Pista – No. 50 Ferrari wins action-packed 24 Hours of Le Mans
The No. 50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P Hypercar driven by Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina took a brilliantly well-judged victory in changeable conditions to win the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours, round four of FIA WEC.
Nielsen drove a superb final triple stint, surviving an issue with his door and an investigation for an unsafe pit stop release, to take Ferrari’s second consecutive victory at the legendary La Sarthe circuit.
In treacherous conditions in the final hours of the race, Nielsen was able to forge to the front and gained a gap over the chasing pack which was bunched up after morning safety cars due to poor weather and various incidents.
Toyota Gazoo Racing with the No.7 GR010 Hybrid Hypercar super-sub Jose-Maria Lopez at the wheel tried to chase down Nielsen in the final exchanges but was unable to do so, meaning he and teammates Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries finished runner-up.
Lopez had a brief spin in his attempts but was still able to split the factory Ferrari 499Ps as the No.51 car of Antonio Giovinazzi, Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado placed third to make it a double podium for the Prancing Horse.
LMGT3
Manthey EMA Porsche 911 RSR 911 LMGT3 of Morris Schuring, Yasser Shahin and Richard Lietz triumph and become the first trio to ever win an LMGT3 category race at Le Mans.
Schuring also becomes the second youngest ever category winner at just 19-years-old. The trio follow up their Spa success last month after a faultless display which saw a smooth run throughout the entire 24 hours.
Lietz, the most experienced driver among the 186 drivers present at Le Mans with 18 previous starts, crossed the finish line ahead of the No.31 Team WRT BMW of Darren Leung, Augusto Farfus and Sean Gelael.
Completing the LMGT3 podium at Le Mans was the No.88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3 entry driven by Dennis Olsen, Giorgio Roda and Mikkel Pedersen. They take the first ever podium position for a Mustang at La Sarthe.
The FIA WEC will resume next month with a visit to South America for the Rolex 6 Hours of Sao Paulo in Brazil (13-14 July).
