Ferrari retains its title by 14 seconds ahead of Toyota at the end of a 92nd edition disrupted by rain

The Italian team dominated the endurance event for the second time in a row, making fewer errors than its competitors in the downpours and despite the interventions of the safety car.

The most legendary of races remains true to its reputation. Launched by none other than Zinédine Zidane, who gave the start on Saturday June 15, the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kept all its promises. A fierce fight between the most anticipated manufacturers was won on Sunday June 16 by Ferrari, whose No. 50 (Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen) beat the No. 7 Toyota (José Maria Lopez, Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck De Vries) by 14 seconds in the final sprint to succeed its twin n°51, 3rd this year.

The race was as indecisive as the very dense field promised, with nine manufacturers fielding a total of 23 cars in the premier category, Hypercar. Two hours from the finish, nine cars were still on the same lap on Sunday, representing four teams still in the running for the title (Cadillac, Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche) which successively led the race during the pit stops. and supplies. Ultimately it was the #50 Ferrari which took over from the #51, benefiting in particular from a spin by the #7 Toyota less than an hour from the finish.

From the first laps, the #50 and 51 Ferraris took the lead ahead of the #6 Porsche, which had started in pole position. The Scuderia often led the way thanks to a winning strategy in the showers, despite the interventions of the safety car in the second half of the race, which reshuffled the cards three times. The race was neutralized for more than four hours during the night, after torrential rain on certain portions of the route.

Like last year, a few decisive errors caused Toyota to lose the title, crowned five times in a row between 2018 and 2022. A contact between the No. 51 Ferrari and the No. 8 Toyota, two hours from the end, caused The latter was first eliminated from the title race after an overly involved duel. Then, the No. 7 Toyota, in a good position to win, lost precious seconds after a driving error by José Maria Lopez in the last hour.

The first participation of the legend Valentino Rossi (BMW), nine times motorcycle world champion, was cut short after the exit of his teammate. The two Alpines entered in the elite also had to abandon after around six hours of racing, both victims of an engine problem. In LMP2, the United Autosports no.22 beat the Inter Europol Competition no.34. Finally, in LMGT3, the Manthey EMA n°91 won.