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LIVE: WEC Lone Star Le Mans Updates and Results

Updated: Sep 2

Updates from Owen Bradley, Aaron Carroll, Sharifah Zaqreeztrina


Credits - Javier Jimenez / DPPI


LIVE: WEC Lone Star Le Mans Updates can be found in this article as the World Endurance Championship returns to COTA (Circuit of the Americas). Antonio Giovinazzi put the #51 Ferrari squad on pole position and they are joined by the #83 Ferrari driven to second by Robert Kubica.

With all three Ferrari's inside the Top 5 and separated by just a couple of tenths, it looks to be a race with tight margins separating the teams. Mick Schumacher put the #36 Alpine in 13th, just missing out on a Hyperpole appearance after a wasp got in the cockpit. Championship leaders, the #6 Porsche team will start from 14th place.


In LMGT3, the home team #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin will start from pole position, the Iron Dames #85 lining up alongside them, with the championship leading #92 Manthey Porsche starting from 4th.

Valentino Rossi's #46 BMW team start from 15th, needing a strong recovery drive from the team to salvage a result.


Refresh and Scroll for LIVE Updates! - Timings will be in UK BST.


LIVE: WEC Lone Star Le Mans Updates



WEC Lone Star Le Mans - Race Results


Hypercar - Top 10


1st #83 Ferrari, Robert Schwartzman, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye 2nd #7 Toyota, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries, Mike Conway

3rd #50 Ferrari, Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen

4th #2 Cadillac, Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber

5th #35 Alpine, Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin

6th #6 Porsche, Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, Laurens Vanthoor

7th #5 Porsche, Michael Christensen, Matt Campbell, Frederic Makowiecki

8th #20 BMW, Dries Vanthoor, Marco Wittmann, Raffaele Marciello

9th #36 Alpine, Mick Schumacher, Nicholas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere

10th #38 Jota Porsche, Jenson Button, Oliver Rasmussen, Philip Hanson


LMGT3 - Top 10


1st #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, Alex Riberas

2nd #92 Manthey Porsche, Klaus Bachler

3rd #91 Manthey Porsche, Richard Lietz

4th #59 United Autosports McLaren, Greg Saucy

5th #31 BMW WRT, Augusto Farfus

6th #77 Ford Proton, Ben Barker

7th #95 United Autosports McLaren, Marino Sato

8th #82 TF Sport Corvette, Daniel Juncadella

9th #78 Akkodis ASP Lexus, Clemens Schmid

10th #55 Ferrari AF Corse, Alessio Rovera


01:02 - #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin WINS LMGT3 followed by the #92 Manthey Porsche and #91 Manthey Porsche


01:00 - ROBERT SCHWARTZMAN BRINGS THE #83 FERRARI HOME TO TAKE THEIR FIRST VICTORY IN WEC, #7 Toyota finishes in second place with the #50 Ferrari coming home for third


00:59 - FINAL LAP - #83 FERRARI LEADS


00:58 - #7 Toyota then runs too deep into Turn 1, losing another second. three seconds separate the team and the #83 Ferrari


00:57 - #7 Toyota is just floating at the 2-second mark behind the #83 Ferrari, with Kobayashi running out wide on the penultimate corner.


00:56 - #46 BMW of Valentino Rossi has now retired from 3 out of 6 events in the World Endurance Championship.


00:55 - #20 BMW running in sixth has been given a 100 second stop/go penalty and will drop out of the Top 10


00:54 - #83 Ferrari had to slow for LMGT3 traffic, the gap now down to 1.834 seconds to the #7 Toyota with 6 minutes remaining


00:52 - The gap between the Hypercar leaders is down to 3 seconds - #7 Toyota is closing rapidly with 8 minutes to go, on the #83 Ferrari


00:49 - #46 BMW has retired from the race with a power steering issue, a third retirement for the #46 BMW LMGT3 team as Valentino Rossi is forced to retire once again.


