The victory of the Ferrari 499P n. 50 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024 revolves around a key episode that demonstrates what it really takes to win the Circuit de la Sarthe classic
June 17, 2024
TOlla 24 Hours of Le Mans unexpected events are always around the corner, and not all evils always come with a silver lining, if you manage to keep a cool head. The victory of the Ferrari 499P n.50 of Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina in the 2024 edition it arrived despite, or perhaps thanks to, a door problem suffered by the Red Hypercar around lunchtime.
LThe door on the side opposite the pilot’s had remained open after a previous stop, and Nicklas Nielsen, at that moment at the wheel of the Ferrari 499P n.50, was unable to remedy the problem on his own. The race director, Eduardo Freitas, thus forced Ferrari to return the prototype to the pits to close the door. La Rossa then called Nielsen back, and took the opportunity to top up the fuel.
At that point, Ferrari’s strategy for the 499P n.50 had to adapt to the contingencies. LThe most immediate option was to try to refuel one less time than the competition, extending the stint. Nielsen at that point had to produce in an energy management masterclass, assisted by the engineers, to reach the end of the race without seeing it run out.
MEnter Molina, moved to tears, was holding a piece of the suit of an equally emotional Fire, sitting next to him waiting interminably for the success they had been waiting for all their lives, Nielsen held his nerve. The percentage of available energy dropped more and more, and a mistake could have cost Nicklas the lead, given that José Maria Lopez, in the #7 Toyota GR010, was showing an unstoppable pace in the final stage of the race. He, who shouldn’t have even raced at Le Mans, and had taken over from the injured Mike Conway at the last minute, tried to put pressure on Nielsen, without succeeding.
We are used to thinking of Endurance as a competition linked to the tightness of components, but endurance racing also requires rexistence and mental stability, as well as flexibility. Rain, penalties, technical problems, cold tires without tyrewarmers in the freezing night of Le Mans: the Ferrari 499P n.50 had to face all this, to find itself in the leading positions when the going got tough.
“I think that if we were to find ourselves fighting in the top positions we would fight it out all the way. The important thing will be to stay there until the end, to try to give a boost like we did last year”, he said Antonello Coletta to our Emiliano Perucca Orfei on the eve of a 24 Hours of Le Mans that Ferrari faced as the outgoing winner, with the same ambitions as in 2023. And in more complex conditions than those of 12 months ago, the winning move has arrived again.
Among many manufacturers seeking glory, Ferrari placed two cars on the podium of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, including one on the top step. It is the best way to demonstrate the growth of a project which, with a BoP for the Circuit de la Sarthe classic less favorable than last year, but still not penalizing, is showing improvements in various areas, including tire management.
Toyotathe first house to embrace the Hypercar project, arrived in one maturity stage which could precede the inevitable decline of the top of the class. In addition to having been conceived at a time when the regulations for Hypercars were different from the current ones, the GR010 necessarily lower margins for improvement compared to the competition, given the longevity of the project. And the good news is that Ferrari seems ready to take advantage of it, even managing to transform inconveniences into opportunities.
