Le Mans 24-Hour Update: Ferrari Dominates Early Stages
Le Mans, France — After five hours into the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari’s dominance is evident with the #51 AF Corse entry of Antonio Giovinazzi leading the charge. The #51 car has successfully navigated challenges from competitors, including the #6 Penske Porsche 963 piloted by Laurens Vanthoor, now positioned in third as the race unfolds.
As of the latest updates, the leading #50 Ferrari, driven by Miguel Molina, maintains a firm grip on first place, with Alessandro Pier Guidi now taking over the #51 and Ye Yifei in the #83 quasi-privateer Ferrari. The #83 encountered a brake issue, and a five-second penalty was incurred for a pit stop infraction.
In the battle for fourth, Matt Campbell in the #6 Porsche is vying with Raffaele Marciello’s #20 Team WRT BMW M Hybrid V8, while Ryo Hirakawa in the #8 Toyota GR010 HYBRID is close behind. The top ten is rounded out by the #15 WRT BMW, #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R, #4 Penske Porsche, and #311 Whelen Cadillac.
Notably, the #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 has been consistently running 13 laps per stint, highlighting a strategy focused on fuel economy in the early phase of the race.
In LMP2, the #48 VDS Panis Racing ORECA 07-Gibson leads with Oliver Gray at the wheel. Reshad de Gerus in the #9 Iron Lynx-Proton ORECA sits in second, while the #43 Inter Europol Competition car, initially in contention, dropped to third after a lengthy pit stop and issues reported by Jakub Smiechowski.
In the LMGT3 class, Valentino Rossi leads the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 EVO, followed by Francois Heriau in the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3, and Riccardo Pera in the #92 Manthey Porsche 911 LMGT3 R.
As the race progresses into its night phase, strategies will continue to evolve, with reliability and performance being critical as the clock ticks on this iconic endurance challenge.
