Celebrating a famous victory

Nine days after Ferrari’s historic victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours, the achievement is still sinking in. It had been 50 years since the Prancing Horse last contested the top class of the world’s greatest endurance race, and the 499P Hypercar succeeded at its first attempt.

The drivers of car No.51, Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi, have their names etched in Le Mans legend and join the likes of José Froilán González, Lorenzo Bandini and Phil Hill in claiming the waved chequered flag for the Scuderia in La Sarthe. 

Ferrari took the GTE class victory as recently as 2021, finishing 20th overall, but the last time the Italians competed for outright victory was 1973. They were second on that occasion. The last time a Ferrari won the 24 Heures du Mans, it was 1965: Lyndon B. Johnson was in The White House and The Beatles were still working on Rubber Soul. It’s been a long time coming. 

To celebrate the glorious milestone of winning Le Mans’ centenary race, which was attended by 325,000 motor sport lovers, the Ferrari - AF Corse pilots came together with their mechanics, technicians, engineers – everyone who contributed to the result – along with the whole Ferrari workforce and the local community in Maranello, bringing the trophy back to the people who willed it to happen. 

At 11:30am, both the no.50 and no.51 499Ps fired up in the Piazza Giovanni Agnelli, in the heart of Ferrari’s sprawling headquarters, and passed under the arch on the via Abetone Inferiore, the famous entrance through which the prancing horse’s most distinguished machines and personalities have passed before it. 

From here they entered the GT Sporting Activities and Scuderia Ferrari base beside the Fiorano circuit, where the striking 499P was developed. The Hypercars, with Pier Guidi, Calado and Giovinazzi in tow, along with team mates Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen (who signed the fastest race time and took the Hyperpole on the winning weekend at Le Mans), then rumbled through the Maranello streets as Tifosi and well-wishers cheered, waved red and yellow flags, and craned their necks and cameras to capture a moment the town will never forget.

The parade passed along via Villeneuve, via Dino Ferrari and via Fornace, taking the Prancing Horse roundabout before returning up the via Abetone Inferiore and back through the historic Ferrari entrance. 

Celebrations went on well into the afternoon with Ferrari's CEO Benedetto Vigna meeting the winning drivers and dedicating the victory to the employees; speaking of of Ferrari’s renewed commitment to the world of endurance racing, the desire to face ever more ambitious challenges, and Ferrari’s determination to win. 

The unexpected and deserved victory in France, which capped a hugely competitive and drama-filled 342 laps, has heralded the start of a new golden era for endurance racing, with close competition, exciting cars, sublime drivers, and the commitment of several respected manufacturer teams.

For Ferrari’s staff, supporters and the local area, it was a unique opportunity to toast the efforts, both human and mechanical, that resulted in one of the proudest achievements in the Scuderia’s history, and one which will still be spoken of in awe come Le Mans’ 200th birthday.