24 Hours of Le Mans – H+10: Peugeot mocks the neutralizations!
Indeed, the events are favoring Peugeot. Car number 94, after a Safety Car and a Full Course Yellow, has maintained the lead in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, while Ferrari has encountered yet another setback.
After the 8th hour of this 24 Hours of Le Mans centenary, Peugeot, with the 9X8 No. 94, saw its lead diminished by the third intervention of the Safety Car. The Toyota No. 7 had to be cleared from the Hunaudières straight.
It could be said that this new complete neutralization was a sign that the show was far from over, very far indeed! The 24 Hours of Le Mans have been absolutely insane from start to finish, no matter the category.
Moreover, among the other competitors, the unfortunate Alpine #35, which had a great start to the race, plummeted to 16th place in the LMP2 category after the crash with the Toyota #7. In the GTE-Am class, Project One was still holding its own against the constantly competitive Iron Dames. As for the Corvette #33, it was steadily making progress from 10th place.
But attention was naturally always focused on this surprising Peugeot No. 94. Jean-Marc Finot, the head of Stellantis Motorsport, and Carlos Tavares kept a discreet smile (because there was still plenty of time).
During the Safety Car intervention, Alex Lynn’s Cadillac N°2 successfully jumped ahead of the two Ferraris in the pit lane! The ranking of the Hypercars remained incredibly unpredictable, much to the delight of the brave fans who stayed awake.
Relance puis FCY!
Once the Safety Car was cleared, Rio Hirakawa in the Toyota No. 8 immediately closed in on the leading Peugeot. And he overtook it under braking at the second chicane of Les Hunaudières. As for the Ferraris, they resumed their positions and started chasing the Japanese car, now leading this classic race in Le Mans.
The Jota LMP2 then made a mistake at the Daytona chicane and a new slow zone was then put in place. It just doesn’t stop!
Then, at 1:31 am, Porsche No. 5 entered the garage, reflecting a very disappointing centenary edition for the German team. The front axle was disassembled.
The two Ferraris, on the other hand, followed each other, with the 51 car in front of the 50, in an attempt to catch up with Nico Müller’s Peugeot.
In the other French team, at Alpine, Julien Canal has taken over from Matthieu Vaxivière, achieving a very impressive 9th place in the LMP2 category. In the GT class, the Project One’s Porsche has reclaimed the lead ahead of AF Corse (Ferrari No. 54).
But Hirakawa, in the surviving Toyota, pushed to try to escape, almost in vain. Then, once again, an LMP2 brought life to the race: the Prema No. 63, driven by Daniil Kvyat, had its rear suspension give out at the exit of the S Porsches: we were in for a Full Course Yellow. The Toyota immediately took advantage of this to pit and give the lead back to Peugeot.
Then, plot twist: the Ferrari No. 50 is called back to the garage! The entire front of the car has been dismantled. Peugeot had a clear field to play.
