24 Hours of Le Mans 2026: These are the most important times and dates

The time has come: next weekend (13/14 June), the 2026 edition of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans is on the agenda. The great endurance classic is one of the biggest motorsport events of the year. Of course, the event in Le Mans consists not only of the 24-hour race, but also of several supporting race series. These always offer plenty of action and spectacle. In 2026, these include the Road to Le Mans (with LMP3 and GT3 cars), the Ferrari Challenge and, for the first time ever, the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil. These are the most important times of the race week (as always, all information is subject to change).

The track action gets underway on Wednesday (10 June) with the first free practice session of the Ferrari Challenge from 8:45 to 9:30 am. The first free practice session of the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil will take place from 10:00 to 10:45, followed by the first free practice session of the Road to Le Mans from 11:15 to 12:15 and the second free practice session of the Ferrari Challenge from 12:45 to 13:30. The 24-hour race cars will contest the first free practice session from 14:00 to 17:00. The second free practice session of the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil will take place from 17:30 to 18:15. Later, between 18:45 and 19:15 (for the LMP2 and LMGT3) and between 19:30 and 20:00 (for the hypercars), qualifying for the 24-hour race will take place. This session will decide which cars will enter the Hyperpole. The Road to Le Mans will then hold its second free practice session from 20:30 to 21:30. Wednesday concludes with the second free practice session of the 24-hour race from 22:00 to 0:00.

On Thursday (11 June), the action also starts in the morning. The Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil will start with qualifying from 9:00 to 9:45 am. This will be followed by the qualifying sessions of the Road to Le Mans from 10:15 to 11:15 and the Ferrari Challenge from 11:55 to 12:40. The first race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil will then take place from 13:25 to 14:15. The third free practice session for the 24-hour race will take place from 14:45 to 17:45. The first race of the Ferrari Challenge is then scheduled from 18:30 to 19:15. From 20:00 to 21:55, the hyperpole for the 24-hour race will get down to business. There will be four sessions in total. SPEEDWEEK.com explains exactly how the Hyperpole works in a separate article. The last item on the day's programme is the fourth free practice session for the 24-hour race from 23:00 to 0:00.

As in previous years, there will be plenty of action at Le Mans on Friday (12 June) in 2026. This is because the Road to Le Mans race is scheduled from 10:00 to 13:00. This will be held as a 3-hour race for the first time ever in 2026. In the past, there have always been two slightly shorter sprint races. Otherwise, there will be lots of activities in Le Mans and the neighbouring villages on Friday. The day is popularly known as "Mad Friday" and is extremely popular with spectators. The colourful drivers' parade also takes place in the city centre of Le Mans from 16:00.

On Saturday (13 June), the second race of the Ferrari Challenge gets underway from 9:15 to 10:00 am. The second race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Brasil will follow from 10:30 to 11:15. Between 12:00 and 12:15, the cars of the 24-hour race will contest the short warm-up. The big highlight will then take place at 16:00. The start of the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2026, which means that the race can also be expected to finish at 16:00 on Sunday (14 June).

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These are the times for the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2026