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The Ferrari 499P driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and former Formula 1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi won the 91st edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most important endurance car race in the world, which was held this year the centenary edition, with around 300,000 spectators along the Sarthe circuit. It was the first time after 50 years of absence that Ferrari returned to compete in the top category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which has been known as Hypercar since 2021. The other Ferrari in the race – the number 50, driven by Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina – finished in fifth place.
Ferrari’s victory came in a year in which other car manufacturers have also chosen, encouraged by some new rules, to return to the World Endurance Championship (WEC), of which the Le Mans race is the most important event. And it’s a victory that comes after five consecutive years in which the 24 Hours of Le Mans was won by a Toyota car, whose best car finished in second place this year.
(AP Photo/Jeremias Gonzalez)
The race was closely fought for several hours and Ferrari gained a decisive advantage on Sunday morning, after a problem suffered by Toyota, which had been in the lead for some stretches of the race and which had remained close to Ferrari until 2pm on on Sunday when he had an accident.
At 4pm on Saturday the two Ferraris had started from the front row but – given Toyota’s greater experience and its best results this season – they were not considered favorites for the final victory.
(Chris Graythen/Getty Images)
Ferrari was present at Le Mans with two LMH (Le Mans Hypercar) cars for which the company took care of both the engine and the chassis. The name 499P is a reference to the fact that there are two prototypes (P) and 499 is the displacement of each of the 6 cylinders of the two cars.
– Read also: The first 24 Hours of Le Mans, a century ago