F1Weekly Podcast # 1048
Play Podcast: 06-17-24f1weekly1048.mp3
Nasir books an appointment with the good Dr Marko. Motorsports Mondial is so full it’s taking Ozempic! We start our first conversation with Dan Wardman, F1W listener and former president of the CSRG. We have a quick chat with Otmar Szafnauer! Moving to Tokyo, Motorsports Journalist, Zenta Ohtaki. Our Bonus: The Rafa Report part one.
Ferrari secured an 11th 24 Hours of Le Mans win!
Second in a row for the 499P after the Centenary success. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 499P add their name to the annals of the French endurance classic alongside those of last year’s victors Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi.
After a race heavily affected by rain that upset many a plan, Ferrari came out on top once again. Let’s take a look back at the highlights of this unprecedented vintage that saw 23 hypercars face off.
After storming to victory in last year’s Centenary race, Ferrari was obviously on many observers’ list of potential winners of the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was a surprise to no-one that the 499P was always well placed among the frontrunners. The fact that, for much of the race, the red factory cars played second fiddle to the yellow private entry shared by Robert Kubica/Robert Shwartzman/Yifei Ye was much less expected.
From the off, the #50 and #51 factory cars set the pace. Nicklas Nielsen, in the #50, seized the lead from Porsche Penske Motorsport’s Laurens Vanthoor in the polesitting #6 Porsche 963. Antonio Giovinazzi (#51 Ferrari 499P) followed suit and overtook the Belgian. The pair of factory Ferrari 499Ps were top of the pile after just 13 minutes. At the same time a little further back, Robert Kubica (#83 Ferrari 499P) had started the race in an equally determined manner to climb to fifth place from a starting position of 12th.
The tifosi’s dreams of total domination by the Prancing Horses were, however, washed away when the capricious weather began to interfere.
As the first drops of rain began to fall from the slate-grey skies around 17:40, the teams had to decide quickly on their strategy. Several hypercars – such as the #51 Ferrari, the #4 Porsche and the #7 Toyota – switched to wet-weather tyres very early. André Lotterer, who had already relieved Laurens Vanthoor, opted for the same choice for the #6 Porsche 963. It proved to be the wrong option. This was when Kubica came into his own. The #83 499P was the only one to be shod in soft slicks. As the track dried, Robert Shwartzman took over from Kubica and took off. His lead steadily increased, lap after lap.
Saturday evening threw another spanner in the works. The rain returned just before ten o’clock and a series of pit stops ensued. Once again, AF Corse picked the right strategy for the #83. It switched quickly to wet-weather Michelins – like the #5 Porsche 963 – and in the persistent rain, the #83 Ferrari began to lap 30 seconds quicker than its slick-shod rivals. However, at 22:37, drama struck. Kubica came flying up behind the #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 driven by Dries Vanthoor. The Belgian had no intention of being overtaken as staying on the lead lap could prove decisive should the Safety Cars be called to action. The inevitable collision sent the German hypercar into the barrier. Vanthoor clambered out, his race over. The stewards found Kubica guilty of shunting his opponent and inflicted a 30-second penalty to be served at the following pit stop. The punishment, served at 00:30, pushed the yellow Ferrari down the standings. It was not to be seen again at the very top of the list. When Yifei Ye pulled up in the pits, smoke billowing from beneath the car, the #83 Ferrari 499P’s game was over.