With the curtain having fallen on the official testing at the 13.626-km La Sarthe circuit last Sunday, the Ferrari crews are now readying themselves to get back on the track for the 92nd 24 Hours of Le Mans.
No less than five Ferrari 296 LMGT3s will be competing: in addition to the two cars numbered 54 and 55 fielded by Vista AF Corse, there will also be the number 86 of the GR Racing team, the 66 run by JMW Motorsport and the 296 racing with the number 155 of the Spirit of Race team.
For today, Wednesday 12, the schedule includes two Free Practice sessions from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m. and 10 p.m. to midnight, with a Qualifying session in between from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. This will be followed on Thursday 13 by Free Practice 3, from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m; the Hyperpole (8 p.m. to 8.30 p.m. reserved for the eight fastest cars in qualifying), and a final Free Practice session from 10 p.m. to 11 p.m. The 24 Hours will start on Saturday 15 June from 4 p.m. (times are local).
Here are the comments in the build-up to the fourth round of the FIA WEC 2024.
Davide Rigon: “We are at Le Mans, on this wonderful track, for the first time with the Ferrari 296 LMGT3. Since the Test Day the car has performed well and we have had positive feedback. Now with free practice and qualifyin”g we enter the heart of an important weekend for the whole team. We are looking forward to racing in such an extraordinary setting as the 24 Hours of Le Mans where the affection of the public makes the atmosphere surrounding the track truly unique. The race? It will be very interesting and complex, not only because of the many variables that characterise this race, but also because of the large number of cars on the grid. We are ready for a great challenge.”
Alessio Rovera: “It is always nice to return to Le Mans to take part in a race that has a very special flavour for a driver. On the Test Day we worked on the set-up of a car, the 296 LMGT3, which is making its debut in this race. As a team and as drivers, our objective will be to avoid making any mistakes and to optimise the potential of the car with the aim of obtaining a good result, assisted also by a bit of luck, which we have lacked so far in the championship, especially at Imola and Spa.”
Daniel Serra: “Arriving at Le Mans for the most highly anticipated race of the year is a great stimulus for every driver, and personally I am happy to be back at the start of the world's most famous 24 Hours. This year a new class makes its debut and for the first time we will see a car with great potential like the Ferrari 296 LMGT3 on the track: for me it is also the first time together with the GR Racing team, a team that is well organised and ready for an important challenge like this. I am looking forward to Saturday afternoon and the most eagerly awaited race of the season.”