24 Hours of Le Mans: Who is the man of the race, Kévin Estre or Robert Kubica?
Both men put in a tremendous performance. Kévin Estre climbed from last to second place. Robert Kubica drove a very clean race, with no mistakes, and showed tremendous consistency.
The question arises. Truly. These two men dazzled this edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with their talent, race management, and offensive strategy.
Starting last in the Hypercar category, Kévin Estre completed the first stint of the year. Possibly of the decade. In just one lap, the driver of the #6 Porsche climbed to 16th place and handed the car over to his teammates in 3rd place after two hours of racing.
After flawless management, the trio of the reigning world champion car managed to hold off the Ferraris that were, however, faster. What benefited the Stuttgart brand were the numerous mistakes made by the Maranello firm.
At the end of the race, as the victory was being contested between the three Ferraris and the Porsche #6, Kévin Estre took the wheel and drove a series of fast laps. However, the pace of the #83 did not allow him to come back and claim the most significant victory of the season.
Kévin Estre, whether in traffic or on a clear track, was perfect. His only regret was being disqualified from qualifying, because with fewer cars to overtake, he would have been in front. Porsche’s 20th victory in Le Mans will have to wait.
And Robert Kubica in all this? The Pole was very clean throughout the event, he didn’t attempt any desperate maneuvers. Sometimes slightly distanced, the Ferrari #83 managed to regain contact with the leading trio.
While he was not supposed to overtake the two official Scuderia cars, he took advantage of their misfortunes and especially their mistakes. Then leading, Alessandro Pier Guidi, in the #51, made a mistake he shouldn’t have made a few hours before the end. While entering the pit lane, he spun and lost the lead of the race.
Alessandro Pier Guidi loses control in the #51 works Ferrari on pit-in! And loses the lead to the #83 AF Corse Ferrari. Anything can still happen in this race! #LeMans24 pic.twitter.com/VJWo0wFbB7
— 24 Hours of Le Mans (@24hoursoflemans) June 15, 2025
This error fully benefited the #83 crew to take the lead and race towards victory. Robert Kubica, faced with a fired-up Kévin Estre ready to make history, kept his cool and increased his pace to distance himself from the Frenchman in the final half-hour.
If Robert Kubica was perfect from start to finish and won a prestigious victory, Kévin Estre’s performance in a less powerful car was more impressive.
