Ferrari repeated final yr’s victory within the Le Mans 24 Hours in a race of ever-changing fortunes in combined situations.
The quantity 50 automotive, sister machine to final yr’s race-winner, took the chequered flag 14 seconds forward of the quantity seven Toyota. Nicklas Nielsen, who shared his automotive with Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, drove a carefully-managed ultimate stint in worsening situations to eke out his power because the quantity seven Toyota closed in.
Jose Maria Lopez, who was drafted in alongside Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries as a late substitute for the injured Mike Conway, was advised to again off within the ultimate half hour. However he pressed on in pursuit of Nielsen, greater than halving the hole between them as Nielsen crossed the road with simply 2% of his power remaining.
Ferrari’s hopes suffered a double blow shortly after the 22-hour mark, at which level their manufacturing facility automobiles held the highest two locations. First Alessandro Pier Guidi within the second-place quantity 51 automotive was handed by Lopez within the quantity seven Toyota.
Then the race director warned the race-leading 499P it needed to take motion over its unfastened right-hand door. The workforce urged Nielsen to strive every little thing to shut it, realizing he could be summoned into the pits if he couldn’t. Race director Eduardo Freitas took a number of laps to difficulty his warning, and although Ferrari finally succumbed to the inevitable and introduced Nielsen in, the timing of his early pit cease compromised them lower than it may need finished.
That left Nielsen out of sync with the remaining leaders because the laps ticked down. However a delay for Brendon Hartley within the sister quantity eight Toyota, knocked right into a spin by Pier Guidi’s Ferrari at Mulsanne, price it nicely over half a minute, and left Ferrari with solely one among their Japanese rivals to fret about. Pier Guidi was penalised 5 seconds for the contact.
Automobile 50 made its ultimate pit cease with 50 minutes remaining. With the monitor damp and drying at this stage, Nielsen’s probabilities of successful appeared slim. However extra rain arrived, and with it power consumption fell, taking part in into their arms.
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In the meantime the quantity seven Toyota was dropping time. A spin on the first chicane and a lack of energy delayed Lopez’s pursuit. Though his final pit cease left him with all the ability he wanted, he struggled to convey the Ferrari’s lead down because the situations worsened once more. With 17 minutes remaining, Toyota advised him to focus on bringing the automotive residence.
The pole-winning quantity six Penske Porsche got here fourth, with the delayed quantity eight Toyota separating it from the quantity 5 machine. The variety of Penske Porsche ended its race within the Indianapolis barrier when Felipe Nasr spun out on a drying monitor within the seventeenth hour.
Cadillac hit hassle within the race’s 18th hour. First Scott Dixon got here to a cease on the Mulsanne straight and needed to crawl again to the pits utilizing electrical energy. Quickly afterwards the quantity 311 Whelen Cadillac was delayed by a crash. The quantity two V-Collection.R got here in seventh, adopted by the 2 Jota Porsches.
The primary 9 Hypercars residence all accomplished 311 laps. The Lamborghinis and Peugeots occupied the subsequent 4 locations, two laps behind.
Whereas the manufacturing facility Ferraris completed on the rostrum, the AF Corse-run quantity 83 buyer machine put up a powerful problem within the early levels. It was nonetheless in competition when it was compelled to cease within the pits with lower than 4 hours remaining. A smart move to take gentle tyres earlier than an early, mild rain bathe helped Robert Kubica pull out a 20-second lead.
Nonetheless their trigger was derailed when Kubica tangled with Dries Vanthoor’s BMW on the Mulsanne straight, sending the quantity 15 automotive right into a barrier and out of the race. Apart from triggering a Security Automobile interval for barrier repairs which lasted over an hour and a half (throughout which era a canine was chased from the monitor), Kubica additionally incurred a stop-go penalty which dropped their automotive out of the lead.
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The automotive’s race got here to an finish shortly after Robert Shwartzman was handed by Buemi’s Toyota. Thick smoke poured from the entrance wheels because it got here to a cease and the automotive was quickly pushed again into the Ferrari storage, by no means to re-emerge.
BMW confirmed Vanthoor was unhurt within the crash. His retirement compounded a tricky race for the marque, Robin Frijns having already suffered a crash within the quantity 20 machine when the race was simply two hours previous. Each Alpines retired earlier than quarter-distance with engine hassle.
United Autosports received the LMP2 class with Oliver Jarvis, Bijoy Garg and Nolan Siegel, and Manthey’s Porsche 911 triumphed within the LMGT3 class with Yasser Shahin, Morris Schuring and Richard Lietz.
The Security Automobile made a number of appearances in the course of the race, together with a chronic, four-hour deployment throughout sustained rainfall in a single day. The 311 laps accomplished by the winners is 31 lower than final yr.
Race end result
Pos
No.
