Ferrari wins historic (and chaotic) Le Mans

news7g06/12/2023

1 2 minutes read

Ferrari wins historic (and chaotic) Le Mans

There was a legendary Ferrari finish on the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The famous Italian company is struggling in Formula 1 until the 2023 season, but their all-new fleet of sports cars with the 499P hybrid prototype took home the biggest prize in the business after a match. fierce battle at the event in France.

It was the perfect comeback at Le Mans after a 50-year break and a repeat of Ferrari’s last victory in 1965.

There was a heart-pounding moment, less than an hour from the finish line, when the lead Ferrari failed to open fire after the final pit stop. But Alessandro Pier Guidi eventually let the car go and was greeted at the finish line by his colleagues James Calado and former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi.

“Thank you everyone. Forza Ferrari,” said Pier Guidi as he accepted the winner’s trophy.

“We did the right thing,” said Calado.

“It’s just special. We didn’t expect to be able to last 24 hours, but all the team did a great job. After 50 years, we’re back and we need to be really proud,” Giovinazzi said.

There’s something for everyone at Le Mans as all five major automakers vying for the grand Hypercar prize – Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot and Toyota – take the lead, respectively.

But Porsche and Peugeot were too slow from the start, Cadillac had a thunderous V8 that never shone, and Toyota made the mistake – after five consecutive non-combat victories – after overcoming its biggest challenge.

So the final order is Ferrari-Toyota-Cadillac, with the Ferrari second in fifth after a tough run from the top on the starting line.

“It’s a tough thing just to stay on track. We were too slow. From the beginning they were faster than us,” admits Toyota’s main driver, Sebastian Buemi.

“We did everything we could. No regrets.

Chevrolet, a major brand with a supporting role, has earned the GTE class for production sports cars and the thundering NASCAR V8 from the United States has won thousands of new fans as it successfully completed 24 races. hours with a driver lineup that includes former F1 World Champion Jenson Button.

The race was held in front of 400,000 sold-out spectators with all possible weather conditions, from over 30 degrees of sunshine to thunderstorms, ensuring it was a race of attrition. There were only three full Safety Car interventions after the crashes, but they cut more than three hours from the battle during the race.

“I have never seen so many incidents at the start of Le Mans before,” said Sebastian Buemi, a four-time champion, of Team Toyota.

The race is also the opening act for an even bigger event in 2024, when BMW, Lamborghini and Alpine will take on the new Hypercar competition at Le Mans and during the World Endurance Championship for Sports Cars. .