Two Ferraris topped the standings of the 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the world’s most famous endurance race and the fourth round of the FIA WEC 2024, after two hours and 33 laps. Nicklas Nielsen led in the official Ferrari – AF Corse team’s 499P number 50, followed by the AF Corse team’s Hypercar number 83. The other official Le Mans Hypercar, number 51 with James Calado at the wheel, was in tenth place.
The three Prancing Horse Hypercars got off to an excellent start. Setting off from third on the grid in the 499P number 50, Nielsen moved into second position at the first corner and completed the first lap in the lead. Antonio Giovinazzi, in the number 51 sister car, finished the lap in fourth position, immediately ahead of the AF Corse 499P number 83 driven by Robert Kubica.
Over the first 120 minutes, the Maranello manufacturer’s Le Mans Hypercars remained in contention at the top of the standings. The margin over the third car, the Porsche number 5, was 27 seconds for Nielsen and 25 seconds for Kubica. The decision not to call the two cars in for a tyre change contributed to this gap when clouds gathered over Le Mans an hour and a half after the start, and a passing rain shower partially wet the track. At that point, cars 50 and 83 continued on dry tyres, while number 51 switched to wet tyres. The first strategy proved the most effective.