2026 24 Hours of Le Mans: Cadillac leads after 18 hours as safety car called for big crash

The No.12 Jota Cadillac brushed off a penalty to hold the lead of the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, as the No.8 Toyota hit trouble after the midway phase.

The battle for victory at Le Mans is a four-car affair between Toyota, Cadillac and BMW with just six hours remaining, though the former has dropped back after 18 hours of running.

LIVE: 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans race updates

However, it has not been trouble-free for Cadillac or Toyota, who both were hit with penalties since the midway point early this morning.

The No.8 Toyota was given a drive-through penalty early in the morning for a slow zone infringement.

But the No.12 Cadillac, which was leading at the time, suffered the same fate inside of hour 17. The No.101 WTR Cadillac also had a drive-through for a yellow flag infringement.

The No.8 Toyota’s race was hit with more drama late in hour 18 at its pitstop, which was extended to over two minutes due to a front left brake repair.

As the 18th hour of running drew to a close, the No.12 Cadillac with Louis Deletraz at the wheel led by over a minute from the No.20 BMW of Robin Frijns.

The No.7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi had cycled into third following the lengthy stop for the sister No.8 car.

Toyota is the only manufacturer to have two cars firmly in victory contention, but they were both around two minutes down on the leading Cadillac.

Ferrari is almost a lap down in fifth with the No.51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi, while the No.35 Alpine of Ferdinand Habsburg was sixth.

The 2025 race-winning No.83 AF Corse Ferrari was running seventh at the end of hour 18, while the No.101 WTR Cadillac in eighth had dropped a lap down.

The top 10 was completed by the No.36 Alpine and the No.007 Aston Martin.

However, just inside the 19th hour, a big crash for the No.91 Manthey LMGT3 Porsche brought out a full safety car.

The No.15 BMW suffered more technical dramas in the morning due to an electrical issue, which has kept it in the pitlane for some time.

The No.17 Genesis car dropped out of the race after suffering suspension damage due to a kerb strike.

In LMP2, the No.30 Duqueine car with Doriane Pin at the wheel led LMP2 despite running off at Indianapolis inside hour 18.

In LMGT3, the No.33 Corvette is in control, leading the field by over 90 seconds.