Doriane Pin denied Le Mans LMP2 win after brake explosion
Duqueineâs LMP2 lead disappears in dramatic failure
The #30 Duqueine Team Orecaâs push for LMP2 victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours came to a sudden and brutal end after what was described as a brake explosion while leading the class.
Mercedes F1 junior Doriane Pin had been part of a crew that also included Julian Andlauer and Richard Verschoor, with the entry positioned for a likely class win before the failure struck. The incident unfolded with a little under three-and-a-half hours remaining, at precisely the stage of the race where endurance success is usually decided by execution, restraint and mechanical survival rather than outright pace.
Verschoor was at the wheel when the problem hit. The Dutch driver reported that the brakes had âexplodedâ as he moved to the left-hand side at the first chicane on the Mulsanne, following an issue at the left-front wheel.
A likely win lost in the closing phase
For Pin and the #30 crew, the timing could hardly have been more punishing. Leading LMP2 deep into the final hours placed Duqueine Team in control of its class destiny, only for the failure to remove that advantage in an instant.
In endurance racing, the final hours often expose the narrow margin between a controlled class victory and a race-ending technical blow. Here, the #30 carâs loss was not the result of a strategic gamble or on-track defeat, but a mechanical drama that arrived while the team was still at the head of the field.
Pinâs presence in the leading LMP2 entry had also made the run one of the notable storylines of the race. For more background on the female drivers competing at this yearâs event, read our feature on the women taking on the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans.
New leaders emerge as the fight tightens
With the #30 Duqueine Team Oreca out of contention for the class win, the lead passed to the #343 machine, with Reshad de Gerus aboard.
The battle, however, remained finely poised. Nick Yelloly was running just 4.7 seconds behind in the #43, leaving the LMP2 contest set for a tense finish after the dramatic change at the front.
What had looked like a likely breakthrough for Pin and her team instead became one of the defining late-race setbacks of the Le Mans 24 Hours â a reminder that at La Sarthe, even a commanding position can vanish with one component failure.
Simone Scanu
Heâs a software engineer with a deep passion for Formula 1 and motorsport. He co-founded Formula Live Pulse to make live telemetry and race insights accessible, visual, and easy to follow.