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How many cars race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

62 cars started the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans: 18 in Hypercar, 19 in LMP2 and 25 in LMGT3. Every Le Mans since 2022 has had 62 cars in the race results, and the ACO described the 2026 field as a full grid. In the WEC era the field has grown from 54 to 56 cars between 2012 and 2015 to 60 by 2017, then to the current 62.

The field, year by year

The archive counts every car with a race result, retirements included. The 2012 and 2013 races had 56 cars each, 2014 had 54 and 2015 had 55. The 2016 race is not yet in the archive.

The grid reached 60 in 2017 and again in 2018, then 61 in 2019. The 2020 race, run in September, had 59. It was back to 61 in 2021 and has stood at 62 in every edition from 2022 to 2026.

For 2026, the ACO's official entry-list announcement of 20 February called the 62 cars a full grid and named nine teams on the reserve list. All 62 took the start: every car in the archive's 2026 results completed at least 61 laps.

How the classes have shifted

The class split tells the story of the regulations. In 2012 the field had 13 LMP1 cars, 20 in LMP2, nine in GTE Pro and 13 in GTE Am, plus one experimental entry. By 2019 the top class was down to eight LMP1s, with 20 LMP2s and 33 GTE cars split 17 Pro and 16 Am.

The top class bottomed out at five cars in 2020, 2021 and 2022, the last LMP1 year and the first two Hypercar years. LMP2 filled the gap: the class peaked at 27 cars in 2022.

Hypercar then grew fast. Le Mans had 16 Hypercars in 2023 and a record 23 in 2024, before 21 in 2025 and 18 in 2026. LMGT3 replaced GTE in 2024 with 23 cars, then 24 in 2025 and 25 in 2026, which made it the largest class in the 2026 race. LMP2 runs only at Le Mans now and had 16, 17 and 19 cars in those three years.

The extra entry: Garage 56

Four races in the archive carried an extra entry outside the normal classes, run through the innovative-car slot known as Garage 56. The No. 0 DeltaWing in 2012 completed 75 laps. The No. 0 Nissan ZEOD RC in 2014 managed five.

The 2021 race included the No. 84 Association SRT41 Oreca 07, which covered 334 laps. In 2023, the No. 24 Hendrick Motorsports Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, the NASCAR-based entry, covered 285 laps and was classified 39th overall.

None of the 2024, 2025 or 2026 races had a Garage 56 car. All 62 places went to the three championship classes.

What the 62 cars look like in 2026

The 18 Hypercars came from eight manufacturers: Toyota, Ferrari, BMW, Cadillac, Alpine, Aston Martin, Peugeot and newcomer Genesis. Cadillac added a third car for the race, the No. 101 Cadillac WTR entry, to its two full-season JOTA cars. Ferrari ran three 499Ps, two factory cars and the No. 83 AF Corse entry.

The No. 7 Toyota Racing TR010 Hybrid won the race after 381 laps. The No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 won LMP2 and the No. 33 TF Sport Corvette won LMGT3.

With the grid full at 62 cars and nine teams on the 2026 reserve list, any growth in Hypercar now comes at the expense of LMP2 or LMGT3 places. The 2027 arrivals listed in which manufacturers will join the WEC in 2027 will test that balance.

Last updated · le mans grid · le mans entry list · how many cars · 62 cars · hypercar · lmp2

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Related questions

Events

Who has won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the WEC era?

Since the FIA WEC began in 2012, only four manufacturers have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright: Audi (2012 to 2014), Porsche (2015 to 2017), Toyota (2018 to 2022, plus 2026) and Ferrari (2023 to 2025). Fifteen editions from 2012 to 2026, four badges, and three distinct dynasties broken only by the swing years between eras. The full year-by-year list, with crews and race distance, is below.

Classes

What is the difference between Hypercar and LMGT3?

Hypercar and LMGT3 are the two classes of the modern FIA WEC, and they are different species of race car. Hypercars are purpose-built prototypes run by factory teams chasing outright victory. LMGT3 cars are production-derived GT3 machines run by customer teams with a mandatory amateur-rated driver in each crew. On 2025 qualifying pace the gap between them ran from 11 seconds a lap at short circuits to 30 seconds at Le Mans, which is why managing traffic between the classes is one of the WEC's defining skills.

Classes

Why was LMP2 removed from the WEC?

LMP2 was dropped from the FIA WEC's full-season entry at the end of 2023 because the grid ran out of room. Hypercar manufacturer entries nearly doubled between 2022 and 2024, LMGT3 arrived as a new customer class, and the championship chose factories and GT brands over a customer prototype class that no longer fit. LMP2 was not killed: it still races in ELMS, in IMSA, and once a year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, where it remains an invited class.

Circuits

How long is the Le Mans circuit?

The Circuit de la Sarthe measures 13.626 kilometres, about 8.47 miles, which makes it by far the longest track in the FIA WEC and one of the longest active race circuits in the world. A Hypercar pole lap takes around three minutes and 23 seconds; the race winners cover the distance around 380 times in 24 hours, more than 5,000 kilometres of racing. Most of that length is public road, closed once a year for the race.

How many cars race in the 24 Hours of Le Mans? · WEC Engine