H+16: The Ferrari armada makes a strong comeback

Δημοσιευμένα 2025-06-16 01:16:53

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As the dreaded Le Mans night draws to a close, a whole new phase of the race begins, still on a dry track. At the top of the standings, the slightest careless mistake can be very costly. Ferrari is back in the lead, but the Prancing Horse remains under threat from some very serious competitors.

After 16 hours of racing, the #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P leads the 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Toyota and Porsche remain in ambush, but the Italians' speed is striking.

Ferrari back on top

The Ferraris , after suffering several setbacks, began chasing the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 once again. The charge was led by the #83 499P, whose pace was faster than that of the rest of the field: it returned to first place , without its German rival being able to respond. The #51 Ferrari regained second position through pit stops, and less than an hour later, the #50 overtook the #6 in turn. The three 499Ps, which were in the first three places before 6 a.m., continued to widen the gap.

In the early hours of the morning, the Hanson/Ye/Kubica trio is more than ever in contention for victory.

A much less fortunate fate for the #101 Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac V-Series.R. Driver Filipe Albuquerque was forced to stop at the side of the track as a red message flashed on his steering wheel. A few minutes later, the American team officially announced its retirement due to engine problems. This was the first time the Hypercar class had closed its doors .

The Toyotas, discreet since the start of the race, are banking on execution . A good strategy allows the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid to briefly take the lead, and make a good impression in the top 5. A solid position that could prove dangerous if the leaders suffer any damage. The Japanese car, hit by the #7, further back, is pushing to come back: Nyck de Vries sets the fastest lap of the race in 3:27.370 before the first rays of the sun hit the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. This time is nevertheless beaten by Nicklas Nielsen , then by Norman Nato , in the #12 Hertz Team Jota Cadillac.

Up front, the #51 Ferrari was the fastest. As it restarted from a full course yellow, it quickly found itself in the tailpipes of the #83, which it took the lead from. Phil Hanson, at the wheel of the latter, could do nothing .

IDEC Sport in difficulty

As the hours passed, the #43 Inter Europol Competition and #48 VDS Panis Racing Oreca-Gibson cars appeared stronger. They both demonstrated remarkable consistency and traded first place between stops. Behind them, however, some were experiencing more difficulties, starting with three-time race winner André Lotterer. The German lost the right rear wheel of his #18 IDEC Sport Oreca before the second chicane at Mulsanne . This unfortunate incident caused the French team to retire.

Can Inter Europol Competition repeat the feat of 2023?

Team WRT continues to suffer setbacks in LMGT3

The LMGT3 class is still very competitive after 16 hours of racing. The #81 TF Sport Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R sets an impressive pace, but the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 has held firm since the start. This is also the case for the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3, which provides some great images. The advantage goes to the German after six hours of racing .

Belgian team WRT is having a nightmare race in this class. After losing the #46 BMW M4 LMGT3, the sister car, the #31, also retired due to a unique problem: it hit a rabbit at high speed! This caused repeated stops, until the mechanics threw in the towel.

The Iron Dames, in the #85 Porsche, are also struggling. They certainly didn't need to be hit by the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus RC F LMGT3 in the second chicane of the Mulsanne Hills. Tanked in the gravel trap, Rahel Frey, at the wheel, has to wait for the tractor to exit while the rest of the circuit is under full course yellow. In addition, the #36 Alpine A424, just behind, spins because of this sudden slowdown. For this incident, the #87 Lexus is penalized with a drive-through penalty. About twenty minutes later, the #85 Porsche is still stopped just after Mulsanne, all lights off. Rahel Frey manages to get going again to return to her pit box .

Top 5 of the general classification at 8 a.m .:

1. Ferrari 499P #51 Ferrari AF Corse – Alessandro Pier Guidi / James Calado / Antonio Giovinazzi – 257 laps
2. Ferrari 499P #83 AF Corse – Robert Kubica / Yifei Ye / Philip Hanson – +1'34''534
3. Porsche 963 #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Kévin Estre / Laurens Vanthoor / Matt Campbell – 1'52''345
3. Ferrari 499P #50 Ferrari AF Corse – Antonio Fuoco / Nicklas Nielsen / Miguel Molina – + 2'48''862
4. Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Sébastien Buemi / Brendon Hartley / Ryo Hirakawa – + 2'55''666

Leaders of other categories :

LMP2: Oreca 07-Gibson #43 Inter Europol Competition – Jakub Smiechowski / Tom Dillmann / Nick Yelloly – 244 laps
LMGT3: Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3 #92 Manthey 1ST Phorm – Ryan Hardwick / Riccardo Pera / Richard Lietz – 227 laps

The eight o'clock dropouts :

Oreca 07-Gibson #18 IDEC Sport – Jamie Chadwick / Mathys Jaubert / André Lotterer – wheel loss
Ferrari 296 LMGT3 #54 Vista AF Corse – Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon – torque sensor
Cadillac V-Series.R #101 Cadillac WTR – Ricky Taylor / Jordan Taylor / Filipe Albuquerque – engine issue
Oreca 07-Gibson #24 Nielsen Racing – Naveen Rao / Cem Bolukbasi / Colin Braun (LMP2 Pro/Am) – Off track
BMW M4 LMGT3 #31 The Bend Team WRT – Yasser Shahin / Timur Boguslavskiy / Augusto Farfus –
BMW M4 LMGT3 #46 Team WRT – Ahmad Al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Kelvin Van Der Linde – Mechanical issue
Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 #60 Iron Lynx – Andrew Gilbert / Fran Rueda / Lorcan Hanafin – 10:24 p.m. – Engine failure
McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo #95 United Autosports – Darren Leung / Sean Gelael / Marino Sato – 10:23 PM – Powertrain Issue
Ford Mustang LMGT3 #88 Proton Competition – Stefano Gattuso / Giammarco Levorato / Dennis Olsen – 7:53 p.m. – Off track and loss of a wheel nut