- Multiple Authors
- Jul 4, 2025
- 20 min read
FIA World Endurance Championship - 24 Hours of Le Mans - Relentless and Rewarded as #83 AF Corse conquers Le Mans with historic victory
Hanson, Kubica and Ye secure Ferrari's third consecutive Le Mans victory as the #83 AF Corse 499P withstands relentless pressure and penalty chaos to continue the Prancing Horse's modern-era dominance.
Contributions by Olly Shakesby and Charlie Thornton
RACE
The 93rd Edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicked off with a clean start, but the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport Porsche 963 of Julien Andlauer stormed into the lead of the race during the first two sectors, boldly overtaking both the #38 and #12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R’s, and took early control of the race. At the end of the opening lap, the #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 Evo of Maxime Martin had already made moves into third in LMGT3.
Shortly after, the #007 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Valkyrie pitted with a slow puncture, while Kévin Estre was flying in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport entry, clocking the fastest lap of the race so far, and climbing to eighth position overall, after starting twenty-first due to their qualifying disqualification.
The LMGT3 fight intensified with a thrilling four-car battle between the #10 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 Evo, #77 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3, #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo and the #81 TF Sport Chevrolet Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R, but chaos struck at the Dunlop Chicane where both the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07 and the #193 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari 296 LMGT3 spun, and a questionable rejoin led to slight contact with the #23 United Autosports Oreca 07, which headed for review.
Further up the field, a tight scrap for twelfth in Hypercar saw the #4 Porsche of Felipe Nasr, #7 Toyota of Mike Conway, and the #35 Alpine of Ferdinand Habsburg fight nose-to-tail, while in LMP2, the #34 Inter Europol Competition of Luca Ghiotto, #29 TDS Racing of Rodrigo Sales and the #37 CLX - Pure Rxcing of Aliaksandr Malykhin were locked into a three-way fight. The hour ended with a major incident for Paul di Resta in the #93 Peugeot TotalEnergies Peugeot 9X8 at the Porsche Curves, causing significant damage, and an early setback for the team.
HOUR ONE CLASS RESULTS:
As the race entered its second hour, action remained relentless across the field, when the #4 Porsche of Nick Tandy made a move on the #7 Toyota of Mike Conway to take thirteenth position overall, while moments later in LMGT3, the #10 Aston Martin of Valentin Hasse-Clot surged into the class lead, overtaking the #46 Team WRT BMW of Ahmad Al Harthy.
The change of the #50 Ferrari continued through the hour with Nicklas Nielsen overtaking the #6 Porsche of Kévin Estre to move into fourth, and just minutes later, he slipped past the #12 Cadillac of Will Stevens, to take second position, accounting for pit cycles.
HOUR TWO CLASS RESULTS:
As the race moved into the third hour, Ferrari’s pace began to shine, but Laurens Vanthoor in the #6 Porsche capitalised on the traffic at the Porsche Curves to take second place from the #5 Porsche of Mathieu Jaminet. Not long after, the #50 Ferrari of Antonio Fuoco surged into the overall lead, passing Jaminet before Indianapolis with the Ferrari’s impressive straight-line speed.
Further down the order, Antonio Giovinazzi made progress for Ferrari as well, putting the #51 past the #15 BMW of Dries Vanthoor for sixth position, meanwhile both Alpine Hypercars were handed harsh penalties for pit lane speeding, with the #35 a five-second stop-and-go, followed by a twenty-second stop-and-go for the #36.
HOUR THREE CLASS RESULTS:
The fourth hour saw on-track battles and penalties continue to shape the order. A devastating incident for the #88 Proton Competition Ford Mustang LMGT3 of Giammarco Levorato saw a loose tyre-nut, and a subsequent hard collision with the tyre barriers at Tetre Rouge, becoming the first retirement of the race. Moments later, a battle for first position overall saw back-and-forth action between the #51 Ferrari of Giovinazzi and the #5 Porsche of Jaminet. Giovinazzi made the first move, but Jaminet responded instantly to regain the position.
