The Ferrari of Italian driver Antonio Fuoco, who led the 24 hours of Le Mans two hours from the finish, on June 16, 2024 on the Sarthe circuit (AFP / GUILLAUME SOUVANT)
Two hours before the finish of an incredibly competitive edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari was once again leading the way, but the battle was far from over with Toyota, Cadillac and Porsche.
After 22 hours of racing, nine cars representing four different manufacturers were still on the same lap. Proof if any were needed of the success of the new queen category of world endurance, the “Hypercars”, governed by a system of balancing performances between prototypes often criticized for its opacity but perfectly designed to provide spectacle.
Since the start on Saturday given at 4:00 p.m. by Zinédine Zidane, in front of a crowd of tens of thousands of enthusiasts, four brands have taken turns in the lead. Ferrari, winner of last year’s centenary edition, led the way for the first six hours, but was never able to overtake its rivals.
Porsche, then Toyota, then shared the lead laps with the Maranello prototypes, thanks to pit stops and strategic choices of the moment.
At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday morning, the third outing of the safety car, prompted by the spectacular accident of an LMGT3 (lower category), put things back on track. All the cars on the lead lap were grouped together, and the restart looked like a new start, for a five and a half hour battle to the checkered flag.
– Six hours of “safety car” –
Seven Hypercars found themselves in the fight: two Toyotas, two Ferraris, two Porsches and a Cadillac. How can we summarize the incessant back-and-forth that followed? The four brands took turns taking command. Without ever giving yourself more than a few seconds head start.
A Ferrari, the yellow N.83 of the unofficial AF Corse team, died after emitting thick smoke during a pit stop.
At the 2:00 p.m. check-in, the Ferrari N.50 driven by the Italian Antonio Fuoco, the Spaniard Miguel Molina and the Dane Nicklas Nielsen was ahead of its sister car N.51, last year’s winner, a Toyota by around 25 seconds. and a Cadillac five seconds further.
No one in the paddock would have dared to give a prediction. Especially since the rain, predicted for the end of the race, was still likely to wreak havoc.
The only downside is the more than six hours spent in total behind the safety car: more than a quarter of the race! The management’s decision to neutralize the event for more than four hours last night due to heavy rain may have surprised, and disappointed, fans used to seeing fights in the rain at Le Mans.
– Alpine and Rossi disappointed –
But the drivers seemed to have enjoyed it: “It was way too wet and I think it was the right decision to have the safety car,” commented Peugeot driver Stoffel Vandoorne on Sunday morning.
“If we had restarted the race earlier, we knew that in the space of two laps, there would be another accident, people crashing into each other because the visibility on the straights did not allow us to see anything. so be it,” added the Belgian.
The other two “safety car” procedures were caused by accidents.
Some will leave Le Mans disappointed, like Alpine. The French team had stated the objective – reasonable – of finishing the race. But its two prototypes were the first Hypercars to abandon, before 10:30 p.m., visibly victims of an engine problem.
Same disappointment for Italian motorcycle star Valentino Rossi, who had to capitulate after his teammate went off the track at the wheel of their BMW, then in the Top 5 in the lower LMGT3 category.