24H Le Mans, 4H: Iron Dames Climb Into Top Five, Chadwick recovers with positive first stints in Le Mans

The 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans is underway: after four hours, Iron Dames climbed from 18th to the top five with great drives from Célia Martin and Sarah Bovy, who also led during the pit cycle. Jamie Chadwick’s first stints at Le Mans were solid ones as the #18 IDEC Sport LMP2 is also making its way up the order. Lilou Wadoux was the protagonist of a stellar start, however the #150 Ferrari has fallen back and currently making up places.

Photo credits: DPPI

The 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans roared to life under slightly overcast skies and a buzzing atmosphere, kick-starting the most iconic endurance race in the world. As the clock ticked into the first four hours, both Iron Dames and the IDEC Sport LMP2 entry of Jamie Chadwick made strong recovery drives to close in on the top five in their respective classes. After an outstanding opening stint for Lilou Wadoux in the #150 Richard Mille Ferrari, the team is recovering after a later contact.

In the LMGT3 class, Célia Martin took the start for the Iron Dames in the #85 Porsche 911 GT3 R, launching from 18th in class. Making her debut at the legendary race, Martin steadily made her way up the order in a mature and composed triple stint. Initially dropping to P20, she quickly settled into a competitive rhythm, posting laps under the four-minute mark and emerging as one of the quickest bronze-rated drivers on track.

By lap 10, she brought the car in for its first scheduled stop but remained behind the wheel for a double stint. After moving into P11 and navigating a tight battle that saw contact with Heriau's AF Corse Ferrari at Indianapolis, she then brought the car into the top ten. Her strong pace continued through to lap 30, when she handed the car over to Sarah Bovy following an outstanding opening drive.

Bovy wasted no time building on Martin’s momentum. Immediately dipping under the four-minute mark, the Belgian gained ground consistently and set the Dames’ fastest time of the race so far with a 3:58.591 lap. Her efficient work in traffic saw her climb to P5 before pitting again at the end of hour four.

Iron Dames then briefly led in class during the next pit cycle, continuing to showcase their trademark consistency that has placed the team in the fight for a strong result as we enter the night phase.

Meanwhile, Lilou Wadoux delivered a breathtaking opening stint in the #150 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari, surging from P21 to P8 within 30 minutes. Her rapid pace—matching the class leaders with 3:57 laps—saw the #150 Ferrari made impressive gains. She handed over to Custodio Toledo on lap 10.

However, the car's race soon became more complicated: Toledo was involved in contact with the Corvette of Ben Keating, which spun him around and dropped the car to P20. While Keating was penalized, the Ferrari lost significant time. Despite stabilizing in P21 across his second and third stints, Toledo handed over to Riccardo Agostini just past hour three. Agostini regained a position and was running cleanly in the 3:59s as the race approached dusk, setting some extremely competitive times that saw the Richard Mille entry closing in again on the top-15.

In LMP2, Jamie Chadwick’s #28 IDEC Sport Oreca started with veteran André Lotterer behind the wheel. The three-time Le Mans winner brought the car up to P6 after two strong stints and an off-sequence pit strategy. Lotterer handed over to Chadwick on lap 28.

Making her Le Mans debut, Chadwick impressed immediately with laps in the low 3:42s, staying consistently on pace with her more experienced rivals. After pitting again on lap 39 and staying in the car, she cycled back up to P7 as others stopped and continued to show good pace into the evening.

The first major incident in the Hypercar class occurred when Paul Di Resta’s #93 Peugeot ended up in the gravel and sustained damage while attempting to lap Toledo in the Porsche Curves. Later, a slow zone was deployed when Gianmarco Levorato’s Mustang lost a wheel at Tertre Rouge. During this FCY period, the #25 APR LMP2 car crashed while misjudging the slow zone entry and needed front-end repairs.

As the race hit the four-hour mark, all three entries with female drivers had made significant progress: the Iron Dames climbed into the top five and then led with Sarah Bovy, before Célia Martin was back in the car. Chadwick ran solidly in P7 in LMP2 on debut, and the Richard Mille Ferrari was regaining momentum in P16 after early setbacks.

With nightfall approaching and over 20 hours still to run, the race remains wide open—and the all-female crews have already laid down a strong foundation for a solid recovery at Le Mans.