24 Hours of Le Mans 2023: Ferrari claim sensational win on return, Toyota take second place

Ferrari made it a triumphant return to 24 Hours of Le Mans as James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi and their #51 car sealed a stunning victory. Toyota were Ferrari’s closest challengers, but bar a pit stop issue and a late scare the Italian manufacturer’s superior pace gave them the advantage. Stream 24 Hours of Le Mans on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

Ferrari claimed a sensational win on their return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans with their #51 car of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi.

They took the chequered flag 1:21.793 ahead of their nearest competitor, securing the first Le Mans win in 58 years for the manufacturer.

“I’m so emotional, it’s unbelievable - just a great feeling,” said a near speechless Giovinazzi after the race.

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Calado added: “I feel amazing. It hasn’t sunk in yet - the emotions are really strange. I’m happy for the team; it’s a great achievement and after so long [without a win for Ferrari], this will go down in history for sure.”

Title defenders Toyota had to settle for second on this occasion, losing any hope for victory with a late driving error.

“We gave it our all; we were the underdogs today and for most of the race we had the slower car,” said Brendon Hartley who put in a stellar effort to try hunt down the #51. “It came to us a bit in the end with the hotter track temperatures, and the last stints I did were probably the best I’ve ever done.

“Accidents happen, it could have happened to any of us and it happened to many guys out there – we have full support for Ryo [Hirakawa]. The goal was to go maximum attack and that’s what we did.”

‘Hard to take in’ - Hirakawa mistake ends Toyota hopes

Video credit: TNT Sports

Sebastien Buemi stormed to the lead in the #8 Toyota at the start of the race and maintained it after the first safety car phase caused by a damaged barrier. The first major reshuffle came just under three hours in when the rain arrived in Le Mans and brought a lengthy safety car period with it. Both Ferraris came into their own at the restart and inherited a one-two lead when the Jota-Porsche of Yifei Ye spun out.

Ferrari maintained the lead and when the second rain shower arrived with six hours gone, Pier Guidi started to excel. Taking up to 20 seconds per lap out of his opponents, the Italian created a gap of more than a minute at the front. It was contrasting fortunes for Porsche who, after Ye’s crash and issues on their #5 car earlier in the race, now also lost their #75 entry to technical failures.

A first setback haunted the #51 Ferrari after eight hours when Pier Guidi spun out of the lead in the Mulsanne chicane. He re-joined in fourth, still very much within contention. The same couldn’t be said about Kamui Kobayashi and the #7 Toyota; a multi-car incident at Tetre Rouge left the Toyota stranded on the track and forced a retirement.

The twilight hours proved crucial as the #51 Ferrari and the #8 Toyota established themselves at the top, well ahead of the rest of the field, and the win was set to be decided between them. Giovinazzi stretched out a one-minute lead before disaster struck with five and a half hours to go. A technical issue kept the car stationary after a pit stop and by the time they resumed, Toyota had taken a six-second lead.

Ferrari get stuck in pit lane, Toyota take lead

Video credit: TNT Sports

However, Ferrari’s superior pace earned the advantage on track and they managed it well, mirroring Toyota’s pit strategy. Hartley took the maximum out of the Toyota and kept their chances alive, but the Japanese team were up against it. Hirakawa took over at the steering wheel and was pushing hard - too hard, it turned out, when a rear lock-up caused him to spin into the barrier.

Hirakawa nursed the Toyota back to the box, but with the gap up to three minutes, all realistic chances for a win were gone. Ferrari were odds-on to take the trophy, although they weren’t spared a late scare. The car once more hesitated to fire up after the final pit stop, but Pier Guidi got going again well in time to secure the title.

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On June 10 and 11 strap yourself in for a live sport rollercoaster ride. With the finals of Roland-Garros, 24 Hours of Le Mans, Speedway Grand Prix, the UCI Mountain Bike World Series, the Criterium du Dauphine, MotoGP and the Champions League final, it’s the Weekend of Champions live on Eurosport, discovery+ and BT Sport.

Stream 24 Hours of Le Mans on discovery+, the Eurosport app and at eurosport.com

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