Ferrari's Historic Return: 10th Le Mans Victory in 58 Years
#51 Ferrari 499P | Ferrari AF Corse | Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi | 342 laps
11 Jun -In an historic return to the frontlines of Le Mans since 1973, Ferrari marked its 10th victory at the renowned endurance event, a feat not achieved since 1965.
The dramatic final leg of the race was a nail-biter, with the #8 Toyota Gazoo GR010 Hybrid, piloted by Ryo Hirakawa, hot on the heels of the leading Antonio Giovinazzi. However, a spin at the Arnage Corner cost Hirakawa dearly, resulting in both ends of the car sustaining damage and necessitating an unplanned pit stop for bodywork repairs. The mishap set the Japanese driver nearly a full lap behind the leading Ferrari 499P.
Upon taking over the #51 vehicle from Giovinazzi, Pier Guidi managed to charge through to the finish line, securing victory with a lead of 1m27.056s. This triumph was not without its fair share of suspense, as the car initially refused to start at the last pit stop.
Adding to their earlier triumphs in the 2019 and 2021 LMGTE Pro, Calado and Pier Guidi clinched the overall Le Mans win. Meanwhile, Giovinazzi joined the ranks of exceptional drivers to win Le Mans on their first try, an accomplishment last achieved by Fernando Alonso in 2018.
Toyota Gazoo Racing had to accept the runner-up position with their #8 car, helmed by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Hirakawa. This result marked the end of Toyota’s five-win streak from 2018 to 2022. Cadillac Racing secured both the third and fourth spots, with the #2 V Series.R of Alex Lynn, Earl Bamber, and Richard Westbrook leading the #3 car of Renger van der Zande, Sebastien Bourdais, and Scott Dixon.
The second Ferrari AF Corse 499P, manned by Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina, made it to the top five.
In maintaining its perfect completion record at Le Mans, Glickenhaus Racing's #708 and #709 secured the sixth and seventh spots.
INTER EUROPOL CREATES LEGACY
#34 Oreca 07-Gibson | Inter Europol Competition | Jakub Smiechowski/Albert Costa/Fabio Scherer | 328 laps (10th overall)
The final hour of the race saw an exhilarating showdown between the leading #34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca-Gibson, driven by Fabio Scherer, and the #41 Team WRT car of Louis Deletraz. Despite the gap closing to a mere nine seconds in the final moments, Scherer successfully fended off Deletraz. This victory marked the first Le Mans and WEC win for a Polish team, Inter Europol Competition, following their debut podium finish at Spa-Francorchamps.
Robin Frijns hunted down the #30 Duqueine Racing entry in the final hour, looking set for a double podium finish for Team WRT. However, Neel Jani of Duqueine secured the French team's highest-ever Le Mans result in LMP2, along with teammates Rene Binder and Nicolas Pino.
CORVETTE’S INAUGURAL AM VICTORY
#33 Chevrolet Corvette C8.R | Corvette Racing | Nicky Catsburg/Ben Keating/Nicolas Varrone – 313 laps
After a challenging start, Corvette Racing celebrated its first LMGTE Am win at Le Mans. Ben Keating, Nicolas Varrone, and Nicky Catsburg overcame a damper issue to clinch victory, boosting their sizable WEC points lead in the process.
Keating marked his second successive Le Mans LMGTE Am win, having previously triumphed driving an Aston Martin, while Varrone became only the second Argentinian to win at La Sarthe. Meanwhile, the #33 Corvette became the first GTE Am polesitter to secure a podium finish at Le Mans.
A late skirmish with the Iron Dames Porsche led to ORT by TF Sport securing the second place, as Charlie Eastwood skillfully maneuvered past Rahel Frey’s Iron Dames Porsche 911 RSR-19 on the Mulsanne late in the race, a victory he shared with teammates Ahmed Al Harthy and Michael Dinan.
The GR Racing Porsche 911 RSR-19, driven by Mike Wainwright, Riccardo Pera, and Ben Barker, clinched the final spot on the podium, improving upon their fourth-place finish in 2022.
The Iron Dames team, comprising Rahel Frey, Michelle Gatting, and Sarah Bovy, took the fourth spot, followed by the #54 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE Evo, driven by Thomas Flohr, Francesco Castellacci, and Davide Rigon, in fifth.
Hendrick Motorsports celebrated a noteworthy finish with its Chevrolet Camaro ZL1 NASCAR, thanks to a near-perfect performance from Jenson Button, Jimmy Johnson, and Mike Rockenfeller. The all-American project managed to finish 39th overall, marking the second-best result in the Innovation category.
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Great to see Ferrari return to the winner's circle in WEC, after a long absence at the top level. Enzo would be very happy! The number of different cars and manufacturers, and the closer racing, are making the WEC more interesting than F1 now!
Maybe the Ferrari F1 team can learn from their WEC team, and stop making so many catastrophic blunders on the pit wall.