P1racenews AI automatic summary:
There’s an under-the-radar change to how Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying works coming for 2026
In 2026, the Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying system will undergo a subtle tweak to the driver allocation rules. Now, the driver who qualifies the car in the Q session cannot proceed to qualify in H1, different from the previous year.
Furthermore, the drivers who qualify the car in Q and H1 cannot participate in qualifying for H2, enforcing the usage of all three nominated drivers across the three sessions, irrespective of the car’s category.
An important exception to note is in LMGT3, where only a Bronze-rated driver can qualify the car during the initial Q session, maintaining consistency from the previous year.
Opinions on this change may vary, as some may argue that involving all three drivers in qualifying aligns with endurance racing’s team nature, while others express concerns about complicating driver changes between sessions.
Competitors like Sebastien Buemi and Kevin Estre have pointed out potential drawbacks, emphasizing the increased time for driver preparation and questioning the necessity of such changes, given the limited impact of starting positions on the race outcome at Le Mans.
