24 Hours of Le Mans: The highlights after 24 hours

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is far more than just an endurance race. It is a timeless space that can turn the winners into legends after overcoming their opponents and themselves, constantly taking risks and facing new challenges in terms of reliability and performance.

It is a place where myth, legend, memories, anecdotes, characters and cars have been racing since 1923, attracting hundreds of thousands of spectators, stimulating excitement and dreams while helping to write memorable pages in the great book of motorsport.

In 2019, seventy years after a Ferrari’s first win in the French race, the AF Corse 488 GTE crewed by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Daniel Serra claimed a thirty-sixth victory for the Prancing Horse. This year the trio gave their all to repeat the triumph, but the chance of a head-to-head duel for victory slipped away with thirty minutes to go.

Their second-place leaves little to regret because they held nothing back and another podium finish at Le Mans is never guaranteed. Indeed, François Perrodo, Emmanuel Collard and Nicklas Nielsen were delighted with third spot on the podium, which they seized with grit and determination after a comeback from thirteenth due to a puncture during the early hours of the race.

Despite their fatigue, everyone, whether they crossed the finish line or had to drop out early, had but one thought: to count the days to the next edition of a timeless race, something more than just an endurance race.