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Ferrari president John Elkann is ecstatic with his team's win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, having entered the competition after over half a century. The Scuderia Hypercar, the 499P, won in its class, beating Toyota on the historic track.
John Elkann, accompanied by the entire Prancing Horse team, attended the Le Mans 24 Hours race to closely follow the thrilling competition. The event proved to be a remarkable triumph for the team under the guidance of Antonello Coletta.
Despite typically being reserved in his remarks, the president was liberal with his words on this occasion, expressing his thoughts after the impressive victory of the 499P, driven by Alessandro Pier Guidi, Antonio Giovinazzi and James Calado.
The Ferrari president said, as reported by the Italian wing of Motorsport.com:
"Today we had an unforgettable day, which I dedicate to all those who work at Ferrari. After 50 years we have returned to participate in the highest category of endurance, which has marked our history and that of motor sport."
Elkann continued:
"We are proud to have brought Italy to the top step of the podium of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, celebrating in the best way the centenary of the most important race in the world in the category."
Ferrari's F1 struggles explained
In what seems like a paradigm shift, the Ferrari F1 team is in tatters, having lost out massively at the 2023 Spanish GP. The team endured yet another challenging weekend in Spain, as both drivers failed to make a strong impression despite significant upgrades applied to the SF-23.
Carlos Sainz, starting from a promising position of P2, slipped down the order to finish in fifth place, while his teammate Charles Leclerc struggled and ended up outside the points in P11.
The Scuderia team introduced several modifications, including a new sidepod layout and a revised floor, aiming to narrow the gap to Red Bull. However, the characteristics of the Barcelona circuit might not have been conducive for the Italian team to fully exploit their upgrades.
Renowned F1 commentator Mark Hughes highlighted one of Ferrari's recurring issues - tire degradation. He examined Carlos Sainz's tire wear, which was notably high, resulting in his pace on fresh medium tires being comparable to Lewis Hamilton's lap times on worn soft tires.
In addition, the Italian team opted for noticeably reduced wing levels in comparison to both Red Bull and Mercedes. This strategic choice provided them with an advantage in qualifying, enabling greater speed on the straights. However, it also made them more susceptible to increased tire degradation throughout the course of the race.
It will be interesting to see how the historic team fares on the streets of Montreal in a few days' time.
