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    FIA WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP

    24 Hours of Le Mans

    2021 RACE REVIEW

    The 89th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the oldest and most prestigious endurance race and the fourth round of the FIA WEC World Championship, was dominated by AF Corse's 488 GTEs, which triumphed in the LMGTE Pro and LMGTE Am classes. Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Côme Ledogar at the wheel of the #51 Ferrari won the LMGTE Pro class, while Nicklas Nielsen, François Perrodo and Alessio Rovera lorded it over the LMGTE Am class. The Iron Lynx 488 GTE, crewed by Italians Rino Mastronardi and Matteo Cressoni and the Ferrari Driver Academy’s Callum Ilott, completed the podium in this category. A very special starter, Ferrari Chairman John Elkann, sent the cars on their way at 4pm on Saturday.
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    Track Temp24.5 ºCHour 1
    Air Temp19.30 ºCHour 1
    Track Temp39.9 ºCHour 24
    Air Temp22.40 ºCHour 24
    Ferrari 488 GTE - Le Mans 2021
    Ferrari 488 GTE - Le Mans 2021
    • AF Corse#51A. PIER GUIDI / J. CALADO / C. LEDOGAR
    • Race Result1
    • Fastest Lap3:47.818
    • Pit Stop23
    • Laps345
    • Total time24:00:53.654
    AVG SPEED
    TOP SPEED
    AVG SPEED
    TOP SPEED
    • AF Corse#52D. SERRA / M. MOLINA / S. BIRD
    • Race Result5
    • Fastest Lap3:47.809
    • Pit Stop23
    • Laps331
    • Total time24:03:27.666
    • Gap from leader14 laps
    AVG SPEED
    TOP SPEED
    AVG SPEED
    TOP SPEED
    Ferrari 488 GTE - Le Mans 2021
    Ferrari 488 GTE - Le Mans 2021
    • AF Corse#83F. PERRODO / N. NIELSEN / A. ROVERA
    • Race Result1
    • FASTEST LAP3:50.943
    • PIT STOP25
    • LAPS340
    • TOTAL TIME24:04:24.967
    • Iron Lynx#80M. CRESSONI / R. MASTRONARDI / C. ILOTT
    • Race Result3
    • FASTEST LAP3:51.237
    • PIT STOP25
    • LAPS335
    • TOTAL TIME24:01:50.393
    • GAP FROM LEADER2 laps
    PosDriversTeamCar
    4
    C. SCHIAVONI / P. RUBERTI / R. GIAMMARIA
    Iron Lynx
    #60
    9
    R. FREY / S. BOVY / M. GATTING
    Iron Lynx
    #85
    11
    T. FLOHR / G. FISICHELLA / F. CASTELLACCI
    AF Corse
    #54
    12
    B. IRIBE / O. MILLROY / B. BARNICOAT
    Inception Racing
    #71
    Ret.
    P. EHRET / C. HOOK / J. BLEEKEMOLEN
    Rinaldi Racing
    #388
    Ret.
    T. KIMURA / S. ANDREWS / M. JENSEN
    Kessel Racing
    #57
    Ret.
    T. NEUBAUER / R. SALES / J. FANNIN
    JMW Motorsport
    #66
    Ret.
    D. CAMERON / D. PEREL / M. GRIFFIN
    Spirit of Race
    #55
    Ret.
    R. LACORTE / G. SERNAGIOTTO / A. FUOCO
    Cetilar Racing
    #47
      The alluring charm of Le Mans

      The 13,626-metre Circuit de la Sarthe, near the French city of Le Mans, is one of the longest tracks in the world. It is also home to one of the world’s most renowned and captivating races: the 24 Hours.

      Circuit de la Sarthe - Le Mans (France)

      The circuit’s main feature is its use of stretches of public county roads which remain closed to traffic during competitions. These are used in conjunction with other permanent sections of track.

      The original Le Mans track harks back to 1923, when local roads around the French town were put into use for the 24 Hours, nowadays, the marquee event in endurance car racing.

      Over the years, the Circuit de la Sarthe has undergone numerous changes before settling for its current 13.5-kilometre length. It is characterised by its infamous long straight known as the Ligne Droite des Hunaudieres. This, like the race’s other straights, is notorious for the mechanical fatigue that cars are subjected to: with lengthy stretches of full-throttle acceleration, endless gear changes and abrupt braking. Particularly of note is the decisive final section of the Hunaudieres straight, taken virtually flat-out. It is no coincidence that disc brakes made their first appearance here at the Le Mans circuit. Furthermore, it was on this very track, where the first testing was carried out into the cut-off system, which stops fuel-flow into the engine during braking, thus reducing consumption. Fuel management has always been a decisive strategical factor for anyone aiming to win an endurance race.

      In 1990, in order to reduce speeds, two chicanes were introduced on the Hunaudieres straight, the first named Forza Motorsport, the second Michelin. 

      Turns
      • LocationLe MansFrance
      • Turns21
      • Circuit Length13.626 Km
      The Le Mans circuit, whose real name is 'Circuit de la Sarthe', is located near the city of Le Mans in the French county of Sarthe.
      It is one of the longest tracks in the world. Most of the layout is made up of public roads normally open to traffic (the D338 and D139). Over 9 km of the existing 13.6-kilometre circuit remain closed to road traffic during the periods of racing. Since its 1923 inauguration, structural modifications have led to continual variations in the track length.
      The landmark points on the circuit are the Dunlop, Esse de la Foret, Tertre Rouge, Mulsanne, Indianapolis and Arnage turns. Another renowned section is the Hunaudières straight: one of the stretches normally open to road traffic as part of the Route Nationale 158/D338, connecting Le Mans to the city of Tours. The 6.75-kilometre straight is the longest of any street circuit in the world.
      The circuit is famous for holding the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the blue riband event of the World Endurance Championship, organised by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest (ACO). The single-day race gets underway at 15:00 on Saturday and concludes 24 hours later. The competition is open to prototypes and Grand Touring vehicles.
      Until 1969 the 24 Hours got underway with what became known as the 'Le Mans start', with cars lined up on one side of the track and drivers on the other. At the stroke of three o’clock, with the French flag unfurled, drivers would dash across the track, board their cars and set off. This procedure became particularly hazardous and was eventually replaced in 1970 with a standing start. The following year, the rolling start was first introduced and remains to this day.