Zapping Le Blogauto Peugeot 408 Hybrid 225 test
At the head, we find two Ferraris. But, if we have the 50 in 2nd position, it is not the 51 in the lead. The #83 of Kubica/Schwartzman/Ye is in the lead. The start of the race was intense until the first stops. And even afterward, there were some bickering like the Ferrari being released into the wheels of Cadillac #2. Penalty.
As the laps go by, the Ferraris seem above the rest thanks to longer stints. After 4 hours of racing, the first three have made 5 stops while others are already at 7 or 8. But will the strategy hold until the end?
We quickly saw the Proton Competition Porsche 963 return to the pits and lose a lot of time. But, in Hypercar, it is BMW which loses big with the #20 of Team WRT which experienced a big exit from the track at turn 13. The car started again but had to stop for quite a while. They are 37th, behind the LMP2s. The problem is that this will require you to take some risks while being patient. The race is long but for them a good result seems over for 2024.
In front, we have the two Ferraris, followed by the official Porsche Penske #5 which closely follows the Ferrari #50. The #8 Toyota erased the poor qualifying with an aggressive strategy. They are ahead of the second official Ferrari #51. The #7 used the same aggressive strategy and is 7th behind the Porsche 963 of Hertz Team Jota.
As for the French, it’s a grimace for the moment with the Alpine who are 11th and 15th, and the Peugeot 19 and 20th. Not benefited by the BoP, the Peugeots cannot hope for anything on a regular basis. Infuriating no doubt.
In LMP2 Vector Sport leads ahead of Cool Racing and United Autosport. In LMGT3, Team WRT’s #46 BMW M4 with Valentino Rossi at the wheel is in the lead, ahead of Manthey EMA #91 and the Iron Dames #85. The circuit will slowly descend into the night as the laps go by. The weather changed with a risk of rain around 5 a.m. But at the 24 Hours of Le Mans the weather remains capricious with possible unforeseen showers.
Top 5 general classification H+4
Photo Credit – The Auto Blog
1 – 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P
2 – 50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P
3 – 5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963
4 – 8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota GR010 – Hybrid
5 – 51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P
To sum up
The 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans is keeping its promise for the moment. In the lead, Ferrari took the lead but these were not the two “official” Ferraris. One of them is 5th “only”. In the lead is the 3rd Ferrari #83.
The Toyotas recovered well at the start of the race and Porsche was still putting up resistance. The race is still long
