the safety car for four hours. That was the toughest stint for me in those conditions in the middle of the night. You have to stay awake and not make any mistakes. I tried to keep busy talking with my engineers to avoid falling asleep. The rain is often a factor at the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans.

In such&nbsp;conditions and moments of uncertainty, clear communication with engineers and driver experience level are crucial.

<h2>A Suspenseful Finale</h2>

Like in&nbsp;2023 when&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/how-a-12-volt-battery-almost-put-a-stick-in-ferraris-centenary-spokes-58138" target="_blank">a 12-volt battery almost derailed the Italian carmaker&#39;s race</a>, the #50&nbsp;Ferrari&#39;s last stint was a nail-biter. Nicklas Nielsen, at the wheel heading to the chequered flag, describes the typical pressure: To win this race without some level of&nbsp;suspense would be like winning it without gusto. Plus, the victory wouldn&#39;t feel the same.&nbsp;Despite the&nbsp;ups and downs, we are happy to have gleaned a second consecutive win in those types of&nbsp;conditions.&nbsp;Strategically, we took risks&nbsp;and nothing should have happened in the last lap. Like the other teams, we didn&#39;t execute a flawless race, but from the start we showed we could win. And I realised my&nbsp;dream of winning the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans.

A starting problem in 2023 and&nbsp;a risk of power failure in 2024&hellip;the&nbsp;Ferrari 499P seems to favour dramatic victories, but these scenarios also reflect the team&#39;s ability to keep its cool under pressure.

<h2>A Hat Trick in Store for&nbsp;2025?</h2>

For&nbsp;Antonello Coletta, head of Ferrari&#39;s&nbsp;endurance racing programme, the&nbsp;two wins are resounding proof of the 499P&#39;s&nbsp;competitiveness: We returned in 2023 with the dream of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We succeeded and doubled down in 2024. That is tremendously satisfying because it was with the same car. It is a&nbsp;demonstration of our competitive level, especially with nine cars in the same final lap. It is no&nbsp;exaggeration to say the current level of endurance is very high. For the drivers, each stint&nbsp;is its own&nbsp;race.

The&nbsp;2024 running also offered moments of levity. Antonio Fuoco shares an amusing&nbsp;anecdote about&nbsp;his rivalry with&nbsp;Kamui Kobayashi, driver of the #7&nbsp;Toyota GR010 Hybrid: I think&nbsp;Kamui is one of the funniest drivers in the Hypercar&nbsp;category because he&#39;s always telling jokes. During the race, as we were in full battle mode in the Mulsanne and&nbsp;Indianapolis corners, he gave me a signal. All I can say is that it was no salut&nbsp;(laughs, Ed.). It was hilarious and we even talked about it on the podium.

Ferrari AF Corse has no intention of stopping now. The goal for&nbsp;2025 is clear: to earn a third Le Mans victory and win the FIA WEC Manufacturers title (after taking second and third&nbsp;places in 2023 et 2024).

Ferrari AF Corse: a breathtaking triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Racing drivers' gloves combine comfort, safety and performance as a true extension of the hand, a crucial component to feeling every vibration of the steering wheel as well as maintaining precise control. Jacopo Rubino, OMP representative, reveals their technological excellence.

<h2>A Direct Link to the Car</h2>

During endurance races, with drivers behind the wheel for long stretches of time, tactile feedback is essential. Jacopo Rubino, OMP representative:&nbsp;Gloves play a very important role in a driver&#39;s performance, even more so when put under stress in endurance racing. First and foremost, they must provide the best grip on the steering wheel and the best feel when using all the controls, to allow them to be operated as precisely as possible. Thanks to innovative materials and state-of-the-art design, gloves help&nbsp;drivers&nbsp;detect the smallest changes such as&nbsp;vibrations indicating tyre wear or a shift&nbsp;(even a subtle one) in the car&#39;s behaviour.

OMP, an Italian manufacturer of motorsport safety equipment founded in 1973 and based in the Genoa region, integrates&nbsp;silicone inserts in the palm to optimise grip. Ultra-light honeycomb technical fabrics also guarantee exceptional tactile feedback. These innovations offer unmatched sensitivity, essential for adjusting one&#39;s driving, even after several hours of racing.

<h2>Protection and Comfort: A Complex Alchemy</h2>

In addition to sensitivity, gloves play a crucial role in protecting hands from the risks inherent in motorsport, namely resistance to high temperatures, protection against flames&nbsp;and impact reduction. However, safety must not&nbsp;compromise comfort, an essential element in&nbsp;maintaining concentration.

Rubino: The glove must fit perfectly on the hand, and be light and breathable, without generating discomfort that can create pain and loss of concentration, affecting lap time.&nbsp;Technologies such as pre-curved fingers and&nbsp;external seams, introduced in the 1990s thanks to concerns rasied by&nbsp;legendary driver Ayrton Senna, remain benchmarks in comfort today.

Racing gloves have evolved considerably over the years. Advances in materials have made them&nbsp;lighter, more breathable&nbsp;and still able to meet the FIA&rsquo;s strict safety standards. Innovations such as angled cuts and elasticated cuffs ensure a perfect fit, reducing interference with driving.

Input&nbsp;from both amateur and professional drivers plays a central role in this evolution. At OMP, endurance races serve as a test bed to perfect the gloves, as evidenced by the models worn by teams like&nbsp;Lamborghini Iron Lynx in the Hypercar category, and&nbsp;Team WRT, Iron Lynx, Iron Dames and Akkodis ASP Team in LMGT3.

Drivers&rsquo; gloves aren&rsquo;t just about protection: they&rsquo;re an interface between man and machine. Through hours of development and innovation, companies&nbsp;like OMP strive to push the boundaries, allowing drivers to stay connected to their cars in&nbsp;the most demanding conditions. At Le Mans, where the slightest mistake can be detrimental, the&nbsp;balance between protection and feeling&nbsp;is crucial&nbsp;to translating&nbsp;performance into victory.

Drivers' gloves at the 24 Hours of Le Mans are all about comfort and protection

Oswald Negri Jr came off at the Michelin chicane. Given that it takes 30 minutes to repair the safety barrier, the session was ended there.

PHOTO: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, TEST DAY. The Ligier-Nissan fielded by Michael Shank Racing recorded the 8th best time in LM P2.

24H LE MANS

24 Hours of Le Mans - Red flag ends Test Day

Related News

ELMS 2025 season draws top-notch grid

Sarah Bovy: the rise of a passionate and committed Iron Dame

Ferrari AF Corse: a breathtaking triumph at the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Drivers' gloves at the 24 Hours of Le Mans are all about comfort and protection

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