Le Mans 24 Hours: Mathieu Jaminet Tops Porsche in FP3 Showdown

Mathieu Jaminet was the quickest driver in Free Practice 3 for Porsche Penske Motorsport ahead of the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans. Piloting the #5 Porsche 963, Jaminet set a fast lap of 3 minutes 24.717 seconds at the Circuit de la Sarthe, marking the session’s best time by a wide margin.

This run happened just after he navigated a tricky moment at the Dunlop chicane and during an unexpected 20-minute halt caused by a fire alarm in the media center.

Cadillac Jota claimed the next two spots on the leaderboard, as Earl Bamber in the #38 car and Will Stevens in the #12 finished second and third. Both drivers finished over eight-tenths of a second behind the leading Porsche. Earlier in the session, Antonio Giovinazzi’s #51 Ferrari led the timesheets with an early lap of 3:25.705, but that car eventually fell to fourth.

The #83 Ferrari, #20 BMW, #4 Porsche, #311 Cadillac, and #50 Ferrari all posted times in the 3:26 bracket. Wayne Taylor Racing’s #101 Cadillac faced challenges throughout the session due to a detected engine issue that required a change. The team completed just nine laps, but still finished ahead of three other Hypercar entries.

The #93 Peugeot handled its own share of difficulties with a power steering failure caused by hydraulic problems, forcing it to sit out for half an hour. According to team management, the Cadillac’s engine swap was accomplished in under two hours.

In LMP2, the fastest lap belonged to TDS Racing’s #29 car, with drivers Beche, Novalak, and Sales clocking 3:36.827. This was about six-tenths quicker than the United Autosports #23 team of Hanley, Jarvis, and Schneider. The #43 Inter Europol Competition car and the second United Autosports entry also finished within a second of the leader in class.

Several LMP2 incidents marred practice, including a red flag when Francois Perrodo crashed the #183 AF Corse in the Porsche curves. Other incidents saw Jonas Reid hit the wall at Indianapolis in the #9 Iron Lynx-Proton and Aliaksandr Malykhin collide with a tyre wall in the #37 CLX-Pure Rxcing entry while trying to avoid a slowing car.

Late in the session, IDEC Sport’s #28 car lost its front-left wheel but managed to make it back to the pits. In LMGT3, the fight for top times was close.

The Heart of Racing’s #27 Aston Martin driven by Drudi, James, and Robichon led with a 3:55.897 lap, edging out the #92 Manthey Porsche by just 0.037 seconds. Akkodis ASP’s #78 Lexus and Racing Spirit of Leman’s #10 Aston Martin rounded out the class leaders.

The main twist for the category saw Thomas Flohr spin the #54 Ferrari in the final corner. As Le Mans builds towards race day, all teams are working to optimize their cars and strategies after a busy day of practice and issues in several classes.

Jaminet’s strong performance sets high expectations for Porsche heading into qualifying and the famous 24-hour contest. The next sessions will likely see teams making final adjustments, aiming for both speed and reliability on race day, much like the continuous development seen in Formula 1 with McLaren and Lewis Hamilton at Monaco.

Analogously, just as the 2025 F1 season witnessed challenges and quick responses, teams at Le Mans must adapt swiftly under pressure.

Daniel Miller

Daniel Miller reports on Formula 1 Grand Prix weekends with race-day analysis, team-radio highlights, and point-standings updates. He explains power-unit upgrades, aerodynamic developments, and driver rivalries in straightforward, SEO-friendly language for a global F1 audience.