The 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans saw a close battle between Cadillac, Ferrari, Porsche and TOYOTA GAZOO Racing depending on traffic, slow zone timings and race incidents. It eventually ended with a second win in a row for Ferrari this time for #50 499P driven by Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina. Statistics’ll remember that the two AF Corse Ferrari teams have won the 24 Hours of Le Mans. P2 for Toyota #7 with Kamui Kobayashi, replacing driver « Pechito » Lopez and first time podium at Le Mans Nick De Vries. Podium for last year winners Pier Guidi, Giovinazzi and Calado.

Both Ferraris leading with 2 hours to go

Both Ferrari 499P pitted with 2hours 6’ left to change tires and refill as rain was starting.

As Ferrari 296 GT3 was pitting in front of the 499P #50, mechanics had to push the car in a 45° angle for it to exit the narrow pitting space.

Two Ferrari 499P on the podium

The #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P driven by Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina win the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours, round four of FIA WEC.

After the long caution early in the morning, Antonio Fuoco was lining up laps at qualifying pace to move up from 8th place to 4th when handing over to Nielsen who drove a superb final triple stint in treacherous conditions gaining a gap over the chasing pack crossing the line first with a 14.221 seconds margin.

Antonio Fuoco: « We were perfect all weekend, so I think we deserve this victory. It’s been a long wait since last year, so we can enjoy it thoroughly. The result is even better because we finished on the podium with the #51. The atmosphere here is always incredible, starting on the test day when you meet the fans with Ferrari flags. These aspects also provide extra motivation to give your best. Even during the race, at night, with the rain, it was lovely to see a big turnout from the public along the track, in the stands. It’s incredible how much passion you can experience. No words can capture this moment.The second factory Ferrari 499Ps #51 of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado are third making it a double podium for the Prancing Horse. »

Miguel Molina: « We worked hard to achieve this goal. We wanted this victory for a long time. We realised we had a chance to fight for victory, and we gave everything. I am delighted because it’s the best day of my sporting career! »

Nicklas Nielsen: « Fantastic! It really is a dream come true. The victory seemed very difficult for part of the race, even at the end, when we had a problem with the door. But then everything went well. I’m speechless. I’m very proud of everyone. The last lap was very long, impossible to imagine. I worried about avoiding any risks and getting to the finish line as quickly as possible. I just had to manage the lead. »

Alessandro Pier Guidi: « Once again, the Ferrari was the best car at Le Mans. We’ve shown how extraordinary this car is every time we’ve come here. I want to congratulate my teammates: they did an extraordinary job. Our race was tough, but we got on the podium in the end, so having two Ferraris on the podium is fantastic. In the same way, it’s extraordinary to win two years in a row. »

James Calado: « I’m extremely happy for Ferrari because they got another win at Le Mans for the second year in a row. It’s a fantastic result for the team. I’m very proud of the entire team and, obviously, of the #50 guys. They deserved this victory; they have been performing and focused throughout this week. From our point of view, it was a tough race. However, we are talking about a podium, which is still an excellent result. A first and a third place for Ferrari is not a bad way to end a day at Le Mans. »

Antonio Giovinazzi: «The biggest congratulations must go to Ferrari for winning at Le Mans two years in a row. We are a fantastic team that deserves everything we get at the moment. It’s a shame for us in the 51 because we could have done better. But it’s great this way. We took yet another podium after last year. Getting on that podium here is always a great feeling, especially after a race as long and difficult as this one, with the rain and constantly changing weather. This result allows us to get back into the fight for the championship, which is the most important thing to consider right now. And now all eyes are on the next race. »

Toyota Gazoo Racing #7 second

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing fell narrowly short of an unforgettable Le Mans 24 Hours victory after an epic battle in changing conditions delivered a hard-earned podium in the 92nd edition of the legendary event. Jose-Maria Lopez, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries at the wheel of Toyota Gazoo Racing #7 GR010 Hybrid Hypercar finished runner-up.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7): “Obviously it was a very tough race for us. We could have won but we had a few issues. It was not a smooth 24 hours for the #7 car, but the whole team did such a great job throughout a very tough week. It was a phenomenal race through 24 hours, with every manufacturer fighting non-stop. Everyone wants to win this race and we were very close. Such a close finish makes us hungry to come back stronger next year and we will do our best to achieve that. Thank you for all the support and hard work from TOYOTA GAZOO Racing in Japan and Germany. Thank you once again to Morizo san as well. He has supported us a lot since we found out about Mike’s injury and all through the week. We fight together with Morizo san as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and we will get strong next year.”

