The wider venue at which the Bugatti Circuit sits, the Circuit de la Sarthe, is a semi-permanent 13.626 km (8.467 mi) circuit that combines private, race-specific sections with public roads that remain accessible for most of the year. Up to 85% of the 24-hour lap time is spent at full throttle, placing immense stress on engine and drivetrain components.
The original road racing layout was a triangle running from Le Mans south to Mulsanne, northwest to Arnage, and back north to the city. In the 1920s the circuit measured 17.261 km (10.725 mi) and was unpaved, with a sharp hairpin near the river Huisne Pontlieue bridge that was removed in 1929. A bypass shortened the track in 1929 and the city was bypassed entirely in 1932 with the addition of the section from the pits via the Dunlop Bridge and the Esses to Tertre Rouge. This classic configuration measured 13.492 km (8.384 mi).
Car speeds increased dramatically in the 1960s, prompting criticism of the track as unsafe after drivers died during trials. A Ford chicane was added before the pits for the 1968 race, and Armco barriers were fitted for 1969. The "Maison Blanche" kink claimed several cars and lives over the years, including the legendary John Woolfe in 1969 behind the wheel of a Porsche 917. In 1971 — the last year the classic circuit was used — an Armco barrier was added to the pit straight to separate it from the track. In 1972, at a cost of 300 million francs, the pit area and first and final straights were modified, the Porsche Curves were added to bypass "Maison Blanche", and the track was resurfaced.
In 1979, construction of a new public road required a change to the profile of Tertre Rouge, creating a faster double-apex corner. In 1986, a new roundabout at the Mulsanne corner required an additional portion of track to avoid it, creating a right-hand kink before the corner. In 1987, a chicane was added to the Dunlop Curve, where cars had previously passed under the Dunlop Bridge at 180 mph (290 km/h); they were now slowed to 110 mph (180 km/h).
Two chicanes were added to the Mulsanne Straight before the 1990 race following fatal high-speed accidents involving Jean-Louis Lafosse in 1981 and Jo Gartner in 1986. The addition also complied with an FIA decree that it would no longer sanction a circuit with a straight longer than 2 km (1.2 mi) — roughly the length of the Döttinger Höhe straight at the Nürburgring Nordschleife. The fastest qualifying lap average speed dropped only from 249.826 to 243.329 km/h (155.235 to 151.198 mph) in 1992.
In 2002, the run to the Esses was reconfigured alongside renovations to the Bugatti Circuit, changing the section between the Dunlop Bridge and Esses into fast sweeping turns and creating a new extended pit lane exit for the Bugatti Circuit that re-enters the track just beyond the Dunlop Chicane. In 2006, the ACO redeveloped the area between the Dunlop Curve and Tertre Rouge, moving the Dunlop Chicane tighter and expanding the Esses. Following the fatal crash of Allan Simonsen at the 2013 race at the exit of Tertre Rouge, the corner's radius was moved in approximately 200 m (220 yd) and new tyre barriers were added. The current CIRCUIT N°15 configuration has been in use since 2018.
Le Mans is most famous for its 6 km (3.7 mi) Ligne Droite des Hunaudières, a section of route départementale D338. Known in English as the Mulsanne Straight, it leads to the village of Mulsanne. After exiting Tertre Rouge, cars spent almost half of the lap at full throttle before braking for Mulsanne Corner, where cars decelerate from over 322 km/h (200 mph) to around 100 km/h (62 mph). The Porsche 917 long tail reached 362 km/h (225 mph) on the straight between 1969 and 1971. A Porsche 935 was clocked at 367 km/h (228 mph) in 1978, and Group C prototypes exceeded 400 km/h (250 mph) in the late 1980s.
In 1988, Team WM Peugeot entered the 24-hour race with their "Project 400" car — officially named WM Secateva — aiming to be the first car to achieve 400 km/h (250 mph) on the straight. Roger Dorchy and Claude Haldi drove car 51, while Pascal Pessiot and Jean-Daniel Raulet drove car 52. Car 52 lasted only 22 laps, and car 51 entered the pits around 17:00 with engine problems. After 3.5 hours in the pits the team returned to the track. With Roger Dorchy behind the wheel, the WM P87 achieved 407 km/h (253 mph). The Peugeot retired on lap 59 with an overheating engine. Since Peugeot had just launched its new model 405, the team advertised the record as "405", leading many to misstate it as 405 km/h (252 mph); Dorchy's actual best run was clocked at 407 km/h (253 mph).
The Bugatti Circuit hosted the 1967 Formula One French Grand Prix, the only time the Formula One World Championship used the circuit. It currently hosts the French motorcycle Grand Prix as part of the MotoGP Championship, the 24 Heures Motos for the FIM Endurance World Championship, the FIA European Truck Racing Championship, and the 24 rollers — a 24-hour race on inline skates or quads. The circuit also formed the final round of the FIA European Truck Racing Championship and was part of the World Series by Renault and 1988 Superbike World Championship seasons. Past events include the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (2006, 2008), International Formula 3000 (1986–1991), and NASCAR Whelen Euro Series (2009–2014). The track was the home base of Pescarolo Sport, founded by French driver Henri Pescarolo.
Météo France operates a weather station at Le Mans exhibiting an oceanic climate (Köppen Cfb). The weather station is located at the local airport a few hundred metres from the main grandstand. High-profile races held before the peak of summer often feature cool ambient and track temperatures, with rainfall a potential factor. Air frosts have never been recorded in June.
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