Toyota’s recovery continued as Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 overtook the #35 Alpine of Charles Milesi for fourteenth overall, having been stuck behind for several laps. The duel was interrupted when a full course yellow was called, neutralising the field in the moment. After that, race control issued a flurry of penalties, again with speeding penalties for the two Alpine A424’s, while others were penalised for slow zone and full course yellow infractions. Elsewhere, the #60 Iron Lynx Mercedes-AMG LMGT3 Evo of Fran Rueda slowed down on the Mulsanne Straight, and was soon taken back into the garage. Around the same time, Laurens Vanthoor exited the pits ahead of the #83 Ferrari of Robert Kubica, having pitted simultaneously. The two traded positions afterwards, with Kubica briefly taking third position before Vanthoor fought back entering Indianapolis as the battle nearly became a three-way ordeal when the #51 Ferrari also attempted to insert itself into the scrap.
HOUR FOUR CLASS RESULTS:
Robert Kubica opened the fifth hour by overtaking the #6 Porsche of Vanthoor for second position, but just before he received a five-second time penalty for gaining a lasting advantage in the previous hour. Soon after, Giovinazzi in the #51 Ferrari also passed Vanthoor, dropping the Porsche into fourth, making it a Ferrari 1-2-3. During the hour, Célia Martin dropped two positions in the Dunlop Chicane when she went off track in the #85 Iron Dames Porsche 992 LMGT3 R, dropping to ninth in class.
HOUR FIVE CLASS RESULTS:
The race entered the sixth hour, and we saw a dramatic moment when the #5 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 was airborne with all four wheels off the ground while going over a kerb to avoid the #311 Whelen Cadillac. The #7 Toyota was handed a massive fifty-second stop-and-go penalty for speeding in the pit lane, while the #95 United Autosports McLaren 720s LMGT3 Evo of Darren Leung came to a halt between the second chicane and the Mulsanne Corner, prompting a full course yellow, which also saw multiple penalties issued for failing to follow full course yellow procedures, notably for the pole-sitting #29 TDS Racing Oreca 07.
HOUR SIX CLASS RESULTS:
As the race progressed, more penalties were given when the #193 Ziggo Sport Tempesta Ferrari was handed a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag infringement, while shortly after that, the #94 Peugeot of Loïc Duval missed the Mulsanne Corner and made contact with the #35 Alpine of Paul-Loup Chatin, and had to reroute through the roundabout. Duval was given a drive-through for the contact. The #199 AO by TF Oreca 07 and #61 Iron Lynx Mercedes LMGT3 received drive-throughs for yellow flag violations, while the #33 TF Sport Corvette of Jonny Edgar returned to the track following an eight-minute garage stop. Another penalty was distributed to the #38 Cadillac for yellow flag infringements, marking a tense and error-filled hour of the race.
HOUR SEVEN CLASS RESULTS:
Another string of penalties disrupted the flow of the race as multiple cars were caught violating yellow flag conditions. The #34 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07, #50 Ferrari AF Corse 499P, #93 Peugeot 9X8, #81 TF Sport Corvette and #311 Whelen Cadillac were all handed drive-through penalties for the infringements, with the #50 particularly notable as it was running in second place overall at the time. Separately, the #20 BMW was given a fifteen-second stop-and-go penalty for pit lane speeding, adding to another chaotic sequence of rule breaches during the long race.
HOUR EIGHT CLASS RESULTS:
Drama unfolded at the Mulsanne Corner as the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Phil Hanson slid off into the gravel while leading the race. The incident handed the overall lead to the #51 Ferrari driven by James Calado.
HOUR NINE CLASS RESULTS:
The #311 Cadillac of Jack Aitken hit trouble as it pitted with an unspecified issue, eventually spending eighteen minutes in the garage before rejoining the race. Reports suggested that a locked torque sensor and possible ECU replacement caused the lengthy delay, costing the car significant ground in the order. Shortly after this the #51 of James Calado received a five second time penalty for an incident with the #33 TF Sport Corvette. Before the end of the tenth hour the #51 came down pitlane for a scheduled service, served their five second penalty and then immediately received a twenty second stop and go penalty for speeding.
HOUR TEN CLASS RESULTS:
As the race continued towards the mid-way stages the #46 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 Evo was stopped in the gravel in the Porsche Curves in the hands of Kelvin van der Linde. The stopped car needed a slow zone to be recovered and the WRT entry lost two laps to the lead of the LMGT3 class. Just a few minutes later there was a full course yellow due to debris on track at marshal post six.