José María López (Driver, car #7): “I would like to thank everyone in the team in Japan and Cologne for their hard work and the trust they showed to give me this chance. Thanks to Kamui and Nyck, who did an amazing job, as did the mechanics and engineers. It was a rollercoaster of emotions for me, starting from 10 days ago when Mike got injured and I took his place. I was happy be here but also sad for him. Then the race was simply the hardest one I ever experienced, with the weather, having to start from last and losing time with slow zones, punctures and other issues. We always managed to come back, and we showed our strong spirit. I am proud of everyone for that. It is an emotional day for me because I don’t know when I might have another chance to compete for the win overall.”

Nyck de Vries (Driver, car #7): “First of all, I would like to thank Séb, Brendon and the whole team for their endless work and great efforts through this extremely tough Le Mans 24 Hours. It was an incredible race, with such close competition in such difficult conditions. It feels like we were so close yet so far to achieving our target. Nevertheless, it was a strong performance from the whole team, and we finished on the podium, which is a special moment for my first Le Mans with TOYOTA GAZOO Racing.” Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing

Porsche #6 fourth

Polesitter Kévin Estre, André Lotterer and Laurens Vanthoor battled for a spot on the podium until the end in the #6 car. At the flag, the best-placed works-run Porsche 963 was a mere 1.167 seconds off third place.

Kévin Estre (Porsche 963 #6): “Fourth place and missing out on the podium by just one second – that’s not the result we were aiming for. We were in it to win and drove a good race with just one mistake in tyre choice in the early stages. While we fought our way back up the order, in the end, we couldn’t find the pace we needed to be in contention for overall victory. We must keep learning and come back stronger next year.” Source: Porsche

Toyota #8 fifth

Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa led the race for large stages but were denied a chance at victory when their #8 GR010 HYBRID was pushed into a spin with two hours remaining. The reigning World Champions finished fifth after a gallant effort.

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8): “I am a bit disappointed to finish fifth to be honest. We were leading the race for a long time and without the incident late on I think we could have won. We had strong pace and didn’t make any mistakes so it’s frustrating how it turned out. The team did a great job, Brendon and Ryo drove really well and the engineers made the right strategy calls, so I think we performed well. Now we just have to work hard for the next race in Brazil.”
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “For the fans it was a beautiful race, but it was heartbreaking for us at the end. We were in a position to win for quite a lot of the race. We lost some ground in one of the safety car periods but fought back to second, challenging for the lead before I got pushed off. That basically put us out of the fight for the win in the last couple of hours. It feels like the victory just slipped away from us. I am happy for the team that we got one car on the podium after all the hard work from everyone to get the result here. We just fell a bit short, and it is going to take a few days to get over the emotions.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8): “I don’t know what to say. We fought together and we did everything we could do in such difficult conditions. We worked so hard all week and we really wanted to avenge last year’s defeat. We had a chance, but we didn’t quite have enough luck. It’s disappointing, especially because we were at the front for so long and we really pushed hard. We need to stay strong, switch focus to the rest of the season and try to bounce back. We will come back stronger.” Source: Toyota Gazoo Racing

Porsche #5 sixth

Porsche Penske Motorsport’s sister car shared by Matt Campbell, Michael Christensen and Frédéric Makowiecki lost touch with the leading pack during the night, with the #5 finally crossing the finish line in sixth.

Michael Christensen (Porsche 963 #5): “That was a tough race. We made a lot of good strategic decisions, but we made a bad mistake at the midway mark. We stayed out too long on slicks when there was too much water on the track. At the same time, we must recognise how strong our rivals were. Our performance was better than last year but there are still some areas where we need to improve.” Source: Porsche

Cadillac Racing seventh

WEC full-season teammates Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn, complemented by two-time IndyCar champion Alex Palou, place the #2 Cadillac V-Series.R seventh after leading 61 laps out of the 311 laps total. "We led the race for long periods of time. Ultimately, didn’t swing in our favor with the weather at the end. But that’s sort of Le Mans and racing," Bamber said. "We can be proud as a program about what we’ve achieved, how much we’ve gone forward. Now we just need a result to show for it. Other than that, I think we’ve made big leaps and bounds forward.”

Earl Bamber: “We definitely came here much more prepared than last year. We ticked all the boxes that we wanted to improve on. We led the race for long periods of time. Ultimately, didn’t swing in our favor with the weather at the end. But that’s sort of Le Mans and racing. We can be proud as a program about what we’ve achieved, how much we’ve gone forward. Now we just need a result to show for it. Other than that, I think we’ve made big leaps and bounds forward.”

Alex Lynn: “We absolutely gave it our everything all week. It’s been a close fight, led a lot of laps and Ferrari and Toyota coming out just a little better than us similar to last year. We’ll regroup and go again. I’m proud of the efforts of everybody at Cadillac, Chip Ganassi Racing and those who support us.”

Alex Palou: "It was a lot of fun till the end just because of that hope of trying to get the win but failing at the end. It was a great experience the first time doing Le Mans with Cadillac. I learned a lot and looking forward to the next one. (night stint) It was actually the first time I drove in the rain at night. It was a first time for many things this year.” Source: Cadillac Racing