Le Mans 24H, 20H update: Richard Mille Ferrari battles for the top 10 in LMGT3, Iron Dames keep fighting despite setbacks

With just four hours remaining in the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the final phase of the endurance classic is underway and the #150 Richard Mille Ferrari is currently P9 in LMGT3, with Lilou Wadoux at the wheel The teams featuring female drivers have seen their fortunes vary dramatically over the course of the race

Photo credits: DPPI

With just four hours remaining in the 93rd running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the final phase of the endurance classic is underway. The teams featuring female drivers have seen their fortunes vary dramatically over the course of the race—ranging from podium contenders to heartbreak for IDEC Sport and Iron Dames, to the determined fightback by Richard Mille AF Corse, now running just outside the top ten in LMGT3.

In the early night stints, all three female-driven lineups delivered stellar performances. Sarah Bovy briefly led an Iron Dames charge, then settled into the LMGT3 top five with consistent sub-4-minute laps, while Lilou Wadoux also showed strong pace in the Richard Mille Ferrari, climbing into the top ten after early setbacks in the first hours of the race. In LMP2, Jamie Chadwick, Mathys Jaubert and André Lotterer kept IDEC Sport in podium contention, with Jaubert one of the fastest on track. But as dawn approached, disaster struck for both Iron Dames and IDEC Sport.

Lotterer lost a right rear wheel just a lap into his stint, leaving the car stranded and forcing retirement from a likely podium. Shortly after, Frey was hit by the #87 Lexus and sent into the gravel, costing the Iron Dames a lap. The team’s misfortunes deepened when the car came to a halt again on the Mulsanne straight with a technical issue—though Frey managed to limp it back to the garage, effectively ending their hopes of a result despite the crew’s determined return to the track.

This left the #150 Richard Mille Ferrari as the only female-driven car still fighting for a top finish.

The final third of the race began with Riccardo Agostini climbing into the #150 Ferrari from ninth place after Custodio Toledo completed another stint. Agostini immediately showed his potential, dipping into the low 3:58s and setting the car’s fastest lap at the time with a 3:56.953 on lap 231. Though the gap to the next car was considerable, the Italian kept pushing.

Despite their earlier delay, the Iron Dames continued to show relentless effort. Rahel Frey returned to the track for another stint and impressively maintained laps under 3:59, refusing to let up even many laps down. She later handed over to Célia Martin, who had already fulfilled her bronze minimum time but took the opportunity to gain further valuable track mileage at her home race. Running 18th in class, Martin maintained consistent pace and ran within a lap of the #63 Iron Lynx Mercedes.

As the race evolved, Agostini handed the Richard Mille Ferrari back to Toledo. The American bronze driver was steady in P10, and briefly climbed back to ninth during pit cycles. However, a rapid stint from Casper Stevenson in the #57 Kessel Ferrari saw the latter lapping four seconds per lap quicker and retaking the position. Daniel Juncadella in the #82 Corvette would also move past Toledo, dropping the Richard Mille Ferrari to P11.

Back in the Iron Dames camp, Sarah Bovy returned to the car and wasted no time setting the team's fastest lap of the race—first matching Rahel Frey’s benchmark, then bettering it with a 3:57.588 on lap 255. She strung together multiple laps in the 3:57s, a display of both great pace and determination despite the Iron Dames being out of contention.

Toledo then handed the #150 Ferrari over to Lilou Wadoux, who set out to reclaim lost ground. Although track temperatures had risen and grip levels faded, Wadoux remained solid. She gained several positions during the next cycle of pit stops and climbed up to seventh place before stopping on lap 271 for fuel and rejoining in 11th. One more spot was gained as the #78 Lexus hit trouble and retired, bringing the Ferrari up to tenth once again.

With four hours remaining, the #150 Richard Mille Ferrari is currently P9 in LMGT3, with Lilou Wadoux at the wheel and, with bronze-rated Takeshi Kimura in the Kessel Racing Ferrari ahead, she has an opportunity to reduce the 20-second margin.

The Iron Dames Porsche is P16 in class, following an issue for the #59 McLaren, now with Rahel frey back at the helm and with continuing to push despite a day marked by misfortune – also snatching again the team's fastest lap with a 3:57.566.

The #18 IDEC Sport Oreca is retired after a strong LMP2 podium-worthy run was ended prematurely by the wheel incident.

As the clock ticks toward the final hours, the Richard Mille squad remains the only female-driven team with a realistic chance of finishing in the top ten—and potentially more if late drama unfolds. At Le Mans, four hours can still provide endless opportunities, and nothing is over until the chequered flag waves at 4:00pm.