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There was no stopping after the race: the parade lap had just been completed when fans stormed the pit lane with flags after the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (F). For 50 years Ferrari has adorned itself and stayed out of the high-end prototypes. Just in time for the 100th anniversary of what was arguably the world’s toughest long-distance race on June 10 and 11, Scuderia returned in 2023 and immediately took the championship.
This ended the five-year supremacy of Toyota factory team Gazoo Racing – since 2018 it has always been a question of which of the hybrid Toyotas will ultimately top the podium, with no real competition in the prototype category. Boredom has begun at the drama queen of motorsport events.
Drama queen of auto racing
Even if rally or Formula 1 doesn’t scare you, racing in the middle of nowhere in France is valuable to your heart. Since 1923, the weekend turns night into day in the countryside. More than half a million people fill the route each year. The heat, the repeatedly moody weather, and the extreme stress on man and machine have caused the race to take wild turns over and over again. Until Toyota shattered the crown on the impressive but predictable 13.6km track for years.
With Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche returning from the factory and ambitious special teams like Glickenhaus or Floyd Vanwall, Toyota has finally felt real pressure in the so-called hypercar class this year. And how: With lap times of under 3:23 minutes, Ferrari took starting positions 1 and 2 in qualifying with two 499P hybrid cars starting 50 and 51.
crashing in the rain
Victory with the Annunciation? Of course Ferrari had hoped so – what a story that would be! But for the first ten hours from the start, it didn’t look that way at all. The sudden downpours turned the dust on the asphalt into mild soap. A sensible tire strategy was impossible – it was pouring rain at one end of the track and the sun was setting at the other. Rows of cars desperately crashed into barriers and even into escape areas. For two of the first four hours, the area behind the safety car did laps at a slow pace until things got better again. Even Ferrari’s number 51 got it. Of the 62 cars that started, only 40 made it to the finish – luckily no one was injured.
Throughout the night, the Swiss drivers threw out the trumps. In the #94 Peugeot Hypercar 9X8, Thun’s Nico Müller (31) pressured and held the lead for about four hours. Shortly after the driver passed to teammate Gustavo Menezes, 28, he pushed the Peugeot into the crash barrier, smashed the right-hand side and entered the pit lane for repairs with the front wheel locked. from the dream.
In the second strongest class, LMP2, Engelberg’s Fabio Scherer (23) battled for the lead for Polish team Inter Europol Contest and brought them to the finish line alongside Albert Costa (33, Sp) and Jakub Smiechowski (31). , Pol). He gritted his teeth: Just at the start, a car drove over his left foot in the pit lane. Rahel Frey (37) of Niederbipp AG took the lead in the GTE class for the Iron Dames team overnight: the female-only Porsche 911 RSR, which ironically stands for pink, was still only ungrateful fourth. Put it in a sunny spot in the classroom.
printing, causing errors
From dawn, Toyota’s number 8 and Ferrari’s number 51 finally fought for victory. While lap times were slightly faster, the 499P failed to gain a decisive advantage. But Ferrari’s way was paved when Toyota driver Ryo Hirakawa (29, Japan) entered the Arnage corner too fast and spun in the last few hours: first overall Ferrari victory in 58 years for Alessandro Pier Guidi (39, He) , James Calado (29, Gb) and Antonio Giovinazzi (33, It). Buemi and his teammates Hirakawa and New Zealander Brendon Hartley (33) finished second. Nico Müller still managed to take 27th place at Peugeot after repair breaks.
Ferrari’s secret of victory? Pressure, Giovinazzi, with sensational sequencing time and then wait until Toyota makes a mistake. The strategy worked: The first Toyota had already broken down by nightfall. Kamui Kobayashi (36, Japanese) was involved in a four-wheeled accident in the rain and had the option of driving towards an opponent or a gang. He chose the latter and then failed to start Toyota. At the team principal’s request, Hirakawa took too many risks in the last hour and Toyota’s luck ran out. It might have been enough for Toyota if the Japanese driver didn’t brake too hard: Soon after, Ferrari spent almost 90 seconds at the last pit stop with starting problems.
It will be even more severe in 2024
The competitive pressure is likely to intensify as early as 2024: GT3 cars will now be allowed instead of the GTE AM class: This means dedicated teams with a relatively small budget can come in and provide a full runway – Ford has already announced it will be featured with the Mustang GT3. In addition, the LMP2 class will be canceled. In the future, there will be only one class of prototypes, hypercars with tightly regulated hybrid drives.
This should bring teams closer together and attract newcomers: Alpine, BMW and Lamborghini will be in the hypercar class from 2024. Where else better to test operating strategies and battery management for mass-produced electric drives than driving in circles around the clock? And after all, fame and a good story are up for grabs, as in the Ferrari case.
Source: Blick
I’m Ella Sammie, author specializing in the Technology sector. I have been writing for 24 Instatnt News since 2020, and am passionate about staying up to date with the latest developments in this ever-changing industry.