00:48 - #83 Ferrari now leads with 12 minutes remaining by only 3.5 seconds to the chasing #7 Toyota


00:46 - #12 Jota Porsche has once again slowed down at the pit entry


00:45 - #46 BMW LMGT3 has been wheeled into the pits, heartbreak for the team who were chasing for the podium


00:43 - #46 BMW has a major issue, slowing down and coming into the pit lane


00:41 - #27 Aston Martin heart of racing have made their final stop, a long way ahead of the chasing #92 Porsche team in second, with the sister #91 Porsche coming under pressure from Rossi's #46 BMW driven by Maxime Martin, the gap just 8 seconds


00:40 - #7 Toyota has closed the gap to the Hypercar leaders #83 Ferrari to under 7 seconds with just 20 minutes remaining.


00:39 - PIGEON in a garage with the race strategy team


00:35 - #46 BMW driven by Maxime Martin has taken a second and a half out of the #91 Porsche for third place with 25 minutes remaining as the BMW took on fresh tyres


00:33 - Valentino Rossi #46 BMW comes in for their final stop, handing over to Maxime Martin - the gap to third is just 10 seconds


00:32 - Kamui Kobayashi is going full attack in the #7 Toyota with the gap to the leading #83 Ferrari under 8 seconds.


00:31 - GREEN FLAG


00:28 - FULL COURSE YELLOW


00:28 - Valentino Rossi #46 BMW has found himself in 3rd place in LMGT3


00:27 - #7 Toyota has overtaken the #27 Aston Martin LMGT3 off the circuit, they may be given another penalty


00:25 - #7 Toyota has closed the gap to the #83 Ferrari eight seconds now with the yellow flags still out


00:24 - #88 Ford Mustang is stationary at Turn 6 and has brought out the yellow flags


00:23 - #36 Alpine driven by Mick Schumacher has now managed to find itself inside the Top 10, currently duelling with Jenson Button's #38 Jota Porsche over the final point


00:22 - #7 Toyota gained on the #83 Ferrari by a full second on the previous lap, the gap coming down drastically


00:21 - Kamui Kobayashi #7 Toyota has come out 8.9 seconds behind the #83 Ferrari that now leads, Kobayashi is pushing incredibly hard.


00:20 - Valentino Rossi is just 6 seconds away from the #91 Porsche ahead for third place in LMGT3 with 40 minutes remaining


00:19 - #55 Ferrari AF Corse LMGT3 has been given a 100 second stop/go penalty, they are running third place in LMGT3 currently.


00:18 - #7 Toyota did NOT come in to serve their drive-through penalty at the end of that lap


00:17 - #83 Ferrari will inherit the lead of the race with the #7 Toyota needing to serve a penalty.


00:16 - Championship leading #6 PORSCHE DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY for not respecting yellow flags


00:15 -HYPERCAR LEADERS #7 TOYOTA DRIVE-THROUGH PENALTY for not respecting yellow flags


00:14 - The #55 Ferrari and #91 Porsche are now confirmed to be fighting for third place with Valentino Rossi in fifth just 5 seconds behind.


00:13 - #55 Ferrari and the #91 Porsche are duelling once again with Rossi #46 BMW in hot pursuit


00:13 - #8 Toyota DRIVE-THROUGH for not respecting blue flags


00:12 - #31 BMW LMGT3 has been given a Drive-Through penalty for track limits


00:08 - The final hour is upon us, the Hypercar field have completed their final stops and the lead fight is a duel between the #83 Ferrari of Kubica, Schwartzman and Ye - and the #7 Toyota of Kobayashi, De Vries and Conway


00:06 - Jenson Button gets into the #38 Jota Porsche and will complete the race for the team, they currently run in 8th and are duelling for 7th.


00:06 - #50 Ferrari currently inherits the lead, but will cease the position when they come in for their final stop


00:05 - #7 Toyota and #83 Ferrari both come in for their final pit stop, as does a few other cars in the field for Hypercar


00:04 - #55 AF Corse Ferrari LMGT3 is duelling with the #91 Porsche Manthey, allowing for Valentino Rossi's #46 BMW to close on the pair of them, the MotoGP legend is now just over 5 seconds.


