Ferrari did it again! Twelve months after winning the centenary edition of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Italian manufacturer and its AF Corse partner collected their second consecutive victory in a thrilling edition of the endurance classic.
Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina, and Antonio Fuoco onboard their team’s #50 entry delivered to Ferrari its 11th overall triumph in the blue riband sportscar race after a climactic epilogue.
The crew narrowly defeated the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid of Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez while Ferrari #51’s defending winners Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi completed the podium.
In a race that turned into a war of attrition against the elements from the outset, cold weather and interspersed downpours spread around the track made life very difficult for all teams as they battled through their tyre choices.
Several high-profile entries succumbed to the harsh conditions, including both Alpine Hypercars and the #46 Team WRT LMGT3, which featured motorcycle legend Valentino Rossi in its driver lineup.
Even when the rain subsided, respite was short-lived. The racing line dried quickly, creating an additional obstacle as slower cars were forced to maneuver off the line to allow faster competitors to pass.
This constant give-and-take added another layer of complexity to the already demanding race.
But early in the morning, track conditions and drastically reduced visibility necessitated a four-and-a half-hour safety car intervention that neutralized proceedings for the longest period in the event’s history.
©WEC/DPPI
As dawn broke, the #8 Toyota emerged as the leader, the Japanese contender taking command of the field when the green flag was deployed and the racing resumed after 8:30 am.
With teams employing a wide range of strategies throughout the race, the true running order remained unclear until the very final flurry of pit stops.
Out on the track, the drama ramped up when the #8 Toyota, a strong contender for victory, was spun by the #51 Ferrari, last year's winning car.
The clash effectively dashed the #8 car’s hopes while its attacking Ferrari rival was hit with a five-second time penalty that virtually also ended its victory bid.
©Ferrari
Up ahead, things also got hectic for the leaders. Nielsen assumed a brilliant final triple stint, but panic ensued in the penultimate hour when the Dane was forced to make an early pitstop to fix a recalcitrant door-latch on the #50 Ferrari.
Lopez pulled out the stops on-board the #7 Toyota to hunt down Nielsen, but the Argentinian, caught out by the still tricky conditions, suffered a brief spin at the Dunlop curve that put the leading Ferrari out of reach.
But due to his early pitstop, Nielsen was marginal on fuel. However, the #50 Ferrari 499P was able to make it to the checkered flag safe and sound, with a 14s margin over Lopez’s Toyota.
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