>>24 Hours of Le Mans endurance car race, June 11, 2023. Ferrari won the famous 24 Hours of Le Mans on the centenary of the race. The winning car (pictured) was driven by Briton James Calado and Italians Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian automaker was at the start with its own prototype for the first time in fifty years, ending Toyota's five-year reign.
Le Mans (France) – Ferrari won the famous twenty-four hour race at Le Mans on the hundredth anniversary of the race. The winning car was driven by Briton James Calado and Italians Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi. The Italian car company was at the start with its own prototype for the first time in fifty years and ended Toyota's five-year reign.
Advertisement'; }
Defending champions Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Rjo Hirakawa finished second in the 91st edition of the prestigious endurance race. Third place was taken by Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn and Richard Westbrook, who took turns behind the wheel of a Cadillac.
The race on the 13.6 km circuit celebrated its centenary this year, having first taken place in May 1923. twenty-four-hour round of the prominent starter, the cars were launched on the track on Saturday at 4:00 p.m. by star basketball player LeBron James.
Over the course of the entire race, which was watched by over 300,000 fans and the winning crew completed a total of 342 laps, the two leading cars were rarely separated by more than 20 seconds and decided only in the penultimate hour. Hirakawa damaged the car after a riding error and had to take it to the mechanics. The Ferrari then crossed the finish line with a lead of almost a minute and a half. The famous Italian marque's prancing horse car last won in 1965, when Masten Gregory and Jochen Rindt did it, and now it has won the main event for the 10th time.
“Huge emotions, unbelievable, I have no words. I've been watching this race since I was a child and now I'm here and I'm winning Le Mans with Ferrari,” Giovinazzi, a former Formula 1 driver, rejoiced in an interview with Eurosport. “A huge success and after such a long time… I think that this will go down in history,” added Calado, a former endurance racing champion in the GT category.
Formula 1 team boss Fred Vasseur and current Scuderia driver Charles Leclerc also joined in celebrating Ferrari's biggest success of the season so far. who otherwise didn't have much reason to be happy this year. “For Ferrari to win after so many years is an absolutely amazing feeling,” said world runner-up Leclerc, whose third place in the Azerbaijan Grand Prix is Ferrari's maximum in the premier class this year. In the Constructors' Cup, the red cars are up to fourth place.
Results of the 24 Hours of Le Mans endurance car race
1. Calado, Giovinazzi, Guidi (Brit., It., It./Ferrari 499P) 342 laps, 2. Buemi, Hartley, Hirakawa (Switz., N. Zel., Jap./Toyota GR010 – Hybrid) -1:21.793, 3. Bamber, Lynn, Westbrook (N.Zel., Brit., Brit./Cadillac V-Series.R) -2:18.917.
