Ferrari at Le Mans, history: an indelible legacy of success

The timeline linking Ferrari and Le Mans, the “temple” hosting the world’s oldest endurance race, contains dates and numbers inscribed in history. Ten, as in the Prancing Horse’s overall victories, the last of which was twelve months ago, courtesy of the 499P on its top-class debut; 29, as in the Maranello manufacturer’s class wins between 1949 (Ferrari’s debut year in the French marathon, which ended in first place overall) and 2023, when Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovanazzi climbed the top step of the podium in the centenary edition. This history will continue with the 92nd edition of the race on 15-16 June at the 13.626-kilometre French circuit in the fourth round of the FIA WEC 2024.

Centenary. The Ferrari Tifosi’s most vivid memory dates back to last year when the Le Mans Hypercar number 51 crossed the finish line first at La Sarthe, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, who went down in history along with teammates James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi for triumphing in the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This result earned the Maranello manufacturer its tenth overall victory, gained on its return to the top endurance class after half a century and 58 years after the last win.

Extraordinary figures. The triumph came after 342 laps of a race watched live by a record 325,000 spectators. The photograph of the 499P re-entering the pit lane, surrounded by the entire Ferrari – AF Corse team, has entered the collective imagination. No less memorable is the image that immortalises the start of the race, with two 499Ps at the front of the grid: the number 50, which took the Hyperpole with Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen (fifth at the end of the race), ahead of their teammates in the number 51.

Besides the victory and the Hyperpole, that perfect weekend in 2023 was capped with the best race time, clocked by the 499P number 50 with Fuoco (3:27.218, on the 307th lap, with an average speed of 236.7 km/h).

The past. Born in endurance racing, the myth of the Prancing Horse has been an essential part of the 24 Hours of Le Mans since the late 1940s. On its debut at the La Sarthe circuit in 1949, the 166 MM Barchetta Touring scored a historic first place with the pairing of Luigi Chinetti and Lord Selsdon. The iconic 1995 CMC V12 engine powered the number 22 car, delivering 103 kW (140 hp).

Repeat wins. After two triumphs in the 1950s, Ferrari’s legend at Le Mans grew with six consecutive wins between 1960 and 1965, catapulting the cars and drivers into the international limelight. It did so with iconic models such as the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa, “queen” of La Sarthe in 1958 and then in 1960-61 and with champions of the calibre of Olivier Gendebien, who holds the record for the most victories with Ferrari at Le Mans. Indeed, the Belgian, born in 1924, recorded four victories (in 1958, 1960-62) with three different Prancing Horse models.

The winning streak ended in 1965 with the Ferrari 250 LM’s feat when Jochen Rindt and Masten Gregory triumphed after 348 laps of a race that saw Ferrari crews occupy the entire podium. After that, fans had to wait 58 years until Ferrari returned to the top endurance class in 2023 to celebrate an overall win.

2000s. Some of the most important of these 29 class victories occurred in more recent years. The Maranello manufacturer has secured eight wins since the FIA WEC’s inception in 2012. Two of these were with the Ferrari 488 GTE driven by Pier Guidi and Calado in the LMGTE Pro class. They triumphed in 2019 with Côme Ledogar and, two years later, shared the car with Daniel Serra. In 2021, Ferrari also took first place in the LMGTE Am with the 488 GTE, crewed by Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio Rovera, and François Perrodo.

 

Overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans:

1949 – Ferrari 166 MM – L. Chinetti, Lord Selsdon

1954 – Ferrari 375 Plus – J. F. Gonzalez, M.Trintignant

1958 – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – P. Hill, O. Gendebien

1960 – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – O. Gendebien, P. Frère

1961 – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – O. Gendebien, P. Hill

1962 – Ferrari 330 TR – O. Gendebien, P. Hill

1963 – Ferrari 250 P – L. Bandini, L. Scarfiotti

1964 – Ferrari 275 P – J. Guichet, N. Vaccarella

1965 – Ferrari 250 LM – J. Rindt, M. Gregory

2023 – Ferrari 499P – A. Pier Guidi, J. Calado, A. Giovinazzi