HOUR ELEVEN CLASS RESULTS:
As the race approached the halfway mark, a mix of drama, misfortune and tight racing shaped the race. The #46 Team WRT BMW M4 LMGT3 Evo was wheeled into the garage with electrical issues after Kelvin van der Linde’s issues in the previous hour, while Sarah Bovy’s charge in the #85 Iron Dames Porsche for tenth position in LMGT3 fell just short after a battle with Lilou Wadoux in the #150 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3. The first safety car of the race made its appearance with eleven hours and twelve minutes having already been ready been run, the cause was the #24 Nielsen Racing LMP2 in the hands of Cem Bölükbaşi in the wall at Tetre Rouge. After forty minutes the race was green again and almost immediately a bad night got worse for WRT, the #31 entry making a smoky entrance into the pitlane after colliding with a rabbit. Another hypercar retirement would strike in the minutes before the halfway mark, the #101 Cadillac Wayne Taylor Racing entry in the hands of Filipe Albuquerque reversing the car behind the barriers after suffering an engine failure.
HALF-DISTANCE CLASS RESULTS:
Immediately after the twelve hour mark passed the #4 and #5 Porsche Penske Motorsports entries, and the #13 AWA Racing Corvette were all given drive through penalties for slow zone procedures in the lead up to the aforementioned safety car. In the LMGT3 class there was a heated battle for the podium, the #78 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus and the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari getting past the #81 TF Sport Corvette for second and third in class respectively. Just before eleven hours to go the #83 AF Corse Ferrari in the hand of Yifei Ye moved ahead of the #8 in the hands of Ryō Hirikawa.
HOUR THIRTEEN CLASS RESULTS:
The #31 Team WRT BMW came back out of the pitlane after eighty minutes in the garage. On track the Ferrari 499P’s were navigating their way to the front, the #50 of Miguel Molina got past the #6 of Matt Campbell in a battle where the cars passed each other multiple times before a track cut for the #6 forced them to cede the position.
HOUR FOURTEEN CLASS RESULTS:
As the race continued towards nine hours to go there was drama in LMGT3 as the #85 Iron Dames Porsche in the hands of Rahel Frey was beached in the gravel after contact from the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus which, at the time, was being driven by Clemens Schmid. This led to a full course yellow for the car to be recovered. In hypercar the Ferrari in-fighting began, the #51 of James Calado overtaking the #83 customer Ferrari for the lead of the race. The damage to the #85 Iron Dames Porsche continued to plague them and they suffered from gearbox issues, the #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus was handed a drive through penalty for causing the collision.
HOUR FIFTEEN CLASS RESULTS:
These gearbox issues for the #85 continued to plague them and the car was wheeled into the garage as the sixteenth hour of the race began, also into the garage was the #311 Whelen Cadillac in the hands of Frederik Vesti.
HOUR SIXTEEN CLASS RESULTS:
A large flurry of penalties and incidents shook up the race order as yellow flag violations at Marshal post twenty-one led to drive-throughs for thirteen cars, including the race leading #51 Ferrari 499P of James Calado, the second-placed #83 AF Corse Ferrari of Phil Hanson, and the LMGT3 leading #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 992 GT3 R of Riccardo Pera. The #311 of Frederik Vesti came to a halt near the Dunlop Chicane, prompting a slow zone, with signs pointing to another Cadillac engine failure. Further penalties followed as the #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca 07 was hit with a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infringement, while the sister #45 received two penalties, one for a slow zone breach, and another 10-second stop-and-go for pit lane speeding. Amid the chaos, lap times continued to tumble with successive fastest laps from Dries Vanthoor in the #15 BMW, Antonio Fuoco in the #50 Ferrari, and ultimately Robert Kubica in the #83 Ferrari, who clocked a 3:26.562. The drama continued when Jules Gounon in the #36 Alpine ended up beached at Mulsanne Corner, triggering a full course yellow.
HOUR SEVENTEEN CLASS RESULTS:
The eighteenth hour of the race was largely uninterrupted, with little track action, a brief full course yellow was called for debris clean-up and twenty minutes later the #57 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 LMGT3 was given a drive through for the full course yellow procedures.
