Iron Lynx is approaching the 2026 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans aware of its potential and with the goal to put all the hard work and preparations to fruition. The Italian squad started its long-standing tradition at the French classic in 2019, and has competed with passion ever since.
Edition number 94 of the great French race is expected to be better than ever. With FIA WEC growing year by year in terms of recognition and sporting prowess, Le Mans has further built on its uniqueness and legendary status.
Partnering with Iron Lynx, Mercedes-AMG Motorsport has been a powerful and fascinating part of that history. The collaboration that started last year with the return of the Silver Arrows concept will continue in 2026, with fresh new additions.
The crew of Martin Berry, Rui Andrade and Mercedes-AMG Performance Driver Maxime Martin will continue to chase more success after displaying strong form since late last season. They will drive the 61 Silver Arrow with black accents. Johannes Zelger will be making his Le Mans debut on the 79 car, sporting yellow accents, and he will partner his experienced teammate Matteo Cressoni, a fellow Italian, and young Mercedes-AMG Junior Driver Lin Hodenius.
Team Qatar by Iron Lynx will be one of the main additions for the 2026 edition of Le Mans. Representing the country for its first foray in the pinnacle of Endurance Racing, Qatar native Abdulla Al-Khelaifi will join his ELMS teammate Julian Hanses and a new star for the 24 Hours, Giuliano Alesi. Son of legendary Jean Alesi, the Frenchman has moved from single-seaters to GT Racing with remarkable success. He is now embracing the true essence of Le Mans in front of his home crowd.
The 24 Hours got underway on Saturday with the traditional Pesage in-town. Welcomed by a bumper crowd — a sign of the continued success of the series — the team then went on to take part in the car parade. Al-Khelaifi drove the 62 amid the cheering fans to deliver them a true roaring V8 experience.
The 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will get underway on Sunday, June 7th, with the traditional Journee Test.
Andrea Piccini – Team Principal & CEO: “It is a great feeling to be back at Le Mans with our three Silver Arrows and we feel we are rally in the mood, looking forward to carry this project into this classic for the second year. I am proud of the preparation work we managed as a team, and of the performance level that the drivers had in the first races of the year. We think we have everything we need to be very competitive and especially driver-wise, the potential we have seen in both FIA WEC and ELMS is pretty clear. We can’t wait and we are very excited to see Team Qatar for the first time on this legendary track. It’s a real milestone and we are honoured to have the opportunity to be part of it. Now it will be all about putting together everything we have worked on so far, and the pre-race test day is a perfect chance.”
RACE DETAILS
TIMETABLE (ALL TIMES LOCAL)
Sunday, June 6th
10:00/13:00 – LM24 Test Session 1
15:30/18:30 – LM24 Test Session 2
Wednesday, June 10th
14:00/17:00 – LM24 Free Practice 1
18:45/19:15 – LM24 LMP2/LMGT3 Qualifying
22:00/24:00 – LM24 Free Practice 2
Thursday, June 11th
14:45/17:45 – LM24 Free Practice 3
20:00/20:30 – LM24 LMGT3 Hyperpole 1
20:00/20:30 – LM24 LMGT3 Hyperpole 2
23:00/00:00 – LM24 Free Practice 4
Saturday, June 13th
12:00/12:15 – LM24 Warm Up
16:00 – LM24 Race Star
LOCATION
Circuit De La Sarthe
Circuit Length: 13.626 kilometers
Time Zone: CEST
Projected Stint Length: 10 laps
Race Distance: 24 Hours
Drivers car 61 LMGT3: Martin Berry (B) – Rui Andrade (S) – Maxime Martin (P)
Drivers car 62 LMGT3: Abdulla Al-Khelaifi (B) – Julian Hanses (S) – Giuliano Alesi (G)
Drivers car 79 LMGT3: Johannes Zelger (B) – Matteo Cressoni (S) – Lin Hodenus (S)
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is the world’s oldest active endurance racing event, first held in 1923.