Class
Group
Automobile
Drivers
Laps
1
50
Hypercar
Ferrari AF Corse
Ferrari 499P
Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen
Ferrari 499P
2
7
Hypercar
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Toyota GR010
Jose Maria Lopez/Kamui Kobayashi/Nyck de Vries
Toyota GR010 – Hybrid
3
51
Hypercar
Ferrari AF Corse
Ferrari 499P
Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi
Ferrari 499P
4
6
Hypercar
Porsche Penske Motorsport
Porsche 963
Kevin Estre/Andre Lotterer/Laurens Vanthoor
Porsche 963
5
8
Hypercar
Toyota Gazoo Racing
Toyota GR010
Sebastien Buemi/Brendon Hartley/Ryo Hirakawa
Toyota GR010 – Hybrid
6
5
Hypercar
Porsche Penske Motorsport
Porsche 963
Matt Campbell/Michael Christensen/Frederic Makowiecki
Porsche 963
7
2
Hypercar
Cadillac Racing
Cadillac V-Collection.R
Earl Bamber/Alex Lynn/Alex Palou
Cadillac V-Collection.R
8
12
Hypercar
Group Jota
Porsche 963
Will Stevens/Callum Ilott/Norman Nato
Porsche 963
9
38
Hypercar
Group Jota
Porsche 963
Jenson Button/Philip Hanson/Oliver Rasmussen
Porsche 963
10
63
Hypercar
Lamborghini Iron Lynx
Lamborghini SC63
Mirko Bortolotti/Edoardo Mortara/Daniil Kvyat
Lamborghini SC63
11
94
Hypercar
Peugeot
Peugeot 9X8
Paul di Resta/Loic Duval/Stoffel Vandoorne
Peugeot 9X8
12
93
Hypercar
Peugeot
Peugeot 9X8
Mikkel Jensen/Nico Mueller/Jean-Eric Vergne
Peugeot 9X8
13
19
Hypercar
Lamborghini Iron Lynx
Lamborghini SC63
Romain Grosjean/Andrea Caldarelli/Matteo Cairoli
Lamborghini SC63
14
11
Hypercar
Isotta Fraschini
Isotta Fraschini Tipo6-C
Antonio Serravalle/Carl Wattana Bennett/Jean-Karl Vernay
Isotta Fraschini Tipo6-C
15
22
LMP2
United Autosports
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Oliver Jarvis/Bijoy Garg/Nolan Siegel
Oreca 07 – Gibson
16
34
LMP2
Inter Europol Competitors
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Jakub Smiechowski/Vladislav Lomko/Clément Novalak
Oreca 07 – Gibson
17
28
LMP2
IDEC Sport
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Paul Lafargue/Job van Uitert/Reshad de Gerus
Oreca 07 – Gibson
18
183
LMP2
AF Corse
Oreca 07 – Gibson
François Perrodo/Ben Barnicoat/Nicolas Varrone
Oreca 07 – Gibson
19
10
LMP2
Vector Sport
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Ryan Cullen/Patrick Pilet/Stephane Richelmi
Oreca 07 – Gibson
20
14
LMP2
AO by TF
Oreca 07 – Gibson
PJ Hyett/Louis Delétraz/Alex Quinn
Oreca 07 – Gibson
21
33
LMP2
DKR Engineering
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Alexander Mattschull/Rene Binder/Laurents Horr
Oreca 07 – Gibson
22
25
LMP2
Algarve Professional Racing
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Matthias Kaiser/Olli Caldwell/Roman De Angelis
Oreca 07 – Gibson
23
65
LMP2
Panis Racing
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Rodrigo Gross sales/Mathias Beche/Scott Huffaker
Oreca 07 – Gibson
24
47
LMP2
Cool Racing
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Naveen Rao/Matthew Bell/Frederik Vesti
Oreca 07 – Gibson
25
24
LMP2
Nielsen Racing
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Fabio Scherer/David Heinemeier Hansson/Kyffin Simpson
Oreca 07 – Gibson
26
37
LMP2
Cool Racing
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Lorenzo Fluxa/Malthe Jakobsen/Ritomo Miyata
Oreca 07 – Gibson
27
91
LMGT3
Manthey Ema
Porsche 911 GT3 R
Yasser Shahin/Morris Schuring/Richard Lietz
Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
28
31
LMGT3
Group WRT
BMW M4
Darren Leung/Sean Gelael/Augusto Farfus
BMW M4 LMGT3
29
311
Hypercar
Whelen Cadillac Racing
Cadillac V-Collection.R
Luis Felipe Derani/Jack Aitken/Felipe Drugovich
Cadillac V-Collection.R
30
88
LMGT3
Proton Competitors
Ford Mustang
Giorgio Roda/Mikkel Pedersen/Dennis Olsen
Ford Mustang LMGT3
31
44
LMGT3
Proton Competitors
Ford Mustang
Ryan Hardwick/Zacharie Robichon/Ben Barker
Ford Mustang LMGT3