00:03 - Current race update


Hypercar Top 5


1st #7 Toyota, Kamui Kobayashi 2nd #83 Ferrari, Robert Schwartzman 3rd #50 Ferrari, Antonio Fuoco 4th #2 Cadillac, Earl Bamber

5th #6 Porsche, Kevin Estre


LMGT3 Top 5


1st #27 Aston Martin, Alex Riberas

2nd #92 Manthey Porsche, Klaus Bachler

3rd #59 McLaren, Nicholas Costa

4th #55 Ferrari AF Corse, Alessio Rovera

5th #91 Manthey Porsche, Richard Lietz

6th #46 BMW, Valentino Rossi


00:00 - ONE HOUR REMAINING


23:58 - Dries Vanthoor has brought the #15 BMW into the pits, they sit just outside the Top 10 for now, as Mick Schumacher finds himself and the #36 Alpine crew in the points paying positions


23:55 - #55 Ferrari AF Corse and the #91 Porsche Manthey car are duelling for 4th, or what may be a net 3rd place and a podium, with Valentino Rossi just over six seconds behind them


23:54 - #78 Lexus has been given a Stop and Go penalty for a technical infringement


23:54 - Valentino Rossi is closing the gap to the Top 5 in LMGT3, with a couple of other cars still needing to make a pit stop, Rossi's #46 BMW is sitting in a net 5th position


23:51 - #8 Toyota has been given a 30-second stop and go penalty for the earlier incident with the #6 Porsche and points on Buemi's licence


23:51 - An update on Jenson Button's #38 Jota Porsche, they are scrapping for 8th place with the #15 BMW


23:49 - #50 Ferrari currently sits in a comfortable third driven by Antonio Fuoco, 30 seconds ahead of the closest rival, the #2 Cadillac.


23:46 - #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin LMGT3 leaders come into the pits once again for a quick top up of fuel and the left side for fresh tyres, they may lose the lead of the race to the #92 Manthey Porsche


23:44 - #60 Iron Lynx Lamborghini has a drive-through penalty, the car was running 4th in LMGT3 and will now lose a crucial position, as the #92 Manthey Porsche championship leader in LMGT3 comes in for their stop


23:40 - Valentino Rossi is back in the #46 BMW and will finish the race, Rossi is running in 8th on the track, but about 4th/5th after the pit stops sort themselves out.


23:39 - #63 Lamborghini and the #20 BMW have been given a Drive-Through penalty due to FCY infringements, the #20 BMW is currently running in 5th place, and this will drop them massively down the order.


23:37 - #12 Jota Porsche has slowed down once again, the team having a lot of problems throughout this race, as those issues continue - they are 51 laps behind.


23:36 - #7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi has been given the radio order to reduce his pace slightly and lift and coast to save fuel


23:35 - An update on Mick Schumacher's #36 Alpine progress, he's running in 11th place with 90 minutes to go, just 20 seconds away from the next car in front, Schumacher has been closing rapidly on the leaders up ahead.


23:33 - #55 Ferrari AF Corse has come in for their stop as we expect the LMGT3 field to be boxing any lap now, some of these may potentially be the final stops over the next 15 minutes.


23:30 - The temperatures have been incredibly hot throughout the race, the current temperature at 35 degrees, as the drivers have suffered from some fatigue throughout this race, particularly in their second stints.


23:27 - #91 Manthey Porsche has overtaken the #46 BMW, the pair over 10 seconds behind the #55 Ferrari in third place.


23:24 - The Porsche and Toyota team principals have been summoned to the stewards to explain the major contact between the #6 and #8 cars which saw the #8 Toyota fall to 14th with a puncture.


23:23 - The #7 Toyota has now extended the lead to around five seconds to the #83 Ferrari in the final couple of hours, with debris currently on the back straight.


23:21 - #46 BMW LMGT3 comes under pressure from the #91 Manthey Porsche for fourth place, Maxime Martin defending from Richard Lietz.