HOUR EIGHTEEN CLASS RESULTS:
This is the time when Charlie fell asleep, and stopped taking notes - we do apologise for the inconvenience, but regardless, nothing really happened.
HOUR NINETEEN CLASS RESULTS:
As the race approached four hours to remain disaster struck for the #8 Toyota Gazoo Racing in the hands of Ryō Hirakawa, the car was released in an unsafe condition, with the front left wheel incorrectly secured. After running slowly for a whole lap the car was able to come back into the pitlane and secure the wheel properly.
HOUR TWENTY CLASS RESULTS:
The #8 Toyota GR010 returned to the track after undergoing a front-left suspension rebuild, while drama struck in LMP2 as Job van Uitert’s #28 IDEC Sport Oreca 07 came to a halt in the gravel at the Dunlop Chicanes after losing its right-rear wheel while running third, prompting a slow zone, and the car unable to complete the race. A separate full course yellow was later called for debris in the Porsche Curves, meanwhile, the #22 United Autosports Oreca 07 of Renger van der Zande slowed down from fifth in class with a suspected issue, and in the Hypercar battle, Nicklas Nielsen in the #50 Ferrari overtook teammate James Calado in the #51 to move into second position overall.
HOUR TWENTY-ONE CLASS RESULTS:
Into the final three hours and another full course yellow was required for debris clear up and the first break of the Ferrari deadlock was achieved by Matt Campbell, who overtook the #51 of James Calado for third overall just before the race clock ticked over to two hours remaining.
HOUR TWENTY-TWO CLASS RESULTS:
Into the final two hours of the race the #59 United Autosports McLaren 720s LMGT3 had to come into the garage and both BMW M Team WRT Hypercars came into the garage as well, the #20 with expected engine issues and the #15 with a believed alternator issue. With just over an hour to go the #50 Ferrari AF Corse in the hands of Antonio Fuoco overtook the sister #51 car, being driven by Antonio Giovinazzi, to try and chase down the #6 of Kévin Estre that was occupying second place on the road. However, before any type of assault could begin there was yet another full course yellow, the #59 United Autosports McLaren in the hands of Grégoire Saucy came to a halt before the Porsche Curves on its outlap from the previous issue that had put them in the garage.
HOUR TWENTY-THREE CLASS RESULTS:
In the final hour of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, another wave of penalties disrupted the field, with the #7 Toyota Gazoo Racing, #009 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, #13 AWA Corvette and #87 Akkodis ASP Team Lexus all receiving drive-throughs for full course yellow procedure violations, followed shortly by the #10 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin, #37 CLX - Pure Rxcing Oreca 07, and the #150 Richard Mille AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 for yellow flag infringements at marshal post twenty-eight. The LMP2 leading #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca was penalised for pit lane speeding but recovered to win the class for Inter Europol. With twenty-six minutes remaining, Antonio Giovinazzi brought the #51 Ferrari into the pits from the lead, as both Ferrari crews received urgent warnings to stay out of the slipstream and be alert for engine issues and loose parts.
Despite the tension, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari, driven by Phil Hanson, Robert Kubica, and Yifei Ye, crossed the line to win the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, marking the first victory for a Polish and a Chinese driver and extending the British driver win tally to thirty-seven. The aforementioned #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 driven by Tom Dillmann, Jakub Śmiechowski and Nick Yelloly took overall LMP2 honours, while the #199 AO by TF of Dane Cameron, Louis Delétraz and P. J. Hyett was third in LMP2, and took the Pro-Am victory. Manthey EMA secured back-to-back LMGT3 wins, this time with the #92 Manthey 1st Phorm entry of Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera.
After the race, the fourth place finishing #50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen was disqualified from the race due to a technical infringement found in post-race scrutineering. The car’s rear wing support was not in compliance with the deflection test, and was therefore out of the technical regulations. This disqualification promoted the #12 Hertz Team JOTA Cadillac V-Series.R of Alex Lynn, Norman Nato and Will Stevens to fourth in the final results, and the #7 Toyota of Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and Nyck de Vries to fifth.
