
One year later, the colors of the 24 Hours of Le Mans are once again Ferrari Red, with the 499P taking a second consecutive victory in another thrilling race that kept everyone on edge until the checkered flag.
The fourth event of the FIA World Endurance Championship delivered endless excitement on a Circuit de la Sarthe made treacherous by rain that shuffled the deck throughout the night and the final part of the race, along with incredible incidents.
The last scare for Maranello occurred less than two hours from the end, when Nielsen’s 499P was called into the pits to close the right door, which had remained open after the penultimate stop. This put the Dane in a position to push and then make a very quick energy refill at the end, where the masterpiece was realized.
The young talent from the Ferrari lineup, already a Ferrari Challenge Champion, managed a seemingly compromised situation excellently, finding himself ahead of the Toyota #7 of Lopez/Kobayashi/De Vries again, with the Argentine at the wheel making a series of costly errors.
But the applause is well deserved for Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina, who have long suffered the torments of hell, often being the fastest and never rewarded as they could or should have been since the beginning of last year.
For Toyota, there remains the regret of having played evenly once again, finishing 14.2 seconds behind the winners with a GR010 Hybrid that proved to be competitive in all conditions, if put in the right conditions, which was not the case in the early races of 2024. Ferrari completes the podium with the 499P #51 of Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi, the outgoing Le Mans Champions, in a handover that couldn’t have been better for them and the Prancing Horse, also tenacious in a race that long seemed uphill.
The President of the Prancing Horse, John Elkann, commented on Ferrari’s eleventh victory in the top class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans: “Our first and third place at Le Mans are a testament to how teamwork can make extraordinary achievements possible. For this, I want to thank everyone – our drivers, engineers, and mechanics – who, during these very tough 24 hours, showed courage and great tenacity. I am happy that between last year and this year, all our drivers have won at Le Mans – and with them, all of Ferrari. Only a team so united and determined could achieve this historic milestone.” – John Elkann said.
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