The 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is almost upon us, with the great endurance classic set to take over the Circuit de la Sarthe on 13-14 June for what promises to be one of the most fiercely contested editions in years.
At the centre of the build-up is a remarkable defending champion. Robert Kubica arrives back at La Sarthe twelve months on from one of the most improbable victories the race has ever seen, having taken overall honours in 2025 aboard the AF Corse Ferrari 499P alongside Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye. That triumph capped an extraordinary personal journey for the Pole, whose Formula 1 career was derailed by a life-changing rally accident in 2011, and he returns this year with the same line-up intact and unfinished business in mind.
Kubica's privateer Ferrari will once again have to overcome the might of the manufacturer Hypercar entries. The top class remains the deepest it has been in the modern era, with Ferrari's factory cars, Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac and a swelling cast of rivals all converging on the 8.5-mile circuit for the blue-riband round of the FIA World Endurance Championship. With more than 60 cars filling the grid across the categories, track position and reliability over a punishing twice-around-the-clock distance will be decisive.
The supporting LMGT3 class is no less compelling. Twenty-five cars representing nine manufacturers — Aston Martin, BMW, Corvette, Ferrari, Ford, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG and Porsche — will go to war over 24 hours, underlining the breadth of factory interest in sportscar racing's resurgent production-based category.
Manthey Porsche head into the race as the back-to-back class champions, with 2025 winners Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera leading the 911 GT3 R challenge. They face a stiff test from Ferrari, which fields five entries — the most of any marque — headlined by the returning Vista AF Corse car that finished runner-up in class last year. Corvette brings four Z06 LMGT3.Rs, while Mercedes-AMG marks a notable return to the great race after an absence of 26 years with a trio of Iron Lynx entries.
The class also boasts a fascinating spread of talent. Former Formula 1 racers Logan Sargeant and Giuliano Alesi are among the entry, as is 2021 Le Mans winner Jose Maria Lopez and reigning DTM champion Ayhancan Guven, ensuring the LMGT3 battle will carry star quality to match the Hypercar headliners.
With the Hypercar field tighter than ever and a defending overall winner determined to prove last year was no fluke, the 2026 edition has all the ingredients of a classic. The teams now turn their final preparations toward the green flag, where 24 hours of relentless racing will once again separate the contenders from the legends at the most famous endurance event on earth.
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*Originally published on [Motorsports Global](https://motorsports.global/article/le-mans-2026-preview-kubica-defends). Visit for full coverage.*