When is 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022? What’s the schedule? When is Hyperpole? When is qualifying and practice?

The most famous automobile endurance race in the world is set to return with a bang.

After being held behind closed doors in 2020 due to the Covid-19 pandemic and then with restricted attendance last year, the 24 Hours of Le Mans returns to the Circuit de la Sarthe in France with fans set to pack the stands again.

With live coverage on Eurosport and discovery+, here’s all you need to know about the week ahead, including the schedule, timings, and when each race starts and finishes…

When is the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

The main race will start at 3pm BST on Saturday, June 11 and finish at 3pm BST on Sunday, June 12.

What’s the full schedule?

The schedule for the week includes practice sessions and Hyperpole, which determines the starting positions on the grid for the race.

The one-hour qualifying session on Wednesday evening will determine which six cars in each of the four classes progress to Hyperpole.

Wednesday, June 8

• 13:00 to 16:00 – Free practice 1
• 18:00 to 19:00 – Qualifying session
• 21:00 to 23:00 – Free practice 2

Thursday, June 9

• 14:00 to 17:00 – Free practice 3
• 19:00 to 19:30 – Hyperpole
• 21:00 to 23:00 – Free practice 4

Saturday, June 11

• 9:30 to 9:45 – Warm up
• 15:00 pm – The race

Sunday, June 12

What else is on?

As well as 24 Hours of Le Mans there are other races taking place over the week at the circuit, including the Porsche Sprint Challenge France, which is open to amateur drivers, and the Ligier European Series, which was launched in 2020 and will be held at Le Mans for the first time.

Wednesday, June 8

• 8:00 to 8:35 – Porsche Sprint Challenge free practice 1
• 9:05 to 9:50 – Ligier European Series free practice 1
• 10:20 to 10:55 – Porsche Sprint Challenge free practice 2
• 11:25 to 12:25 – Road to Le Mans free practice 1
• 16:30 to 17:15 – Ligier European Series free practice 2
• 19:30 to 20:30 – Road to Le Mans free practice 2

Thursday, June 9

• 7:50 to 8:45 – Porsche Sprint Challenge qualifying practice
• 9:15 to 9:35 – Ligier European Series qualifying practice 1
• 9:50 to 10:10 – Ligier European Series qualifying practice 2
• 11:10 to 11:30 – Road to Le Mans qualifying practice 1
• 11:45 to 12:05 – Road to Le Mans qualifying practice 2
• 12:35 to 13:20 – Porsche Sprint Challenge race 1
• 17:30 to 18:25 – Road to Le Mans race 1

Friday, June 10

• 8:30 to 9:15 – Porsche Sprint Challenge race 2
• 10:10 to 11:00 – Ligier European Series race 1

Saturday, June 11

• 8:00 to 08:50 – Ligier European Series race 2
• 10:20 to 11:15 – Road to Le Mans race 2

How to watch Le Mans

We will also have rolling coverage on the Eurosport.co.uk website and

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Will Michael Fassbender be racing?

Yes. The movie star will be making his Le Mans debut, sharing a Proton Competition Porsche 911 RSR-19 with Zach Robichon and Matt Campbell.

Fassbender, who has appeared in movies Shame, Prometheus and 12 Years a Slave, has been gearing up for Le Mans by competing in the Porsche Carrera Cup and the European Le Mans Series.

“It’s exciting and scary,” he said. “It’s the history and the respect for the place that gets you, I just hope that I perform well after this four-year journey.

“I feel like another four years would have been good! Anyway, it’s almost surreal to be here.”