23:19 - #6 Porsche currently leads the championship and sits sixth in this race after the contact with the #8 Toyota, the Toyota now falling outside the points.


23:17 - #8 Toyota and #6 Porsche collide, with the Toyota squeezing the Porsche down the long back straight, the pair made contact and the Toyota has a rear left puncture, Buemi nursing the car back into the pits.


23:15 - The LMGT3 battle is all about the podium, with the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin leading, #92 Manthey Purerxcing Porsche in second and the #55 AF Corse Ferrari third, who is being hunted down by the #46 BMW of Maxime Martin (and Valentino Rossi) who started this race in 15th position.


23:14 - Mick Schumacher has got back in the #36 Alpine, currently running in 12th as they attempt to score points and a Top 10 finish.


23:12 - Brendon Hartley in the #8 Toyota will come into the pits at the end of this lap to cease position to the sister #7 Toyota - Sebastien Buemi will drive.


23:11 - #7 Toyota has been given a reprimand for a technical infringement


23:10 - The Hypercar battle is between the #83 Ferrari driven by Robert Schwartzman, and the #7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi, who leads the race


23:09 - After a brief Full Course Yellow period - we are back racing!


22:58 - #6 and #99 Porsches received warning flags for abusing track limits.


22:55 - Strong defense shown by Yifei Ye as he retains his lead in the #83 Ferrari.


22:51 - The top three contenders of #83 Ferrari, #7 Toyota and #50 Ferrari chasing the lead with merely few seconds apart of one another.


22:48 - Second-placed #7 Toyota of Nyck de Vries nearly got into contact in between the Ferraris of #83 and #50 when heading onto corners.


22:46 -  #2 Cadillac and #20 BMW are just nine seconds apart, showing good place from the Cadillac.


22:41-  #2 Cadillac and #20 BMW go head-to-head for the battle for fourth place, #2 Cadillac retains its leading position.


22:39 -  The battle for the lead grew intense with 15 laps to go for de Vries in the #7 Toyota, while #83 Ferrari holds on. Valentino Rossi has been taken over by Maxime Martin for the next #46 BMW stint.


22:37 -  De Vries of #7 Toyota with just less than a second and 16 laps to go, attempts to take the lead from Yifei Ye of #83 Ferrari. However, ,Ye managed to defend his leading position.


22:36 -  Jenson Button in #93 Peugeot has been reprimanded for an incident at Turn 13  with Sebastien Baud of #82 Corvette.


22:34 -  Valentino Rossi of #46 BMW faces 5 seconds penalty to the next pitstop after his incident with Gregoire Saucy in the #59 McLaren.


22:30 -  De Vries in the #7 Toyota catches up to Yifei Ye in the #83 Ferrari for the lead by less than three seconds.


22:27 -  Nyck de Vries stuns the Hypercar standings as he managed to drive his #7 Toyota all the way up to second place.


22:26 -  Jenson Button in #93 Peugeot is under investigation alongside Sebastien Baud of #82 Corvette for an incident at Turn 13.


22:24 -  #46 BMW of Valentino Rossi and #59 McLaren of Gregoire Saucy are under investigation for an incident at Turn 1 occurred less than ten minutes ago.


22:23 - With little to no signs of improvement, #12 Jota might be at a risk of retirement.


22:22 -  #82 Corvette is currently investigated for abusing track limits.


22:18 -  Valentino Rossi in the #46 BMW made several attempts to overtake the #59 McLaren of Gregoire Saucy despite a leaving a narrow gap behind the McLaren, however all were unsuccessful.


22:15 -  #83 Ferrari of Yifei Ye back in the lead! The battle for fourth continued between #46 BMW of Valentino Rossi and #59 McLaren of Gregoire Saucy as they got into contact near the pitlane.


22:12 - #95 McLaren and #91 Porsche in the battle for 7th, with the McLaren retaining its leading position.


22:10 - #35 Alpine into the pits as of now for tyre changes.


