The Toyota N.8, crowned last year and driven by Sébastien Buemi, quickly took the lead. American basketball star LeBron James gave the start signal at 16:00 (14:00 GMT) The battle for second place raged between the two Ferraris N.50 and N.51.
The Cadillac N.3, a time at the front, had to return to the pits due to damage to the car. Some 300,000 people were expected to attend the race.