Credit: Javier Jimenez / DPPI
The race started with Ferrari securing the first two positions early on. Nicklas Nielsen in Ferrari #50 took the lead on the first lap, overtaking Laurens Vanthoor in Porsche #6, who started in pole position. His teammate, Antonio Giovinazzi in Ferrari #51, quickly followed suit, making it a 1-2 for the Italian manufacturer.
Nielsen maintained the lead for the next few hours and seemed comfortable in front. However, rain started to fall. Learning from the mistake in Imola, Ferrari split their strategy. Pier Guidi, who had fallen behind due to a penalty, switched to rain tires while Nielsen stayed on slick tires.
But Nielsen faced a new challenger: the Ferrari #83, also managed by AF Corse, driven by Robert Kubica. Kubica took the lead when Nielsen served a penalty for an unsafe release during a pit stop.
The two drivers battled for the lead for a few laps, with Kubica putting up a strong defense. Nielsen had an opportunity at Mulsanne, but ended up having to yield to Kubica’s high line.
Nielsen eventually regained the lead by overtaking Kubica at the first chicane. However, due to the pit stop cycle, Kubica’s teammate, Robert Shwartzman, who had taken over the yellow 499P car, found himself in the lead ahead of Michael Christensen in Porsche #5.
Shwartzman extended his lead to 10 seconds over Christensen, with Fuoco following 22 seconds behind, although the gap was closing.
The AF Corse Ferrari #83 held the lead for the next few hours, only relinquishing it during pit stops. However, in the sixth hour, rain started to fall. Despite the weather, Kubica, Nielsen, and Giovinazzi chose not to stop for rain tires, taking a risk.
Unfortunately, Kubica, with slick tires, miscalculated a passing maneuver with Dries Vanthoor in the BMW M Hybrid V8 #15, resulting in contact and Vanthoor hitting the barriers. This incident led to an hour and a half of safety car period for the recovery of the car and repairs to the barriers.
When the race restarted, Kubica and many others immediately stopped to refuel. However, the rain continued to fall, leading Kubica, Ryo Hirakawa in the Toyota GR010 Hybrid #8, and Nielsen to switch to rain tires. Meanwhile, Fred Makowiecki in the Porsche #5 and Derani in the Cadillac #311 remained on slick tires, which proved to be a wrong decision.
Kubica and Hirakawa quickly caught up with and overtook Makowiecki after their pit stops. Kubica received a 30-second stop/go penalty for his incident with Vanthoor, dropping to fifth position, while Hirakawa took the lead.
The Toyota #8 maintained its lead until the 11th hour, with Buemi building a small but respectable gap of 13 seconds over Andre Lotterer in the Porsche #6. The gap fluctuated between 20 seconds and 11 seconds.
However, in the 12th hour, the rain intensified throughout the circuit. The race control had no choice but to deploy the safety car, as the track became too wet to continue the race. This safety car period lasted for over four hours, with the cars following safety cars A, B, or C. The reserve safety car D was also used, as some cars ran out of fuel.
At 08:10, when the rain subsided, the race restarted with Hirakawa in the lead, followed by Vanthoor, Nielsen, de Vries in the Toyota #7, and Kubica.
Hirakawa initially opened up a gap, but Vanthoor gradually closed in and opened up a 10-second lead over Nielsen.
Felipe Nasr in Porsche #4 went off track just before Indianapolis, abandoning the car after hitting the barriers. Shortly after, Daniel Mancinelli lost control of the Aston Martin #27 Heart of Racing in a similar manner, flipping the car.
While a safety car was deployed to deal with Mancinelli’s incident, Nico Muller in Peugeot #93 also went off at Indianapolis. A tow truck was needed to recover the car from the gravel.
Finally, Scott Dixon’s Cadillac #3 struggled to make progress on the track. After several pit stops, he managed to reach the pits. It was later discovered that the car had an oil leak and was withdrawn from the race.
With the safety car withdrawn, Shwartzman, Fuoco, and Kobayashi in Toyota #7 fought for third place, while Estre led the race and Buemi held second position.
Derani also had an incident at Indianapolis, but managed to keep the Cadillac #311 running and returned to the pits for repairs.
Meanwhile, Alex Palou in Cadillac #2 took the lead. He initially pulled away from Kobayashi in second, but the rain resumed, nullifying Palou’s strategy when he stopped for wet tires.
From that point on, the race became a duel between Ferrari #50 and Toyota #7.
The drivers in the final stint, Kobayashi and Nielsen, were closely watched, as Ferrari #50 opted for slightly less power compared to Toyota #7.
In the end, Ferrari #50 maintained the lead, and the team of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen claimed victory in the 2024 edition, completing 311 laps.
The drivers of Toyota #7 finished in second place, just 14 seconds behind, with Jose Maria Lopez joining Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries, who achieved a podium finish in his first participation at Le Mans in a Hypercar.
A Ferrari #51, winner of last year, secured third place with drivers Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi.
The fourth place went to the Porsche Penske #6 team of Kevin Estre, Andre Lotterer, and Laurens Vanthoor, while the Toyota #8 team of Sebastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa finished in fifth place.
© 2024
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