Le Mans 24 Hours: Cadillac Takes First-Ever Pole with Dominant Front-Row Lockout

At the Le Mans 24 Hours 2025, Cadillac has made headlines by securing its first-ever pole position at the world’s most famous endurance race. Alex Lynn set the fastest lap in the No. 12 Jota-run Cadillac with a time of 3m23.166s, beating teammate Earl Bamber in the No. 38 car. This gave Cadillac their first ever front-row lockout at this pretigious Le Mans circuit in the Hyperpole round. Porsche showed early speed in Hyperpole 2 with Mathieu Jaminet posting a 3m23.475s lap in the No. 5 Penske Motorsport Porsche 963. But Lynn’s late flyer knocked Porsche down to third. BMW also impressed as Dries Vanthoor took the No. 15 WRT BMW M Hybrid V8 to fourth. Porsche had earlier survived a scare in Hyperpole 1 when the No. 5 car nearly lost a wheel, but the team managed to recover and claim a second-row start.

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Ferrari struggled in qualifying at Le Mans 2025. The reigning Le Mans's winner could only place one car in the top 10, with Antonio Fuoco putting the No. 50 Ferrari 499P in seventh. The No. 51 factory Ferrari and the No. 83 AF Corse entry were eliminated in Hyperpole 1. With their top contender over a second off the pole time, Ferrari faces a major challenge in this year’s race.

Other manufacturers also experienced mixed results. Toyota’s No. 8 car, driven by Sebastien Buemi, suffered a puncture on its first flying lap, ending its Hyperpole 2 bid. The No. 311 Whelen Cadillac, fastest in Hyperpole 1, dropped to eighth overall. BMW and Alpine filled the remaining top-10 positions, with Sheldon van der Linde’s No. 20 BMW in sixth and Fred Makowiecki’s No. 36 Alpine in ninth.

The grid for Le Mans 2025 is now set, with Cadillac on pole, Porsche and BMW in pursuit, and Ferrari on the back foot.

Le Mans 24 Hours: What is Hyperpole?

The Le Mans Hyperpole is a thrilling qualifying session that determines the starting grid for the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans. Introduced in 2020, it features the fastest six cars from each of the Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3 classes.

This high-stakes format is a pure test of speed. After an initial qualifying round, the selected cars get one set of tires and no refuelling or tire changes once they leave the pit lane. Drivers push their machines to the absolute limit in an all-or-nothing sprint for pole position.

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For fans, Hyperpole is a dramatic and adrenaline-pumping preview of the main race, showcasing the blistering pace and competitive spirit that defines Le Mans. It has become a key highlight of the race weekend.