Toyota #8 leads the 24 Hours of Le Mans under the safety car in the 8th hour, according to Motorsport.com. The Japanese manufacturer’s hybrid LMP1 prototype maintained a 12-second advantage over the Cadillac team, with Ferrari’s best finisher in 10th place, per La Gazzetta dello Sport. The race, part of the 2026 World Endurance Championship (WEC), entered its eighth hour with safety car conditions due to debris on the Mulsanne Straight.
What led to Toyota #8’s position under the safety car?
The safety car was deployed at the 7:45 mark following a minor collision between the Porsche 19 and Alpine #37, according to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) race control logs. Toyota #8, driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and José María López, capitalized on the caution period to execute a tire change and fuel top-up, maintaining its lead over the Cadillac DPi-V.R #01 of Sebastien Bourdais, Renger van der Zande, and Alexander Rossi. The team’s strategy, which included an alternative pit stop timing compared to competitors, allowed it to retain the top spot, as reported by Motorsport.com.
How do other teams compare in the 8th hour?
Cadillac remains in second place, 12 seconds behind Toyota, with the #01 car running 1.5 seconds per lap faster than the Toyota in the final 30 minutes of the race, according to live telemetry data shared by AlVolante. BMW’s LMDh entry, which secured pole position in the 2026 WEC standings, is currently in 12th place after a mechanical issue in the fourth hour. Ferrari’s #50 Ghibli, driven by Charles Leclerc, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Giancarlo Fisichella, is 10th, with the team struggling to match the pace of the top prototypes, per La Gazzetta dello Sport.
What does this mean for the race standings?
The safety car period allowed Toyota #8 to extend its lead without losing time to rivals, a critical advantage
