John Elkan's heart must've stopped as the Ferrari big boss watched from directly above his team's pit garage as the Le Mans 24 Hours leading 499P, with Alessandro Pier Guidi in the cockpit, refused to start with 24 minutes to go in the race, on Sunday.
The #8 Toyota was in second, pursuing the leaders relentlessly, as the lead Ferrari remained stationary in its pit slot, for a second time the starter motor being outrageously stubborn, now time with the finish line in sight!
But cool and calm heads prevailed in the Ferrari garage, they rebooted the car, and it fired up! To the relief of everyone watching the drama unfold, and to a massive roar from the main grandstand over the road, as Pier Guidi got going and went on to etch his name in Le Mans immortality - ditto for his teammates Antonio Giovinazzi and James Colado - with a famous and immensely significant victory on all fronts.
The tenth victory at Circuit de la Sarthe for Ferrari, who departed the premier sportscar scene 50 years ago, returning this year to contest the booming Hypercar series; a formula that has the series enjoying a renaissance, this Centenary race, the 91st at the iconic venue lived up to its billing as the Race of the Century.
That Ferrari won it, amid their falterings in Formula 1, is a much-needed boost for the great Italian motor racing team, as victory at Le Mans in Enzo Ferrari's time - as the hands-on boss at Maranello - was worth an F1 world title. In those days they built cars with one objective, to win the great race, which they dominated in the late fifties and early sixties.
Ferrari's victory at Le Mans is a one for Italy and the whole of motorsport
Fast forward five decades, to this past weekend, Ferrari battling for the win at Le Mans was just the tonic Italy needed to revive the passion the country has for the great endurance race and a welcome respite from the gloomy performance of their team in F1.
The victory is also confirmation that Elkann and his team got this one right. Returning to Le Mans was a masterstroke, victory at Le Mans was an unexpected cherry for a 'rookie' team in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar era.
After a drama-filled and incident-packed race, big scares that even afflicted the winning #51, Elkann declared: “This has been an unforgettable day that I’d like to dedicate to everyone at Ferrari.
After 50 years we have returned to compete in the highest category of endurance racing that has a place at the very heart of our story and that of all motorsport. We’re proud indeed to have taken Italy once again to the top step of the podium at Le Mans, celebrating in the best possible style the centenary of the most important race of its kind in the world.”
The Ferrari 499P was born about a year ago as Maranello prepped for their new era in sportscar endurance racing aka WEC Hypercar. Clearly of good stock, the red car, with the yellow stripe tipping a hat to the team's legacy in the premier sportscar class secured pole for the season opener as it did for this edition of the race when Antonio Fuoco enjoyed his most famous day with a gritty performance during Hyperpole on Thursday.
Elkann: Emotions for our Tifosi on a great day that brings together past, present and future
The Ferrari boss continued: “This victory that Antonello Coletta, Amato Ferrari and the entire team, from our mechanics to our drivers, have achieved today in such challenging conditions – because of the 24-hour duration, the unpredictable weather and the impressive strength of our competitors – serves as an example for us all.
“The emotions they have given to our Tifosi on a great day that brings together past, present and future, is also a reminder of the importance of finding the courage and the humility to always improve. Full of enthusiasm and joy, I’d like to thank all our colleagues who have given us this extraordinary victory: a success that we celebrate with all of our Tifosi and with our country.”
Coletta also realised the significance of the victory on Sunday: “For us, it’s an unbelievable satisfaction,” he said. “I would like to remember that one year ago, the car didn’t exist. We had just a white paper. Now we are here to celebrate the victory. We are very, very proud of it. We are very proud of our team, our drivers and our technicians.”
As for that heart-stopping moment during the final pitstop for the #61 Ferrari, the team's tech boss Ferdinando Cannizzo explained: "A loss of communication between the systems in the car which forced us to make a power cycle: switch off and switch on.
“We were first surprised about what happened, so we lost a bit more time, but then we understood. We prepared a procedure and stayed calm to manage the situation. I think you saw that no one was really worried. We knew that we were losing some time but we prepared. We were lucky to have a bit of margin to the second car.”
Cannizzo: I am sorry for the car No. 50 drivers because they did an amazing job
After the race, Cannizzo also spared a thought for the pole-starting #50 Ferrari shared by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen but radiator damage cost the team six laps for repairs, which may have cost the Reds a one-two in the race.
“I do believe that the two cars had the same race pace, the same potential,” reckoned Cannizzo after the epic race. “The drivers and cars were on the same race pace. We were somehow unlucky that car No. 50 had a stone hitting the netting and then hitting the radiator.
“It has never happened to us, but in testing, you don’t race with other cars. Probably we will reinforce the netting in front of the radiator for the next races. I am sorry for the car No. 50 drivers because they did an amazing job. I’m sad for them, but on the other side it’s a brilliant result for Ferrari," concluded Cannizzo.
That was Round 4 of seven that constitute the 2023 World Endurance Championship. Next up, in a month, is Monza where Ferrari's homecoming - as Le Mans winners again after so long and hauling the massive 100-Year trophy they battled for hard and won yesterday - is going to be another unforgettable day in motorsport's greatest racing team.
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Editor's Note: To John Elkann, the managers, the drivers, the engineers, the mechanics and all at Maranello that make up this Ferrari team, we at GRANDPRIX247 salute you for a truly remarkable victory, just the tonic motorsport needed. WEC, Hypercar and Ferrari have arrived. Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac, Peugeot and the manufacturers coming to the series in 2024, can all be thankful that the Reds are back in town, them on the block. Forza Ferrari!
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