22:08 - No further action will be given for cars of #50 Ferrari and #82 Corvette for an incident at Turn 14 which occurred ten minutes ago.


22:03 - Several cars of #31, #60, #77 and #82 receive drive-through penalties for Full Course Yellow procedures. #82 of Baud received a warning flag for violating track limits.


22:02 - #6 and #99 Porsches entangled in another battle for 11th place, with #5 Porsche leading by 0.9 seconds.


22:00 - Race Update

Hypercar

1st #83 Ferrari

2nd #7 Toyota

3rd #2 Cadillac

4th #50 Ferrari

5th #20 BMW

6th #8 Toyota

 7th #6 Porsche

8th #38 Jota

9th #35 Alpine

10th #93 Peugeot


LMGT3

1st #27 Aston Martin

2nd #92 Porsche

3rd #81 Corvette

4th #59 McLaren

5th #46 BMW



21:55 -   #777 Aston Martin headed into the pits. Valentino Rossi of #46 BMW being held up by the #59 McLaren. The battle of Porsches of #6 and #99 for 11th place ensued.


21:55 -    #35 Alpine finally overtakes the #93 Peugeot, moving up to ninth place. Meanwhile in LMGT3, #91 Porsche retains the position of ninth from #88 Ford.


21:52 -   #94 Peugeot receives a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane.


21:51 -   #60 Lamborghini receives a warning flag exceeding track limits.


21:50 -   #5 Porsche, #35 Alpine, and #93 Peugeot in a three-way battle for ninth place. Strong attempt of defense showcased by #5 Porsche of Michael Christensen.


21:47 -   #81 Corvette currently in the pits, getting its damage left side fixed. Several others also in the pits for tyre change.


21:45 -   Ahmad Al Harthy headed into the pits as his stint in the #46 BMW ended, he will be replaced by teammate Valentino Rossi.


21:40 - #93 Peugeot and #5 Porsche in the battle for 10th, with the Porsche leaving a narrow 0.4s gap between it and the Peugeot at the back. #93 managed to defend its position.


21:36 - #91 Manthey Porsche and #95 McLaren going head-to-head for 11th place. Meanwhile, #31, #82, #77 and #60 are under investigation for Full Course Yellow procedures.


21:35 - #85 Lamborghini is being investigated for an incident at Turn 15.


21:35 - Green Flag


21:31 - Full Course Yellow


21:30 - #15 BMW and #6 Porsche entangled in another battle for sixth, with similar results produced. As a result of the collision between #81 Corvette and #85 Lamborghini, a Full Course Yellow is activated.


21:28 - #81 Corvette and #85 Lamborghini got into contact, potentially causing right rear suspension damage. #85 Lamborghini immediately heads into the pits, while the #81 Corvette continues the race despite also facing a potential minor damage in the left side.


21:24 - #81 Corvette and #85 Lamborghini in the battle for second place. Meanwhile, Norman Nato from #12 Porsche ended his stint.


21:22 - #15 BMW and #6 Porsche in a tight battle for sixth, although #15 BMW successfully managed to remain.


21:20 - #83 Ferrari of Yifei Ye extending the lead by 12 seconds. Weather around the track is seemingly hot with 95 degrees.


21:19 - A short battle for 11th place occurred between #5 Porsche and #36 Alpine.


21:17 - #12 Porsche race engineer advised driver Norman Nato to save up its energy tank.


21:13 - Yellow Flag


21:11 - #12 Porsche has halted in the pit exit road. A minute of yellow flag ensued.


21:04 - #78 Lexus is under investigation for technical infringement.


21:03 - #50 Ferrari of Miguel Molina receives a warning flag for exceeding track limits.


21:02 - #51 Ferrari to officially retire after facing gearbox issues.


