A minimum weight infraction got the No. 6 Penske Porsche disqualified from first qualifying for 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours with Aston Martin Valkyrie advancing to Hyperpole after hypercar grid reshuffle.
The No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 piloted by the formidable trio of Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell had initially secured a strong fourth-place finish in the opening qualifying session.
This guaranteed the team a coveted spot in the Hyperpole shootout – the final and most prestigious segment of 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours qualifying – where the fastest cars will battle for the best starting spots.
The Porsche 963 was the highest-placed car from the Stuttgart marque in the session, outpacing its teammates and setting the stage for what many anticipated would be a serious challenge for overall victory.
However, the mood in the Porsche Penske garage shifted dramatically following post-qualifying technical inspections. As is standard procedure at Le Mans, the top-performing cars are subject to rigorous scrutineering to ensure compliance with the event’s strict technical regulations.
During these checks officials determined that the No. 6 Porsche 963 failed to meet the minimum weight requirement as stipulated in Article 4.1 of the 2025 LMDh Technical Regulations and reinforced by WEC Committee Decisions D29 and D31.
The team’s manager was summoned to a hearing with the race stewards, where the findings were presented in detail.
After reviewing the technical delegate’s report and confirming the accuracy of the scrutineering process, the stewards ruled that the No. 6 Porsche was indeed underweight and consequently imposed the harshest penalty available, getting Penske Porsche disqualified from the qualifying session.
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According to Article 10.2.2 of the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours supplementary regulations, the No. 6 car will be relegated to the back of the Hypercar class grid for the start of the race.
The official bulletin from the stewards read: “Technical checks were conducted at the end of the qualifying session with the presence of team representatives.
“There, after having examined the Technical Delegate report, the Stewards considered the minimum car weight did not comply with the relevant regulations. During the hearing, the Team Manager confirmed and accepted the procedure of the scrutineering and the measurements.
“Consequently, the Stewards decided to impose the disqualification of car 6 from the qualifying session. The car 6 will start at the back of the grid of his category according to the Article 10.2.2 of 2025 24 hours of Le Mans supplementary regulations.”
The immediate consequence of this decision is a significant shake-up in the Hypercar qualifying order. All competitors classified behind the No. 6 Porsche at the end of the session have been promoted one position in the standings, in accordance with Article 12.19 of the FIA Sporting Code.
The most notable beneficiary is the No. 009 Aston Martin Valkyrie which moves from 16th to 15th place and thereby secures the final slot in the Hyperpole session.
This marks a significant milestone for Aston Martin, as it ensures that seven of the eight Hypercar manufacturers will be represented in the Hyperpole, underlining the depth and diversity of competition at this year’s Le Mans.
For Porsche Penske Motorsport, the disqualification is a bitter setback. The team entered Le Mans as the defending FIA World Hypercar Endurance champions with Kevin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor aiming to add another prestigious victory to their resumes.
Vanthoor in particular was seeking to achieve the rare feat of winning all three legs of the Triple Crown of Endurance Racing in a single year—a testament to the team’s ambition and capability.
Now, instead of starting from a prime position near the front of the grid, the No. 6 Porsche will be forced to begin its race from the back of the Hypercar field, dramatically complicating its path to victory.
