Ferrari #50 disqualified from the 24 Hours of Le Mans

AF Corse lost fourth place at Le Mans when inspectors discovered the Ferrari 499P #50 was operating with four missing bolts on the rear wing mount. Fuoco, Nielsen, and Molina had finished just 29.666 seconds behind the winning Ferrari.

Ben Vinel reported that Ferrari acknowledged the technical infringement to the stewards. The missing components caused the wing to flex 52 millimeters during tests, three times more than the LMH regulations' 15-millimeter limit.

Late Detection in the Pitlane

At 3:23 pm on Sunday, a mechanic noticed one missing bolt on the rear mount. The team reviewed car data and decided to continue without repairs until the finish, believing only one part was absent.

The Ferrari's telemetry recorded its top speed on lap 380 of 387 total. Inspectors interpreted this as evidence of aerodynamic advantage from reduced drag. Ferrari had denied receiving any performance benefits.

Structural Risk Justifies Disqualification

Stewards deemed the incomplete assembly a structural failure risk under high-speed loads. Safety inspectors supported disqualifying the Ferrari 499P that had crossed the finish line just 1.179 seconds off the podium.

The Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA #12 of Lynn, Nato, and Stevens inherits fourth place. The Toyota GR010 Hybrid #7 moves up to fifth in the revised final classification.

Impact on WEC Standings

The lost points distance Fuoco, Nielsen, and Molina from the world championship lead. They now trail their #51 Ferrari teammates by 48 points, who maintained their third-place podium finish in France.

The other two Ferraris retain their original positions: the #83 won the race and the #51 completed the podium. The technical sanction doesn't affect these results for the Italian constructor.