21:00 - Race Update

Hypercar

1st #20 BMW

2nd #50 Ferrari

3rd #7 Toyota

4th #12 Porsche

5th #8 Toyota

6th #93 Peugeot

 7th #83 Ferrari

8th #63 Lamborghini

9th #36 Alpine

10th #35 Alpine


LMGT3

1st #27 Aston Martin

2nd #81 Corvette

3rd  #85 Lamborghini

4th #92 Porsche

5th #46 BMW


20:59 - #2 Cadillac pits now as we go into the pit window for the Hypercars, as the #20 goes around the outside of the #50 as the leading #83 pits


20:56 - The LMGT3's have completed their pitstops now, and the #46 BMW is now in second ahead of the #85 Iron Dames, otherwise it's as you were in the class


20:55 - The #51 is now being wheeled back into the garage as they struggle to get away from the pit box


20:54 - Meanwhile back out on track, the #50 Ferrari has been caught by the #20 BMW, that fight now for second


20:52 - The #51 is now stopped in the pit lane, as mechanics rush down from the AF Corse garage to push him to the box


20:51 - LMGT3 cars now start to come in, #46 now leads but owes us a pit stop


20:50 - Finally Giovinazzi gets it going again, but now they're a long way down the order after Antonio struggled to get going again, and is going slowly now in the final sector


20:48 - Second place #51 Ferrari tags the back of the Peugoet and spins around whilst trying to lap him, car is stranded at turn 12


20:46 - Martin in the #46 now right on the rear wing of the #85 Iron Dames, Sarah Bovy seems to be struggling in the Lamborghini


20:44 - Maxime Martin has got Tom Van Rompuy for 3rd in LMGT3, the #46 now into the podium positions before another scheduled pit stop for WRT and the rest of the LMGT3 field


20:42 - Marco Wittmann could also be struggling from fatigue, as he pulls the #15 into the pits. Race control also announce a five second penalty for that car as Raffele Marciello takes over


20:40 - #15 BMW off at Turns 8-9, Wittmann is really struggling with tyres now. To add to the #15's woes, they're under investigation for overtaking off the track


20:37 - #51 second place Ferrari has been handed a 5 second penalty for the incident with the Lexus


20:36 - Wittmann says he's really struggling with the rear's, the #7 Toyota now goes for a move and the #12 JOTA also follows him, #15 now down to 8th


20:34 - #15 BMW has been caught and passed by the #2 Cadillac, a very sudden drop off of pace for Marco Wittmann, especially compared to his teammate in the #20, reports are saying a possible slow puncture


20:32 - #51 Ferrari is now under investigation for the incident with the #78 Lexus LMGT3. As the #99 Proton Porsche gets a drive through for track limits


20:30 - Maxime Martin in the #46 WRT BMW now up to fourth in LMGT3, Valentino Rossi's teammates have looked very quick so far, coming from 15th on the grid


20:28 - #38 JOTA Porsche gets two time penalties for two separate incidents, one 5 seconds, and the other 10 seconds


20:27 - BMW swap the two cars, Rene Rast in the #20 now ahead of Marco Wittmann in the #15


20:26 - Race Control reporting debris on track, possibly from a small collision between the #51 Ferrari and one of the Lexus' in LMGT3


20:23 - Robert Kubica in the leading #83 and his engineer discussing double stinting this set of tyres, and Robert staying in the car for a third stint


20:21 - #93 Peugoet loses two positions in one corner from the #38 JOTA and #8 Toyota, after a lock up at Turn 10


20:19 - Lead battle in LMGT3, now right down under a second, Sarah Bovy in the #85 Iron Dames Lambo, chasing Ian James in the #27 Heart Of Racing Aston Martin


20:18 - Battle for sixth now between the #2 Cadillac, #7 Toyota and the #12 JOTA Porsche


20:16 - #38 JOTA Porsche is now under investigation for overtaking off the track at Turn 11


20:12 - First hour completed then and it's Ferrari 1-2-3 out front in Hypercar, with the BMW's looking quick behind them, the Championship leading Porsche having a rough race for their standards, but coming through the pack, now in ninth


