Ferrari did it once more! Twelve months after successful the centenary version of the Le Mans 24 Hours, the Italian producer and its AF Corse accomplice collected their second consecutive victory in an exciting version of the endurance traditional.
Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina, and Antonio Fuoco onboard their group’s #50 entry delivered to Ferrari its eleventh general triumph within the blue riband sportscar race after a climactic epilogue.
The crew narrowly defeated the #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid of Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi and Jose Maria Lopez whereas Ferrari #51’s defending winners Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi accomplished the rostrum.
In a race that became a battle of attrition towards the weather from the outset, chilly climate and interspersed downpours unfold across the observe made life very troublesome for all groups as they battled via their tyre decisions.
A number of high-profile entries succumbed to the tough circumstances, together with each Alpine Hypercars and the #46 Staff WRT LMGT3, which featured bike legend Valentino Rossi in its driver lineup.
Even when the rain subsided, respite was short-lived. The racing line dried rapidly, creating a further impediment as slower vehicles had been compelled to maneuver off the road to permit sooner opponents to go.
This fixed give-and-take added one other layer of complexity to the already demanding race.
However early within the morning, observe circumstances and drastically decreased visibility necessitated a four-and-a half-hour security automotive intervention that neutralized proceedings for the longest interval within the occasion’s historical past.
As daybreak broke, the #8 Toyota emerged because the chief, the Japanese contender taking command of the sphere when the inexperienced flag was deployed and the racing resumed after 8:30 am.
With groups using a variety of methods all through the race, the true operating order remained unclear till the very remaining flurry of pit stops.
Out on the observe, the drama ramped up when the #8 Toyota, a robust contender for victory, was spun by the #51 Ferrari, final yr’s successful automotive.
The conflict successfully dashed the #8 automotive’s hopes whereas its attacking Ferrari rival was hit with a five-second time penalty that just about additionally ended its victory bid.
Up forward, issues additionally obtained hectic for the leaders. Nielsen assumed an excellent remaining triple stint, however panic ensued within the penultimate hour when the Dane was compelled to make an early pitstop to repair a recalcitrant door-latch on the #50 Ferrari.
Lopez pulled out the stops on-board the #7 Toyota to seek out Nielsen, however the Argentinian, caught out by the nonetheless difficult circumstances, suffered a quick spin on the Dunlop curve that put the main Ferrari out of attain.
However as a consequence of his early pitstop, Nielsen was marginal on gasoline. Nevertheless, the #50 Ferrari 499P was in a position to make it to the checkered flag secure and sound, with a 14s margin over Lopez’s Toyota.
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