Ferrari AF Corse Win 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans

After an unbelievable race, the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans has been won by the #50 Ferrari AF Corse. In a race full of twists, turns, torrential rain, Nicklas Nielsen brough the Ferrari 499P home on fumes, having almost drained its fuel tank. The #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing team pushed them all the way to the flag, ultimately having to settle for 2nd. The sister Ferrari, the #51 car that won Le Mans in 2023, completes the podium in Hypercar.

The #7 Toyota had an excellent race and were unlucky not to snatch victory. Credit: Javier Jimenez / DPPI

In LMP2, the #22 United Autosports team secured a fantastic victory, 18 seconds ahead of the 2023 winners, #34 Inter Europol Competition, with #28 IDEC Sport rounding off the podium. In LMGT3, Manthey EMA won a comfortable victory, the only winning car to finish a lap ahead of the 2nd place car, the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3. Third on the LMGT3 podium went to the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3.

This has been an incredible race from start to finish. We have covered it all in various reports throughout the last 24 hours. Click here for race reports on the first 6 hours, here for the overnight report, and here for the morning stint.

Manthey EMA, the winners of LMGT3 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Credit: Mike Widdowson / MJW Media

Race Report: 12:00 – 15:00 GMT

As the race entered its final three hours, an almighty dogfight was brewing between the leading #2 Cadillac Racing car, the #50 and #51 Ferrari AF Corse, and the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing car. Anthony Davidson on the official WEC broadcast calculated that the Cadillac wasn’t lapping quickly enough to ultimately content for victory. Slight drama for Ferrari as both cars were investigated for technical infringements, but ultimately both cars were only given reprimands.

With 21:45:00 race time passed, the track was declared wet due to heavy rain falling on sections of the track. #2 Cadillac was the first to blink and strap a set of wets onto the car. Drama in the pits for the #8 Toyota as it struggled to get the nut off the front right tyre, and also the #50 Ferrari who had an unsafe release into the path of an LMP2 car. As the penultimate hour of racing started, the #51 Ferrari tagged the back of the #8 Toyota with an ambitious move down the inside at Mulsanne corner, spinning the Toyota out and down to 6th in the standings. The Ferrari had an added 5 seconds to its next pit stop as penance for the contact.

The two Ferraris were both embroiled in controversy in the final few hours. Credit: Mike Widdowson / MJW Media

On lap 285, Jose Maria Lopez was all over the back of the #51 Ferrari in his #7 Toyota, battling hard all the way from the home straight to the first chicane on the Mulsanne straight before squeezing through to 2nd position with 1 hour 45 minutes left to race. That turned into the race lead, as Nicklas Nielsen had to pit from the lead in his #50 Ferrari to fix an open door. Nielsen came back out dropped down to 5th in the pack, but less that 30 seconds behind the leading #7 Toyota.

With 70 minutes to go, the battle for 2nd was raging in LMP2 between the #34 Inter Europol Competition car, the #28 IDEC Sport, and #183 AF Corse. Meanwhile, United Autosports led the way after 280 laps with Oliver Jarvis at the wheel. In LMGT3, Manthey EMA looked thoroughly settled, being comfortably ahead of the #31 Team WRT BMW.

The #31 Team WRT BMW that came home in 2nd in LMGT3. Credit: Javier Jimenez / DPPI

As the final hour got under way, Lopez committed an error that many had done before him, spinning his car under braking at the run up to the Dunlop chicane, meaning the #51 Ferrari was now only 12 seconds behind him. It was thought that the #50 Ferrari need to pit twice more for fuel. The question remained whether the rest of the Hypercar field could survive on just one fuel stop. However, nursing the #50 Ferrari around in the rain, Ferrari pitted for what they planned to be their last stop. The #7 Toyota and #51 Ferrari filled almost to the brim, preparing to race fast down to the end.

After their final stop, the #7 Toyota suffered a turbo issue for around 10 minutes, blunting their potential to attack, and the engineers radioing Lopez, telling him to bring the car home in 2nd with no risks. With 20 minutes to go, the #6 Porsche was closing rapidly on the back of the #51 Ferrari, desperate to get that last podium slow from the Scuderia. Ultimately, it wasn’t to be for the German team. Nothing could stop Ferrari from securing a double podium.

The #51 Ferrari in the pits on wets in a crucial part of the race. Credit: Charly Lopez / DPPI

Championship Update

It’s hard to remember that this is “just” another round of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship. With double points being awarded, the Hypercar championship has been blown wide open. The #6 crew still lead with 99 points, but the #50 Ferrari team have catapulted up to 2nd on the grid with 90 points. Kobayashi and De Vries in the #7 car are in 3rd on 82, followed by the #12 Hertz Team JOTA crew of Callum Ilott and Will Stevens in a car that on Wednesday evening was a broken wreck, the team doing a remarkable job to turn it around.

In LMGT3, it could not be closer. Manthey PureRxing and Manthey EMA are tied on 75 points in their Porsches, with the #31 Team WRT BMW just 2 points behind on 73. D’Station Racing are in 4th but 31 points behind the leading three.

It has been a pleasure covering the iconic 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans for The Checkered Flag. Thank you for reading the reports and our coverage. Keep following The Checkered Flag for updates from the drivers and teams.