20:09 - Race Update

Hypercar

1st #83 Ferrari

2nd #51 Ferrari

3rd #50 Ferrari

4th #15 BMW

5th #20 BMW

6th #2 Cadillac

7th #7 Toyota

8th #12 Porsche

9th #6 Porsche

10th #93 Peugeot


LMGT3

1st #27 Aston Martin

2nd #85 Lamborghini

3rd #81 Corvette

4th #92 Porsche

5th #46 BMW


20:04 - #63 Lambo under investigation for overtaking off the road, as a large chunk of the Hypercars pit, just the #6 left to pit, and right on queue Vanthoor pulls the Porsche in


20:02 - On track, the two Alpine's are dueling for 11th


20:01 - #83 now pits from the lead with the #15 BMW


19:59 - Most of the LMGT3's have stopped now, the Hypercars are expected in soon, with the #20 BMW seemingly having more energy left than the rest


19:54 - Battle for sixth is heating up between he #7 Toyota and the #2 Cadillac


19:49 - The #83 Ferrari have been given a reprimand for the possible technical infringement, they lead now by over 3 and a half seconds


19:45 - The #99 Proton Porsche is the meat in an Alpine sandwich as the three cars battle for 13th


19:43 - Miguel Molina in the #50 is feeling a lot of pressure coming from the #15 BMW behind, as the BMW's look very quick at this point in the race


19:38 - #83 is now under investigation for a possible "Technical Infringement", as Kubica takes the lead as it looks like the #51 backed out to let the polish driver through


19:35 - Antonio Giovinazzi told by his engineer to focus on his own race, and not to worry about the chasing Kubica in the #83, this will be a battle of tyre preservation as much as it is a battle on the track


19:32 - Al Harthy finally puts the move on the #95 McLaren to get the #46 into ninth in class


19:30 - Lead gap in Hypercar now under a second as Kubica continues to reel Giovinazzi in


19:28 - Ahmad Al Harthy in the #46 BMW is in the battle for ninth in LMGT3 with the #95 McLaren


19:26 - Robert Kubica in the #83 Ferrari seems to be catching the factory #51 Ferrari for the lead now, the gap around a second and a half


19:24 - The #6 Porsche - recovering from a bad qualifying - is now on the back of the #8 Toyota for 12th, Laurens Vanthoor behind Brendan Hartley


19:20 - Speaking of which, Will Stevens in the #12 JOTA Porsche goes around the outside of the #35 Alpine at the triple left before the #35 has to come in to serve a drive through penalty


19:18 - Close battle for 6th between the #93 Peugeot, #2 Cadillac and #7 Toyota, who picked up the pieces from the other two cars and moves up into P6, as the Peugeot drops behind the #35 Alpine and now the #12 Jota


19:17 - BMW seem to have good pace with both cars early, both the #15 and #20 keeping with the #50 Ferrari in third, as we see the Hypercars hit LMGT3 traffic for the first time today


19:15 - The #55 Ferrari drops to fourth in class as the #85 Lambo and #81 Corvette go past to try and chase after the #27 in the lead


19:11 - Back to the Hypercars, the #7 Toyota sits in 8th as the race begins to settle down, with the highest Porsche being the #12 JOTA car in 10th and the Championship leading #6 down in 15th.


19:08 - In LMGT3 the #27 Heart Of Racing Aston Martin leads from pole, ahead of the #55 Ferrari and the Iron Dames, with the #81 Corvette close behind. Notably Valentino Rossi's #46 BMW is up to 11th from 15th on the grid


19:06 - So the #51 and #83 Ferrari's lead away from the fast starting #50 Ferrari, then come both BMW's, #15 ahead of #20, #93 Peugeot is also in 6th with a very good start for the french manufacturer


19:05 - #5 Porsche pulls into the pits alongside the #94 Peugeot (puncture) at the end of lap one


19:04 - And we're away at COTA, clean start from everyone it seems, strong start for the #50 Ferrari and both BMW's, as the #35 Alpine and #2 Cadillac make contact at the end of the back straight


19:01 - Green Flag


Race Start at 19:00 UK Time

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