2026 24 Hours of Le Mans: Hypercar starting drivers revealed, ex-F1 star on pole

Ex-Formula 1 driver Kevin Magnussen will lead BMW from its first pole position on Saturday at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as the starting drivers for the Hypercar class are revealed.

BMW inherited its first top class pole position at the iconic French enduro on Thursday evening, after the pacesetting No.38 Cadillac had its best time deleted.

The FIA stewards confirmed later that the No.38 car - driven by Jack Aitken in Hyperpole 2 - was penalised for a pitlane infringement just before the start of the pole shootout.

The penalty, which came after podium celebrations, dropped the No.38 Cadillac down to 10th, while promoting the No.15 BMW to pole.

One-time F1 podium finisher Kevin Magnussen will take to the wheel of the No.15 BMW at the start of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, which begins at 3pm BST on Saturday.

The No.12 Cadillac in second will be started by Will Stevens, while the No.35 Alpine in third will have Ferdinand Habsburg at the wheel for the opening stint.

Rene Rast will drive the No.20 BMW from fourth at the start, ahead of Felipe Albuquerque in the No.101 WTR Cadillac.

Dani Juncadella - who recently partnered with F1 champion Max Verstappen at the Nurburgring 24 Hours - will go from sixth in the No.19 Genesis Magma Racing entry for the brand’s debut at Le Mans.

Marco Sorensen will drive the No.009 Aston Martin Valkyrie from seventh, while the leading Ferrari of the No.51 car will be driven by Antonio Giovinazzi for the first stint.

Andre Lotterer will start the No.17 Genesis from ninth, while the penalised No.38 Cadillac will have Earl Bamber in it for the opening stint.

Outside of the top 10, the No.007 Aston will be driven by Harry Tincknell at the start, while the No.50 Ferrari will have Nicklas Nielsen behind the wheel.

Fred Makowiecki gets the starting honours for the No.36 Alpine in 13th, with the first of the Toyotas - the No.7 - driven by Mike Conway from 14th.

Sebastien Buemi will start the sister No.8 Toyota from 15th, while Paul di Resta gets the nod for the No.93 Peugeot in 16th.

Last year’s Le Mans-winning No.83 AF Corse Ferrari failed to make it out of qualifying on Wednesday, leaving it 17th on the grid.

Phil Hanson will take the start, with Loic Duval in the No.94 Peugeot bringing up the rear of the Hypercar field in 18th.

2026 24 Hours of Le Mans: Full starting grid for all classes