Controlled departure
The safety car disappears to make way for a great spectacle. Laurens Vanthoor (Porsche 963 #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport) manages to keep his advantage acquired in Hyperpole, but for nothing. If he was not worried in the first turns, the Ferrari 499P #50 Ferrari AF Corse driven by Nicklas Nielsen overtook him further into the lap, soon imitated by Antonio Giovinazzi in the 499P #51. The two Italians lead the race. THE Cadillac They are experiencing a more delicate start.
Behind, the Toyota GR010 – Hybrid #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing driven by Sébastien Buemi is slowly coming back from 11th place on the grid. The 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans got off to a worse start for the #15 BMW M Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8. Marco Wittmann loses the rear of the car at the S de la Forêtwhich relegates him to 28th place overall after a trip to the pit lane to check the integrity of the prototype.
The Ferraris are fighting for the head of the peloton. In the heavy traffic at the start of the race, none of them gave up. After a small mistake by Nicklas Nielsen at Mulsanne, Antonio Giovinazzi tried to regain his position, without success. The two sister cars should not collide now. For now, some Ferraris must serve penalties! Following a regulatory infraction during qualifying, #51 and #83 had to respect a ten-second stop & go during their first stop.
After refueling, the Ferrari #50 is released a little too quickly by the men in red, just in front of the Cadillac V-Series.R #3 Cadillac Racing – which earns him a ten second penalty.
At the same time, the #99 Proton Competition Porsche 963 entered its pit box with door problems, but joins the dance shortly afterwith two rounds lost.
The rain reshuffles the cards
Then comes the dreaded Le Mans rain. Its unpredictability forces teams to make a decision with serious consequences. Stop for suitable tires or keep the slicks? Finally, those who remained on the track benefited from the favors of Mother Nature, notably the two Ferrari 499P #50 and #83. They are passed, replayed, and offer incredible images.
When the sun returned, the two were almost thirty seconds ahead of the #12 Herz Team JOTA Porsche 963. The #8 Toyota and the #6 Porsche, which chose grooved tires, find themselves far in the rankings.
The drivers of Porsche #12, destroyed in qualifying and rebuilt in 36 hours, honor the heroism of the mechanics.
Arnaud CORNILLEAU (ACO)
While the asphalt has become dry again, Robin Frijns is trapped behind the wheel of the BMW #20. On the outskirts of the Motul Junction, he sends his M Hybrid V8 into the wall of tires. He manages to leave as best he can, in slow motion, visibly damaged. This is the second accident for the German firm in less than three hours. Half an hour later, she reappears, but at the bottom of the rankings.
Thanks to the very good defense of Robert Kubica in the wet and the regular pace of Robert Shwartzman, the #83 Ferrari 499P leads the proceedings.
COOL Racing between light and shadow
Starting in front in LMP2 in the hands of hyperpoleman Louis Délétraz, the Oreca #14 AO by TF widens the gap on its pursuers. Behind, the Oreca 07-Gibson #47 COOL Racing experiences many setbacks. On the second lap, Matthew Bell is idling after the Arnage corner. He has to return to the box and the team brings the car in for further checks. She reappears much later, in last place. But she is not out of the woods; Naveen Rao is in distress at the wheel at the Motul Junction. Once again, she continues on her way.
Fate shared by Oreca #25 Algarve Pro Racing, she also stopped near her mechanics for a few minutes. The first yellow flags of these 24 Hours of Le Mans were caused by the exit of the #23 United Autsports Oreca. Ben Keating having stalled in the Dunlop curve and having to be extracted from the gravel trap.
Change of driver, change of pace : the #14 loses the advantage to the Oreca #10 Vector Sport, as well as the other COOL Racing car, the #37.
The LMGT3 lives up to expectations
In the LMGT3 category, the #77 Inception Racing McLaren 720 LMGT3 Evo takes off perfectly, before collapsing. Behind, the #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3 follows a second behind without being able to catch up with its opponent.
Even if the competitors in this new category express themselves wisely, the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 #54 Vista AF Corse is in difficulty. Shortly after a first exit from the track at the Porsche corner, it suffered serious damage in another accident on the inside of the Dunlop curve. The mechanics find that it is not repairable; it constitutes the first abandonment of these 24 Hours.
The class is extremely competitive. As proof, no hierarchy is established at the moment; several teams take turns at the frontincluding the #91 Manthey EMA Porsche 911 GT3 R LMGT3, the #85 Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo 2 of the Iron Dames, and the BMW M4 LMGT3 Team WRT.
Top 5 in the general ranking at 8 p.m.:
1. Ferrari 499P #83 AF Corse – Robert Kubica / Robert Shwartzman / Yifei Ye – 63 laps
2. Ferrari 499P #50 Ferrari AF Corse – Antonio Fuoco / Miguel Molina / Nicklas Nielsen – + 39”884
3. Porsche 963 #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Matt Campbell / Michael Christensen / Frédéric Makowiecki – + 40”503
4. Porsche 963 #4 Porsche Penske Motorsport – Mathieu Jaminet / Felipe Nasr / Nick Tandy – + 54”038
5. Porsche 963 #38 Hertz Team JOTA – Oliver Rasmussen / Philip Hanson / Jenson Button – + 1’23”904
The leaders of the other categories:
- LMP2: Oreca 07-Gibson #10 Vector Sport – Ryan Cullen / Patrick Pilet / Stéphane Richelmi – 60 laps
- LMGT3: BMW M4 LMGT3 #46 Team WRT – Ahmad Al Harthy / Valentino Rossi / Maxime Martin – 56 laps
List of abandonments at 8 p.m.:
- Ferrari 296 LMGT3 #54 Vista AF Corse – Thomas Flohr / Francesco Castellacci / Davide Rigon – off the track
Porsche and Alpine drivers were complaining… of oil on their windshields! It apparently came from Ferrari #50.
Prudencio CASALES (ACO)
