The faces on the iconic French podium were smiling as if they had won, and the two crews celebrating a second and third place in this legendary race had good reason to be. At the start of the race, few would have bet they would celebrate such a result, given the clear disparity in performance between the Ferraris and the other LMGTE Pro class cars. With a bit of luck and the incredible talent of the drivers and team, the two 488 GTEs again completed this eagerly awaited 24-hour race on the podium. We heard from crews number 51 and 52.
Alessandro Pier Guidi: “If someone had told me at the start of the race that I would finish in second position, I would have signed up on the spot. I was really hoping for it during the race, but the others had a different pace. We did a fantastic job. Ferrari and AF Corse employed a flawless strategy during the pit stops, and we did everything we could. In any case, with Ferrari and this fantastic team, we have finished second twice and won twice in the last four years. What more could you want? The final minutes were lovely. Of course it’s something different when you’re winning, but we’ll try next year”.
James Calado: “It’s been a very long week. There was a great deal of pressure throughout and a lot of work from the whole team. I have to admit we didn’t get much sleep this time. It was a very tough race, where we lacked a bit of pace compared to the Porsche and Corvette. Finishing second and third is still a fantastic result for the team. We gained important points for the championship standings. We did all we could to achieve the maximum. My head is already thinking about the next round in Monza, and I can’t wait to hit the track”.
Daniel Serra: “It always feels good to climb the podium. I think we managed to achieve the maximum in terms of performance. We optimized everything we could, and finishing in second position is a surprise and a good result for us”.
Miguel Molina: “It went well in the end, above all, because we climbed the podium, which is very important. Personally, I’m delighted to have finished the race in third place here at Le Mans, and I’m happy for the team because it’s no easy feat to have two cars on the podium. We fought from start to finish, and the guys did a superb job. We hope to climb a higher step of the podium the next time we compete on this circuit”.
Davide Rigon: “It really has been a long and intense week here at Le Mans, and it’s still a dream to be here. When we set off, we didn’t expect to achieve such a good podium finish with a second and a third place. It’s the fruit of the team’s extraordinary work. I sincerely thank all the Ferrari men who worked so hard to achieve this result, the engineers and my teammates, Miguel Molina and Antonio Fuoco. We did our best. In the night, during Miguel’s stint, we suffered a contact that meant we lost ground. This prevented us from fighting for the win. We were really strong at night, less so during the day, but we had a lot of fun here at Le Mans. It is extraordinary: I am happy and proud of the entire Ferrari team”.