There is an end to the Ferrari story on the 100th anniversary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
The famous Italian company is struggling in Formula 1 until the 2023 season, but its all-new sports car squad with the 499P hybrid prototype delivered the biggest prize in the business after a great upset at the French event.
It was a perfect return to Le Mans after a 50-year hiatus and a repeat of Ferrari’s last victory in 1965.
There was one heartbreaking moment, less than an hour from the finish, when the leading Ferrari failed to fire after his final pit. But Alessandro Pier Guidi eventually kept the car going and was greeted at the finish by his co-driver James Calado and ex-F1 racer Antonio Giovinazzi.
“Thank you all. Forza Ferrari,” said Pier Guidi as he received his winner’s trophy.
“We really did,” Calado said.
“It’s just special. We didn’t expect to last 24 hours, but all the teams did a great job. After 50 years it is back, and we should be really proud,” said Giovinazzi.
There is something for everyone at Le Mans as all five major automakers competing for the big Hypercar prize – Ferrari, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot and Toyota – take turns at the front.
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Category winning Oreca
But Porsche and Peugeot were too slow from the start, Cadillac had V8 thunder but never stardom, and Toyota made a mistake – following five straight wins without competing – after launching its biggest challenge.
So the final finishing order was Ferrari-Toyota-Cadillac, with the second Ferrari fifth after a troubled run from the top spot on the starting grid.
“It’s hard to stay on track. We are too late. They were faster than us from the start,” said Toyota’s lead driver, Sebastian Buemi.
“We are doing everything we can. No solution.”
Chevrolet, a big brand with a supporting role, won the GTE class for production-based sports cars and NASCAR V8 from the United States won thousands of new fans as it successfully completed the 24-hour grind with a line-up of drivers including the former. F1 world champion Jenson Button.
The race was run in front of a sell-out crowd of 400,000 with every possible weather condition, from 30-plus sunshine to thunderstorms, ensuring it was a race of attrition. There were only three full Car Safety interventions after the accident, but it was trimmed more than three hours from the battle of the race.
“I’ve never seen so many incidents at the start of Le Mans before,” said four-time winner Sebastian Buemi of the Toyota team.
The race is also a curtain-raiser to a bigger event in 2024, when BMW, Lamborghini and Alpine will participate in the new Hypercar competition at Le Mans and in the World Endurance Championship for sports cars.
Verdict: 2023 Le Mans 24 Hours
- Ferrari 499P
- Toyota GR010
- Cadillac V-Series R
- Cadillac V-Series R
- Ferrari 499P
- Glickenhaus 007
- Glickenhaus 007
- Peugeot 9X8
- Porsche 963
- Oreca 07 (class winner)