Ferrari won the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the Ferrari 499p #50 by AF Corse by Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco and Nicklas Nielsen who crossed the finish line ahead of the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota of Jose Maria Lopez. Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries Third place went to the sister Ferrari #51 Ferrari of Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi. This is the second consecutive victory after last year.
Second consecutive victory for Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Almost out of fuel and on a wet track, the Dane Nicklas Nielsen took the checkered flag aboard the Ferrari hypercar number 50 499P shared with the Italian Antonio Fuoco and the Spaniard Miguel Molina after completing 311 laps on the Sarthe circuit. Upon arrival, the car’s fuel gauge read about 2 percent.
All three drivers of car 50 were overall winners for the first time, but the result remained open until the end in a race with a safety car period lasting more than four hours overnight. “We’ve been waiting for this moment for a year,” said Fuoco, who took the pole last year but finished fifth. “In the end we won and we are just delighted.”
The crucial moment of the race occurred 42 minutes from the end, on lap 300, when the Toyota #7 and the Ferrari #51, occupying the first and second positions respectively, made the pit stop for refueling, both having the 30th % of fuel. This leaves the #50 Ferrari leading the race with 83% virtual energy in the tank.
The last 20 minutes were full of tension, with the Ferrari #50 which maintains the lead with 44 percent energy, followed by Toyota #7 with 56 percent and a gap of 32 seconds, while a storm rages. The rain proves to be an ally in fuel management for the Ferrari #50, driven by the Danish Nielsen, who receives reassurances from his team on the situation. The young driver demonstrates great skill in controlling his car and takes it to the finish line with 2 percent of virtual energy remaining.
