Kubica steers Ferrari to third consecutive 24 Hours of Le Mans
AFP | Le Mans
Former Formula One driver Robert Kubica took the chequered flag in his bright yellow 'privateer' Ferrari to give the Italian marque a third consecutive win in the 24 Hours of Le Mans yesterday.
In a thrilling 93rd edition of the race, which saw the top four separated by just over 20 seconds going into the final 15 minutes, Kubica and his co-drivers Philip Hanson and Ye Yifei (#83) finished just 14.084sec ahead of a Porsche (#6) driven by Kevin Estre, Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor.
All three drivers of #83 are first-time winners with Kubica, whose F1 career was effectively terminated by a harrowing rally crash in Andorra in 2011, becoming the first Polish winner and Ye the first from China.
'It's been a long 24 hours but an enjoyable one. Grazie mille, grazie a tutti,' said the 40-year-old Kubica over the team radio.
The two factory Ferraris driven by driven by Antonio Giovinazzi (#51) and Antonio Fuoco (#50), who were tipped to win the race, crossed the line for third and fourth, thwarted in their bid for a clean sweep of the podium, something they had achieved twice before in 1961 and 1965.
'Winning Le Mans is special,' Kubica told TNT Sports. 'It's been a demanding week. We made everything possible. We kept our heads down when we had to push, and when not we took care of the tyres.
'I'm happy for myself, my team-mates, AF Corse and Ferrari winning three times in row. A better scenario, we could not have.'
It was certainly a good day for Ferrari but there will undoubtedly be some at headquarters in Maranello who might take issue with Kubica. As the winning car was not entered directly by the manufacturer, but by the AF Corse team, Ferrari will not take the points for victory in the World Endurance Championship.
Cadillac locked out the front row of the grid but #12 of Will Stephens, who had taken pole, had to settle for fifth with the second car (#38), featuring former Formula One world champion Jensen Button, coming home in eighth.
Kubica's #83 started back in 13th place but immediately made inroads through the field as Estre marched his #6 Porsche brilliantly up to join the front runners from 21st on the grid.
The two factory Ferraris then asserted themselves and the 2023 winners in #51 appeared to be in control until Alessandro Pier Guidi spun the race-leading car while entering the pit lane inside the final quarter of the race.
That cost them valuable time and their hopes of winning were ended when they had a power loss in the final hour.
Fuoco also lost time after #50's final pit stop to leave the two factory Ferraris scrapping for third.
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