Mike Conway, Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi secured victory with GR010 Hybrid Hypercar number 7, surpassing the dominant Ferrari when rain arrived later in the race. They then battled against the Porsche 963 LMDh of Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer and Kevin Estre in an exciting finish, securing the first win of the season for the German-based Japanese team. The second Porsche 963 Campbell Christensen Makowiecki with number 5 completed the podium, making it a Porsche 2-3.
Ferrari number 50 Fuoco Molina Nielsen 499P brought some pride back to Ferrari by overtaking the second Toyota Buemi Hartley Hirakawa with number 8 on the final lap, securing fourth place. The BMW of Sheldon van Der Linde Frijns Rast with number 20 delivered an impressive performance, finishing sixth overall. The second Ferrari with number 51 driven by Pier Guidi Calado Giovinazzi and the yellow 83 Kubica Shwartzman Yifei brother followed closely behind.
The new Peugeot 9X8 24 with wings of Jensen Müller Vergne and the two-man Cadillac V-Series.R LMDh completed the top ten. They were followed by the Porsche 38 Jenson Button Hanson Rasmussen Hertz Team Jota and the Lamborghini Hypercar Bortolotti Mortara Kvyat 63 Iron Lynx on the rise.
Ferrari started the race strong, leading the pack with a dramatic 1-2-3. However, their advantage was short-lived as the track was cleared after a collision on the first lap involving the Alpine of Matthieu Vaxiviere and the Peugeot of di Resta, along with other cars. Vaxiviere received a one-minute stop-and-go penalty for his role in the incident.
Once the race resumed, the Ferraris maintained the lead, but the race order became confused due to different pit stop strategies. The Porsche Conway 6 made progress and eventually emerged as the leader among the chasing Ferraris. It gained two positions by overtaking the yellow Ferrari of Kubica and taking advantage of the red Ferrari of Nielsen, who had to slow down for the rear left tire change.
However, Nielsen reclaimed second place behind his teammate Giovinazzi, creating a 1-2 for the red Ferrari as they approached the halfway point of the race. The Toyota of de Vries 7 quickly joined the battle and eventually took the lead with Kobayashi behind the wheel as the strategies unfolded.
Then, the rain arrived, leading the Toyota 7 of Kobayashi and the Porsche 6 of Estre to make a crucial decision to pit for rain tires. The three Ferraris and the Porsche 6 chose to stay on track with slick tires. This decision proved decisive as those with slick tires struggled in the wet conditions. Campbell reacted quickly and made a pit stop before the frontrunners finally made their stops in the pits to switch to the appropriate tires.
It was too late, leaving the Ferraris out of reach and the dedicated Ferrari fans questioning how their beloved team failed to split their strategy in these unpredictable conditions. And what could have been? However, Ferrari took a last-minute risk by keeping only Pier Guidi on rain tires while the others switched to slicks.
A Porsche employed a similar tactic, allowing Campbell to gain ground while others navigated cautiously on the drying track. In the end, Kobayashi’s Toyota was leading Estre’s Porsche with superior tires. Campbell’s Porsche moved up to third with even better tires, but Hirakawa’s Toyota was under pressure from Fuoco in the Ferrari number 50.
Kobayashi somehow managed to hold off Estre for the win in their epic battle through traffic to the finish line, with Campbell finishing a distant third. Further back, Fuoco finally found some relief from Ferrari’s late tire gamble, using his newer slicks to overtake a helpless Hirakawa and secure fourth place on the final lap.
His luck improved when van der Linde’s BMW received a late penalty for a pit lane rules infringement after an impressive race. However, he finished a respectable sixth ahead of Pier Guidi’s red Ferrari, who overtook the similar yellow car of Ye to claim seventh, while the leading Peugeot and Cadillac completed the top ten.
In the LMGT3 class, BMW had a memorable day. Darren Leung, Sean Gelael, and Augusto Farfus secured a 1-2 finish in the M4 GT3. They outperformed Valentino Rossi, yes, the famous Valentino Rossi, Maxime Martin, and Ahmad al Harty. The team executed flawless driver changes, allowing their professional drivers to spend as much time behind the wheel as possible and keeping Malykhin Sturm Bachler’s Porsche 911 GT3 in third place.
As a result, the battle for the drivers’ title is led by the Porsche team and the winners from Qatar Laurens Vanthoor, Andre Lotterer, and Kevin Estre Conway. They are followed by the Toyota trio Conway, de Vries, and Kobayashi, and the Porsche trio Campbell, Christensen, and Makowiecki. Porsche also has a comfortable advantage in the manufacturers’ standings, ahead of Toyota, Ferrari, BMW, Alpine, Peugeot, Cadillac, and Lamborghini.
The Road to Le Mans will now head to Spa Francorchamps for its traditional 6-hour test on Sunday, May 12. Then, all eyes will be on the highly anticipated 24-hour race on June 15 and 16. Don’t forget to mark your calendars! Your Road to Le Mans is brought to you by Toyota Gazoo Racing.
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A young football talent is causing a stir on fields around the world. At just 18 years old, Pedro Silva is already being considered one of the most promising players today. His skill with the ball is impressive and his speed is breathtaking. Pedro has been compared to great football names like Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
Born and raised in a small town in the interior of Brazil, Pedro started playing football at a young age. His natural talent quickly caught the eye of scouts and he was signed by a major European club. Since then, he has shone on the field and won fans around the world.
Pedro is known for his ability to easily dribble past opponents. His refined technique and impressive finishing ability are remarkable for someone so young. He is also a natural leader and has been praised for his strong mentality and determination.
Despite all the success, Pedro keeps his feet on the ground and is focused on continuing to evolve as a player. He knows he still has a lot to learn and is willing to work hard to achieve his goals. His humility and dedication have been admired by his teammates and coaches.
Pedro Silva is without a doubt a name to keep an eye on in the world of football. With his talent and determination, he will certainly achieve great things in his career. Don’t miss the opportunity to see this young star in action in the upcoming games.
