Ferrari 499P
Robert Kubica is responsible for 43% of the total
In this race, ace driver Kubica showed incredible driving, taking 43% of the laps and leading the team to victory.
At 4pm on June 14th, 21 hypercars from eight manufacturers gathered at the Circuit de la Sarthe in front of a crowd of 332,000. The race started under fine weather, and fierce battles erupted in various locations right from the start.
For the Ferraris, the Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P No. 50 (Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Niklas Nielsen) started the final race from 7th place on the grid, the No. 51 car (Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi) from 11th place on the grid, and the No. 83 AF Corse car from 13th place.
Kubica, a veteran of many races, including F1, delivered a brilliant performance in the final race. He drove 43% of the race, including an incredible five consecutive stints towards the end. The #83 499P completed 387 laps, finishing in first place by 14.084 seconds over the second-placed #6 Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsports (Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, Matt Campbell). Third place went to the #51 Ferrari 499P.
Ferrari wins Le Mans three times in a row with different teams
Car No. 83 took the lead, replacing the factory team’s cars No. 50 and No. 51, and led Porsche to its first victory at Le Mans.
The No. 50 and No. 51 factory cars were in contention for the win, but a series of penalties and problems such as flat tires meant that the No. 83 car was thrust into the spotlight.
It was Kubica’s first overall victory at Le Mans. Philip Hansson’s victory followed his 2020 LMP2 class victory, and Ye Yifei became the first Chinese driver to win at Le Mans. Kubica, who continued to lead the team, erupted in celebration after the finish.
“The whole team did a great job. It may not have been a perfect race, but I would say we deserved to win. Our team had speed and strength and made few mistakes. I wasn’t supposed to do the fifth stint at the end (laughs), but we were able to control everything and bring the car safely to the finish,” said Kubica.
“I’m happy to dedicate this victory to Ferrari. To win Le Mans three years in a row with three different teams and drivers is incredible. Right now I’m feeling a mixture of fatigue and adrenaline and looking forward to some rest. Today has been a really special day and I’m feeling emotional myself, because to be honest we really didn’t expect this result…”