32
85
LMGT3
Iron Dames
Lamborghini Huracan Evo2
Sarah Bovy/Doriane Pin/Michelle Gatting
Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2
33
55
LMGT3
Vista AF Corse
Ferrari 296
Francois Heriau/Simon Mann/Alessio Rovera
Ferrari 296 LMGT3
34
78
LMGT3
Akkodis Asp Group
Lexus RC F
Arnold Robin/Timur Boguslavskiy/Kelvin Van Der Linde
Lexus RC F LMGT3
35
155
LMGT3
Spirit of Race
Ferrari 296
Johnny Laursen/Conrad Laursen/Jordan Taylor
Ferrari 296 LMGT3
36
777
LMGT3
D’Station Racing
Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Clement Mateu/Erwan Bastard/Marco Sorensen
Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3
37
87
LMGT3
Akkodis Asp Group
Lexus RC F
Takeshi Kimura/Esteban Masson/
Lexus RC F LMGT3
38
82
LMGT3
TF Sport
Corvette Z06.R
Hiroshi Koizumi/Sebastien Baud/Daniel Juncadella
Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
39
86
LMGT3
GR Racing
Ferrari 296
Michael Wainwright/Daniel Serra/Riccardo Pera
Ferrari 296 LMGT3
40
70
LMGT3
Inception Racing
McLaren 720S Evo
Brendan Iribe/Ollie Millroy/Frederik Schandorff
McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
41
92
LMGT3
Manthey Purerxcing
Porsche 911 GT3 R
Aliaksandr Malykhin/Joel Sturm/Klaus Bachler
Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3
42
23
LMP2
United Autosports
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Ben Keating/Filipe Albuquerque/Ben Hanley
Oreca 07 – Gibson
43
81
LMGT3
TF Sport
Corvette Z06.R
Tom Van Rompuy/Rui Andrade/Charlie Eastwood
Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R
44
60
LMGT3
Iron Lynx
Lamborghini Huracan Evo2
Claudio Schiavoni/Matteo Cressoni/Franck Perera
Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2
45
99
Hypercar
Proton Competitors
Porsche 963
Harry Tincknell/Neel Jani/Julien Andlauer
Porsche 963
46
77
LMGT3
Proton Competitors
Ford Mustang
Ryan Hardwick/Zacharie Robichon/Ben Barker
Ford Mustang LMGT3
47
20
Hypercar
Bmw M Group WRT
BMW M Hybrid V8
Sheldon Van Der Linde/Robin Frijns/Rene Rast
BMW M HYBRID V8
48
83
Hypercar
AF Corse
Ferrari 499P
Robert Kubica/Robert Shwartzman/Yifei Ye
Ferrari 499P
49
3
Hypercar
Cadillac Racing
Cadillac V-Collection.R
Sebastien Bourdais/Renger van der Zande/Scott Dixon
Cadillac V-Collection.R
50
59
LMGT3
United Autosports
McLaren 720S Evo
James Cottingham/Nicolas Costa/Gregoire Saucy
McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
51
95
LMGT3
United Autosports
McLaren 720S Evo
Joshua Caygill/Nicolas Pino/Marino Sato
McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo
52
4
Hypercar
Porsche Penske Motorsport
Porsche 963
Mathieu Jaminet/Felipe Nasr/Nick Tandy
Porsche 963
53
27
LMGT3
Coronary heart Of Racing Group
Aston Martin Vantage AMR
Ian James/Daniel Mancinelli/Alex Riberas
Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3
54
45
LMP2
Crowdstrike Racing by APR
Oreca 07 – Gibson
George Kurtz/Colin Braun/Nicky Catsburg
Oreca 07 – Gibson
55
66
LMGT3
JMW Motorsport
Ferrari 296
Giacomo Petrobelli/Larry ten Voorde/Salih Yoluc
Ferrari 296 LMGT3
56
30
LMP2
Duqueine Group
Oreca 07 – Gibson
John Falb/James Allen/Jean-Baptiste Simmenauer
Oreca 07 – Gibson
57
46
LMGT3
Group WRT
BMW M4
Ahmad Al Harthy/Valentino Rossi/Maxime Martin
BMW M4 LMGT3
58
15
Hypercar
Bmw M Group WRT
BMW M Hybrid V8
Dries Vanthoor/Raffaele Marciello/Marco Wittmann
BMW M HYBRID V8
59
36
Hypercar
Alpine Endurance Group
Alpine A424
Nicolas Lapierre/Mick Schumacher/Matthieu Vaxiviere
Alpine A424
60
9
LMP2
Proton Competitors
Oreca 07 – Gibson
Jonas Ried/Maceo Capietto/Bent Viscaal
Oreca 07 – Gibson
61
35
Hypercar
Alpine Endurance Group
Alpine A424
Paul-Loup Chatin/Ferdinand Habsburg/Charles Milesi
Alpine A424
62
54
LMGT3
Vista AF Corse
Ferrari 296
Thomas Flohr/Francesco Castellacci/Davide Rigon
Ferrari 296 LMGT3
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