PODIUMS IN EACH CLASS
HYPERCAR: #83 - AF Corse, Ferrari 499P - Phil Hanson, Robert Kubica & Yifei Ye
LMP2: #43 - Inter Europol Competition, Oreca 07 - Tom Dillmann, Jakub Śmiechowski & Nick Yelloly
LMP2 Pro-Am: #199 - AO by TF, Oreca 07 - Dane Cameron, Louis Delétraz & P. J. Hyett
LMGT3: #92 - Manthey 1st Phorm, Porsche 992 LMGT3 R - Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz & Riccardo Pera
HYPERCAR DRIVERS' & MANUFACTURERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
After four rounds of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship, the #51 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi and Alessandro Pier Guidi continue to lead the championship with 105 points after Ferrari have won every round of the season so far. After their victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P of Phil Hanson, Robert Kubica and Yifei Ye jump into second position in the standings with 89 points, while the disqualification for the #50 Ferrari AF Corse crew of Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen drops them to third with 57 points.
1 | #51 - Ferrari AF Corse, Ferrari 499P | James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi & Alessandro Pier Guidi | 105 points |
2 | #83 - AF Corse, Ferrari 499P | Phil Hanson, Robert Kubica & Yifei Ye | 89 points |
3 | #50 - Ferrari AF Corse, Ferrari 499P | Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina & Nicklas Nielsen | 57 points |
4 | #7 - Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota GR010 | Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi & Nyck de Vries | 44 points |
5 | #6 - Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963 | Kévin Estre & Laurens Vanthoor | 42 points |
6 | #12 - Hertz Team JOTA, Cadillac V-Series.R | Alex Lynn, Norman Nato & Will Stevens | 42 points |
7 | #6 - Porsche Penske Motorsport, Porsche 963 | Matt Campbell | 40 points |
8 | #8 - Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota GR010 | Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley & Ryō Hirikawa | 37 points |
9 | #36 - Alpine Endurance Team, Alpine A424 | Jules Gounon, Frédéric Makowiecki & Mick Schumacher | 34 points |
10 | #20 - BMW M Team WRT, BMW M Hybrid V8 | Robin Frijns, René Rast & Sheldon van der Linde | 27 points |
LMGT3 DRIVERS' & MANUFACTURERS' CHAMPIONSHIP
The 24 Hours of Le Mans winning #92 Manthey 1st Phorm Porsche 992 LMGT3 R of Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz and Riccardo Pera take over the lead of the championship, demoting the previously leading #33 TF Sport Corvette to third in the standings with 60 points, while the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari of Heriau, Mann and Rovera remain second in the standings with 76 points.
1 | #92 - Manthey 1st Phorm, Porsche 992 GT3 R | Ryan Hardwick, Richard Lietz & Riccardo Pera | 81 points |
2 | #21 - Vista AF Corse, Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | François Hériau, Simon Mann & Alessio Rovera | 76 points |
3 | #33 - TF Sport, Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Jonny Edgar, Daniel Juncadella & Ben Keating | 60 points |
4 | #27 - Heart of Racing, Aston Martin Vantage LMGT3 | Mattia Drudi, Ian James, Zacharie Robichon | 47 points |
5 | #78 - Akkodis ASP Team, Lexus RC F LMGT3 | Finn Gehrsitz & Arnold Robin | 38 points |
6 | #81 - TF Sport, Corvette Z06 LMGT3.R | Rui Andrade, Charlie Eastwood & Tom van Rompuy | 38 points |
7 | #87 - Akkodis ASP Team, Lexus RC F LMGT3 | José María López, Clemens Schmid & Răzvan Umbrărescu | 32 points |
8 | #54 - Vista AF Corse, Ferrari 296 LMGT3 | Francesco Castellacci, Thomas Flohr & Davide Rigon | 31 points |
9 | #59 - United Autosports, McLaren 720s LMGT3 | Sébastien Baud, James Cottingham & Grégoire Saucy | 27 points |
10 | #77 - Proton Competition, Ford Mustang LMGT3 | Ben Barker, Bernardo Sousa & Ben Tuck | 25 points |
6 HOURS OF SÃO PAULO
The fifth round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season heads to the Interlagos Circuit for a six-hour battle between Hypercar and LMGT3.
Images © DPPI, Aston Martin Racing, Ferrari Hypercar,
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