Ferrari race cars have been a mainstay at the 24 Hours of Le Mans for a long time, but the Scuderia hasn’t sent a car to fight at the highest level at Le Mans in 50 years. Ferrari won the 2023 Le Mans. It was the first time since the 1960s that Ferrari won the famous endurance race. It was also fitting that Ferrari, a racing powerhouse since its beginnings and a regular in the Le Mans winner’s circle in the 1950s and 1960s, came back to the track to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the race, first held in 1923. This year’s race was the 91st one in the history of the event. With the win, Ferrari won its tenth Le Mans title altogether. After all the festivities of the centenary, including NBA superstar LeBron James as the official starter, the No. 51 Ferrari 499P Hypercar class entry, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi, beat the No. 8 Toyota GR010, driven by Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley, and Ryo Hirakawa. The other car in the lead, a Toyota GR010, was damaged in a crash, and the No. 50 Ferrari, which had won the Hyperbole, couldn’t be used because a rock punctured one of its radiators. It was the first time a Toyota had pulled out of Le Mans since 2017 and the first time since 2018 that a Toyota hadn’t won the top class. Earl Bamber, Alex Lynn, and Richard Westbrook drove the No. 2 V-Series R for Cadillac Racing. It came in third place. In the other classes, LMP2 was won by Jakub Smiechowski, Albert Costa, and Fabio Scherer in their Oreca 07-Gibson No. 34 Inter Europol Competition car. Even though there were technical problems, the Corvette Racing No. 33 Corvette C8.R, driven by Nicky Catsburg, American Ben Keating, and Italian Nicolas Varrone, won the LMGTE Am class. Hendrick Motorsports Garage 56, which was in the “Innovative Car” class, was another famous car. Its Chevrolet Camaro ZL1, driven by NASCAR legend Jimmie Johnson, Mike Rockenfeller, and former Formula One winner Jenson Button, finished the race in 39th place, even though its gearbox had many problems.
