What Happened During the Night at Le Mans?

An accident involving the race leader, the AF Corse Ferrari number 83 driven by Robert Kubica, and the BMW number 15 driven by Dries Vanthoor, caused the first safety car in the 2024 edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This incident occurred when Kubica was trying to overtake the BMW in the seventh hour of the race, touching its rear and sending it into the barriers. Vanthoor was unharmed, but the BMW suffered significant damage, forcing it to retire immediately.

The race stewards investigated the incident and determined that Kubica was responsible for the collision. As a result, the Ferrari number 83 received a 30-second penalty. This sanction caused Kubica to lose the lead, allowing the Toyota GR010 Hybrid number 8 driven by Ryo Hirakawa to take the lead. Kubica's initial advantage, which reached almost a minute, evaporated due to this penalty and the safety car period.

Throughout the following hours, the race was marked by various incidents and weather changes. Heavy rain complicated track conditions, leading to several safety car periods and yellow flags. The Toyota number 8, initially driven by Hirakawa and later by Sébastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley, managed to maintain the lead despite these difficulties.

The Porsche Penske number 6, driven by Laurens Vanthoor, also showed strong performance, overtaking the Toyota number 8 during a pit stop period. However, the safety car once again grouped the competitors, reducing the gaps between them.

The Ferrari number 50, although it started with a competitive pace, suffered several setbacks that relegated it in the standings. Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, who shared the wheel, faced difficulties maintaining the top positions due to mechanical problems and strategic decisions in the pit stops.

In the LMP2 category, the AF Corse Oreca number 183, driven by Ben Barnicoat, led after the eighteenth hour, closely followed by the United Autosports number 22 driven by Oliver Jarvis. The competition in this category was intense, with several lead changes due to pit stops and on-track incidents.

In the LMGT3 class, the Manthey PureRxing Porsche 911 number 92 suffered gearbox problems that caused it to lose several positions. The United Autosports McLaren 720S number 59, driven by Gregoire Saucy, took advantage of this situation to take the lead, followed by the ASP Lexus RC F GT3 number 87, driven by Jack Hawksworth.