Le Mans Hour 24: #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P wins 24 Hour classic

Robert Kubica (Poland), Ye Yifei (Chinese), and Philip Hanson (British) have given Ferrari its third consecutive win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, driving the privately entered yellow #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P.

–by Mark Cipolloni–

It is the 12th all-time Le Mans victory for the famous ‘Prancing Horse.’

The 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans has come to an end. A thrilling contest with amazing on-track duels, tactical and strategic battles on the pit wall, with thousands around the circuit and millions at home watching history in the making as Ferrari took a hat-trick of wins at Le Mans – repeating the success they achieved 60 years ago in 1965.

All three Ferrari 499Ps dominated large portions of the race, but it was the yellow #83 car that emerged victorious by making less mistakes and having great strategy.

Robert Kubica did a yeoman’s job driving the last stint in the seat of the #83 for 3.5 hours.

It was the first Le Mans win for all three drivers – and a milestone for Kubica and Ye, the first drivers from Poland and China, respectively, to win the race overall.

The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 of Laurens Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, and Matt Campbell finished a close second after starting last in the Hypercar class.

The two factory Ferraris finished third and fourth, with the #51 499P (Alessandro Pier Guidi/James Calado/Antonio Giovinazzi) ahead of the #50 (Antonio Fuoco/Miguel Molina/Nicklas Nielsen).

Provisionally, the #12 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series.R rounds out the overall top five.

Le Mans LMP2

Having won the 2023 LMP2 class, the yellow and green Inter Europol Competition team were back on the top step in France. #43 ORECA  was embroiled in a titanic tussle with VDS Panis Racing in their number #48 version from yesterday evening when the pole sitter, the #29 TDS Racing outfit were to fall by the wayside early on in the race.

The Polish #43 team picked up the baton, an honor they grabbed with both hands, but they weren’t going to have it all their own way – as drivers Jakub Smiechowski, Tom Dillmann and Nick Yelloly had to fight for it as they were locked into a battle with the #48 throughout the night and into Sunday morning.

To try and get ahead, Panis Racing undercut the Inter Europol Competition squad and in the process were able to slash the deficit with each stint and as the clock struck zero, there was only a handful of seconds between them until drama struck, with 32 minutes left on the clock. The #43 driven by Nick Yelloly was caught speeding in the pit lane and received a drive-through penalty. Nick Yelloly, despite the drive through, sensed an opportunity with a poor lap from Panis Racing – the British driver passed the #48 with 15 minutes left on the clock!

The #9 Iron Lynx outfit were fighting tooth and nail with the #28 IDEC Sport car until 3 hours and 30 minutes were left on the clock, when the right rear wheel nut sheared off the back of the #28 ORECA, and helpless Job Van Uitert was a passenger as the car went straight into the gravel trap at Chapelle corner on the descent from the Dunlop Bridge. Heartbreak for the whole team – so near, yet so far. The #9 Iron Lynx struggled on Sunday afternoon and were tactically passed by the #199 AO by TF car affectionately known as Spike. Not only did the crew in the purple car stand on the outright LMP2 podium – they also won the LMP2 Pro/AM category following a stellar job by PJ Hyett, Dane Cameron and Louis Deletraz throughout the 24 hours.

Le Mans LMGT3

The #92 Manthey 1ST Phorm Porsche was the car to beat for the majority of the race. Superlatives are not enough to describe their dominance, as they held the lead of the class to the very end – with drivers Ryan Hardwick, Riccardo Pera and Richard Lietz etching their names into the history books.

In second, the #21 Vista AF Corse Ferrari 296 LMGT3 had a quiet yet effective race – steering clear of trouble, and keeping their heads down. They couldn’t quite match their FIA World Endurance Championship LMGT3 class win last time out in Spa – but second here will help them in the championship chase.

#81 TF Sport with their yellow Corvette turned on the afterburners this afternoon to wrestle back the final podium sport from the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin, a battle they enjoyed all morning long, while the dominant #87 Akoddis ASP Lexus – the team and car that topped many of the sessions during the week will be pleased with fifth despite all their race dramas, but at the same time there will be some head scratching to do regarding the one that got away!

Elsewhere, just ahead of the final hour mark the sole remaining #59 United Autosports McLaren came to a grinding halt – almost a carbon copy of the issue the sister car faced last night. This time the electric orange GT car stopped between Aranage and the Porsche Curves, bringing out a Full Course Yellow to recover the 720S safely.

2025 24 Hours of Le Mans Final Results