#7 Toyota loses lead with one hour to go at Le Mans

Kazuki Nakajima has moved into the lead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with one hour remaining after the race-leading #7 Toyota suffered punctures on back-to-back laps, wiping away its two-minute lead.

After leading the majority of the race, the #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid was on course for victory heading towards the end of the 23rd hour, with Jose Maria Lopez tasked with bringing the car home.

Lopez reported a puncture that forced him into an additional pit stop, with Toyota only changing the front-right tyre in question before sending the Argentine driver out still leading the race.

But a second puncture on the very next lap caused Lopez to slow, allowing Nakajima to swoop past and take the lead of the race in the #8 car before the #7 could even return to the pits.

Toyota serviced Lopez's car, but by the time he was sent back out on-track, he was already over a minute down on Nakajima at the front of the pack.

The late swing means Nakajima, Sebastien Buemi and Fernando Alonso are now on-course for their second straight Le Mans victory despite having trailed the sister crew of Lopez, Mike Conway and Kamui Kobayashi for the majority of the race.