Circuit de la Sarthe

Circuit de la Sarthe sits on the southern outskirts of Le Mans in the Sarthe department of France, stretching 13.626 kilometres around a loop that combines purpose-built racing sections with stretches of public road open to traffic for most of the year. The layout is broadly triangular, beginning with a tight stadium section near the pit complex before feeding onto the legendary Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, the Mulsanne Straight, which runs for nearly six kilometres. Two chicanes were inserted into the straight in 1990 for safety reasons, but prototypes still approach 340 km/h on those long blasts. The rest of the lap winds through the Porsche Curves and Ford Chicanes, rewarding chassis balance and aerodynamic efficiency over outright peak power. Drivers spend more than 85 percent of each lap at full throttle, placing enormous stress on engines, tyres, and fuel systems over a race distance counted in hours rather than laps.

The circuit was established in 1923 by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest under the leadership of Georges Durand, Charles Faroux, and Emile Coquille. Their goal was a race that would test road-car technology over a full day and night, and the 24 Hours of Le Mans has run almost every year since. Permanent infrastructure gradually expanded around the Bugatti Circuit, a 4.185-kilometre inner loop that hosts club events and motorcycle racing on non-Le Mans weekends. The wider circuit's capacity during race week reaches well above 200,000 spectators spread across grandstands and the enormous infield camping zones. Race week in June transforms the region into one of motorsport's great pilgrimages, with fans from across Europe arriving days in advance.

Le Mans is the centrepiece of the FIA World Endurance Championship calendar, and the race determines much of the manufacturers' title fight. Factory entries from Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, BMW, Alpine, Cadillac, and Peugeot compete in the Hypercar class alongside privateer runners. The 2026 edition is the 94th running of the race and is scheduled for June 13 to 14. The entry list features 62 cars across Hypercar, LMP2, and LMGT3 classes, with 18 Hypercar entries marking one of the largest top-class fields in recent memory. Ferrari arrives as the defending winner, having won the race continuously since 2023 with its 499P prototype.