Vanthoor puts BMW M Team WRT on top in red-flagged FP3

Dries Vanthoor put BMW M Team WRT on top in a red-flagged Free Practice 3 at Le Mans, producing a late flying lap most reports timed at 3:23.302 to lead the session and underline BMW's one-lap pace. Vanthoor edged Victor Martins' Alpine by 0.423 seconds, with Will Stevens' No. 12 Cadillac third as LMDh machinery dominated the running and filled the top positions. The three-hour FP3 was stopped with about 25 minutes remaining after United Autosports' No. 222 hit the barriers at the Ford Chicane, then restarted with 16 minutes left, which prompted a late wave of qualifying‑simulation runs ahead of Hyperpole.

FP3 also set class storylines for the night. LMP2 was led by Oliver Gray's Forestier Racing by Panis Oreca with a 3:34.252, just 0.001 seconds clear of the Duqueine, while LMGT3 pace belonged to the Heart of Racing Aston Martin on a 3:53.728 lap, though reports differed on the car number and driver listed. The session featured multiple incidents, including a Proton Competition car hitting the Porsche Curves and other spins and offs, and race control issued five‑minute stop‑and‑go penalties to 11 drivers for repeated track warnings. FP3 established the running order and storylines teams took into Hyperpole qualifying.