LE MANS, France — Ferrari secured another victory as they triumphed over Toyota to win a weather-affected 24 Hours of Le Mans on Sunday. The trio of Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco, and Miguel Molina crossed the finish line in the No. 50 car, 14 seconds ahead of the No. 7 of Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez.
The No. 51 Ferrari, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, claimed the third spot in this prestigious sports car race.
The race, which saw former French soccer star Zinedine Zidane kick things off on Saturday afternoon, was closely contested as Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, and Cadillac battled it out under the overcast skies.
Rain and fog led to the safety car being deployed for nearly four hours in the early morning, with Ferrari, Toyota, and Porsche fighting for the top position. As dawn broke, racing resumed with five teams still in contention and separated by less than a minute.
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With less than six hours remaining, the No. 50 Ferrari made a decisive move just before more rain hit the track. Fuoco climbed up the grid, and despite a door issue that required an unscheduled pit stop, Nielsen managed to secure victory in the challenging wet conditions.
“Fantastic! It really is a dream come true,” said Nielsen. “The victory seemed very difficult for part of the race, even at the end, when we had a problem with the door. But then everything went well.
“The last lap was very long, impossible to imagine. I worried about avoiding any risks and getting to the finish line as quickly as possible. I just had to manage the lead.”
This marked Ferrari’s 11th win at Le Mans in the 101st running of the endurance event.
