Red Mist: Le Mans P1, P3 finish and hat-trick! Forza Ferrari!

On paper, the No. 83 yellow Ferrari — run by AF Corse and driven flawlessly by Robert Kubica, Phil Hanson and Yifei Ye — was a “privateer.” But let’s not kid ourselves. This was pure Maranello excellence, disguised in Giallo Modena, and it absolutely obliterated the factory competition.

Yet somehow, bizarrely, the No. 6 Penske Porsche is walking away with maximum championship points for finishing second. Yes, you read that right. Second. This is the absurdity of the WEC points system, where the best car on the track does not always collect the biggest reward.

Make no mistake, this could have been a Ferrari 1 2 3. Should have been, if we are honest. The red No. 50 and 51 factory cars led the charge all race long, running like clockwork for hours on end. But a spin here, a penalty there. Le Mans rarely lets you leave unscathed. And Porsche? They pounced.

A clever, error free race by the No. 6 crew of Campbell, Estre and Vanthoor — starting from the back after a disqualified Hyperpole lap — sliced through the field and denied Ferrari a full podium sweep by 30 agonising seconds. Even in the cleanest, least interrupted 24 Hours in recent memory, that margin felt cruel.

But still. Top step. Yellow Ferrari. Job done. And you could almost hear the tifosi roar from Modena to Mulsanne.

This was not just a Le Mans win. It was a statement. Four rounds into the 2025 WEC season and Ferrari has not lost once. Not once. Each of its three cars has taken a win. The factory reds at Qatar, Imola and Spa. And now the customer 83. That is depth. That is domination.

Maranello now holds 12 overall wins at Le Mans. Still behind Porsche on 19 and Audi on 13, but Ferrari is back in the hunt. And Sunday’s victory was a historic first in many ways. Robert Kubica became Poland’s first Le Mans winner.

Yifei Ye did the same for China. And Kubica now joins Fernando Alonso as the only men to win both a Grand Prix and Le Mans in this century. Forget nostalgia. This is a new golden era. Engineered by Ferrari. Painted in red and yellow.

The race was not short on drama. JOTA Cadillac may have stolen Hyperpole, but it was never going to last. Within minutes, Porsche’s Andlauer stormed to the lead, only for the Ferraris to reclaim their natural position up front by nightfall.

Then came the drama. The No. 51 Ferrari was hit with a puncture, a penalty, and a speeding violation. The No. 50 was slapped with a drive through. Porsche seized the opening, and by midnight the No. 6 was leading. And then. Classic Ferrari theatre.

A safety car bunched the field, and the red cars surged back. Team radio crackled with drama. Kubica wanted past Giovinazzi, claiming he was faster. Ferrari said no. Pier Guidi spun in the pit lane. The lead shuffled again. And as the sun rose over Sarthe, the yellow No. 83 held firm while its red sisters fended off the charging Porsche. Just.

Kubica crossed the line unshaken, unbroken. An exclamation mark for his career. A quiet “grazie” from Ferrari.

Porsche will be proud. The No. 6 car executed to perfection, climbed from the back, and banked the Hypercar points. That is the game. But if you are keeping score at home, the scoreboard says Ferrari won Le Mans. And that is all that matters.

Cadillac had pace but not enough to fight at the front. Fifth for the No. 12, fastest lap for Bourdais in the No. 38, but the latter faded after contact and a puncture. Toyota? Nowhere. Sixth for the best of them. An outfit that once owned Le Mans now lapping like tourists.

Peugeot’s blip of strategy led hope faded fast. BMW, meanwhile, wrote its own horror story. Breakdowns, errors, retirements. Only Aston Martin smiled, with both Valkyries finishing strong and showing they belong.

The future of the WEC is expanding. Genesis, Ford, McLaren. All incoming. New rules locked in until 2032. A new LMP2 class in 2027. But right now, the present belongs to Ferrari.

Next stop is Interlagos. And if the form guide holds, Ferrari is going for five in a row. They are not just winning races. They are rewriting the script of endurance racing.

And if that does not warm a tifoso’s heart, nothing will.