In the hot start phase of the 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Porsche teams are showing strong performances in both classes. After the first four hours, the factory nine-elevens are on course for the podium, with two customer cars in the GTE-Am class at the top.

The Porsche GT Team and the customer teams showed strong performances in the starting phase of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. After the first four hours, the works team's two Porsche 911 RSRs took positions two and three in the highly competitive GTE Pro class. In the GTE-Am category, the nine-eleven cars from WeatherTech Racing and Dempsey-Proton Racing lead the large field of 23 cars after an exciting early phase in France.

"It's a very, very close race at the front," sums up Alexander Stehlig, Head of Factory Motorsport FIA WEC. "Our cars drive at the same pace as the two Corvettes. The leading car had an advantage when activating a slow zone, so the distance has become significantly larger. Overall, things are going well on our side. Only on the starting number 91 there were vibrations in the first stint, which came from the tires. That's why we changed the wheels earlier than on the sister car. Our two 911 RSRs are therefore based on different strategies. Now we want to work our way through the night and then see what is possible for us tomorrow."

Frédéric Makowiecki (car number 91) and Kévin Estre (number 92) sat in sunny conditions and temperatures around 26 degrees Celsius at the start of the 90th edition of the endurance classic in the two works cars. The two Frenchmen showed a strong pace right from the start and were able to keep themselves within striking distance of the front runners at all times. Team-mates Richard Lietz (Austria) and Michael Christensen (Denmark) worked their way up impressively to second and third place in their first race stints. The two approximately 378 kW (515 hp) cars still hold these positions after four hours.

In the GTE-Am class, the eight Porsche 911 RSR cars put on an impressive show, especially in the first two hours of racing. In phases, the nine-elevens of the customer teams took the first six places, as well as eighth and ninth place. However, the race eleven from Weissach were separated due to driver and tyre changes on the second lap of the pit stops. In the thrilling competition on the 13.626-kilometre circuit, Julien Andlauer in particular was able to convince. The Frenchman consistently drove the number 79 WeatherTech Racing car to the front and then built up a cushion of over 40 seconds. In total, Andlauer spent 2:45 hours in the car during the starting phase.

While the number 77 Dempsey-Proton Racing car is in second place in the class, the sister car with Hollywood star Michael Fassbender is already two laps behind. The starting number 46 of Project 1 has also lost touch with the front after a strong first hour of racing. After driving through the deep gravel bed in the Indianapolis corner area, the car spent about 13 minutes on repairs in the pits, losing four laps.

Driver comments on the starting phase
Gianmaria Bruni (Porsche 911 RSR #91): "It went quite well for me. On my double stint in the starting phase, we had a good balance in our car number 91. I have the impression that the Corvette is really strong today, but of course that can change with the sun setting and lower temperatures. We'll have to wait and see how the competition will turn out in the coming hours."

Michael Christensen (Porsche 911 RSR #92): "The car works very well and the tyres offered a lot of grip over the double stint. There was always some understeer, but we can cope with that. Unfortunately, we had some bad luck in a slow zone when the leading Corvette was able to secure a lead of over a minute. I assume that something like this will balance out over the course of 24 hours."

Julien Andlauer (Porsche 911 RSR #79): "We deliberately opted for a different strategy compared to the competition. I sat at the wheel for almost three hours at the start. Our car was really strong in the early stages of the race. It was as hot as we had never experienced during the entire preparations. That was actually a journey into the unknown, but it brought us to the top quite quickly. Now I'm recovering a bit and hope that my colleagues have just as much fun with our car."