Qualifying first selects the Hyperpole field
ACO’s dated 2026 announcement separates the initial qualifying sessions into Hypercars and a session shared by LMP 2 and LMGT 3. The fastest fifteen in each class progress to H 1. Cars sharing a session are consequently still assessed within their own class for that progression.
A combined screen sorted only by absolute lap time can obscure that distinction. Save the class column with the result. A GT entry’s overall position among prototypes does not, by itself, establish whether it missed the top fifteen in its own class.
H 1 leaves a further stage to complete
The published H 1 procedure sends the top ten in each class to H 2 while cars ranked eleventh through fifteenth take those corresponding grid positions. A driver celebrating advancement after H 1 has therefore achieved a different outcome from securing the final pole position.
For a replay sequence, label the initial qualifying, H 1 and H 2 recordings individually. A menu containing several short qualifying programmes can reflect the intended structure rather than duplicate uploads. Retaining the stage also prevents an H 1 fastest lap from being misreported as the final grid-setting result.
Driver-role rules can differ across stages
The same announcement applies the lowest-rated-driver requirement to LMP 2’s initial qualifying and notes the existing bronze-driver role in LMGT 3. It separately changes an LMGT 3 Hyperpole driver restriction. The person seen in the qualifying car need not be the person you expected from another phase.
This article uses ACO’s 26 May 2026 announcement, checked on 4 November. It describes that Le Mans edition rather than imposing the same special format on every World Endurance Championship round. Use the final official class grid, including any decisions, before stating an actual car’s starting position.