Buemi in second place: Ferrari wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans

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100 years after the premiere of the classic, Ferrari wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its return. After an absence of 50 years, the Italians Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi with the Briton James Calado deliver victory for the Italian manufacturer at the 91st edition.

With the victory, Ferrari ended a long winning streak for Toyota, the Japanese had won the last five races on the 13.6 km long traditional French circuit. Defending champions Sébastien Buemi, Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley have to settle for second place. Three-time Le Mans winner Andre Lotterer finished eleventh in a Porsche with Frenchman Kevin Estre and Belgian Laurens Vanthoor.

tight race

The two leading cars were rarely more than 20 seconds apart, after which Toyota lost significant time when Hirakawa underbraked and crashed into a side barrier. 20 minutes before the end, the Ferrari did not start at the last pit stop, the lead shrunk to less than a minute – but it was enough.

300,000 fans followed the spectacle along the course, more than a third of the 62 entered cars failed to finish at the Grand Prix d’Endurance les 24 Heures du Mans. American basketball player LeBron James (38) waved the French flag on Saturday at the start of the 100th anniversary of the cult race. The premiere took place in May 1923. (AFP/mbi)

Source : Blick