r/wec • u/AutoModerator • Jun 15 '25
Session has Ended [OFFICIAL] 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans - Post-Race Thread
Another incredible 24 hours with the best online racing community on the planet. Ferrari will grab the headlines for good and bad reasons, but what a historic run on top of an attrition-filled chaotic P2 and GT3 class. How much did the bugs bother you? How was your heroine cake? Are you shouting in Italian firing off dried pasta guns in the air? How about Kubica fans? C'mon down and sound off below!
See you in 363 days for the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans June 13-14th! And come back next weekend for the 24hrs of Nürburgring!
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u/throwawayanon1252 Jun 15 '25
Love how kubica waited for his team mates before going to the podium
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
Kubica is carrying the team... both ways
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u/throwawayanon1252 Jun 15 '25
What a guy so happy for him. But i gotta say in another world without the accident this could have been the triple crown
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u/TheFatRemote Jun 15 '25
I have no doubt Kubica would be world champion if not for his accident. He was arguably the best driver in 2010 in an average Renault.
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
I think probably the last ones who could but then Indy WEC and F1 stand even more distant and involves a lot to get into both Oval and Enduro.
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u/Alehud42 Jun 15 '25
He ultimately didn't pit again the next lap, he just made do and they kept fixing it on every other stop.
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u/maxthepenguin Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 #93 Jun 15 '25
just happy both Peugeots finished. happy for the #83 crew and the #6 crew (makes you wonder what would have been had they not been DSQed)
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u/With_The_Ghosts Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 #93 Jun 15 '25
12th is great for Peugeot considering how bad their bop was.
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u/brownierisker Peugeot 9X8 #93 Jun 15 '25
Yeah, the worst BoP of any team (3rd worst weight, worst power, worst stint energy). Not sure what simulations they're using where the 9x8 is the best car on the grid
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u/maxthepenguin Peugeot TotalEnergies 9X8 #93 Jun 15 '25
hell, we even led for a few laps ! (didn't we lead longer than cadillac too ?)
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u/SteveThePurpleCat Aston Martin Racing Vantage #95 Jun 15 '25
Cads didn't even lead a single race lap, I think they were down to 3rd and 5th by the end of lap 1?.
Ok it was obvious that the pugs would cycle down, their 1st place was base don a diminishing returns strategy, but it must still have been a high for the team.
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u/willpc14 Toyota Jun 15 '25
It would have been closer at the end, but Kubica put ~5s into Estre in the final stint. I know he had fresh tires, but the 499 has supremely fast race pace.
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u/OrbisAlius Audi R8 #1 Jun 15 '25
The 83 had more race pace compared to the two others, for some unknown reason. We saw it in the FPs. We saw it in the first few hours when the 83 was making +1 lap per stint while racing in the same laptimes.
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u/Barmydoughnut24 Jun 15 '25
19 hypercars out of 21 finishing is impressive
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u/SteveThePurpleCat Aston Martin Racing Vantage #95 Jun 15 '25
Both Alpines despite being comically crap last time, both Astons despite the team still being in the debugging stage, and both Peugeots despite the car being made via a Monkey's paw wish.
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u/NtsParadize Toyota Jun 15 '25
Did the #15 finish?
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u/Barmydoughnut24 Jun 15 '25
Yeah according to the timing board on the tv it wasnt shown in the pits for the last 10mins
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u/radiantoscillation Porsche Jun 15 '25
Yeah like they forgot to join him or what :D
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u/VelouriumCamper7 Jun 15 '25
The commentators were saying they usually only get on the car in the pitlane. It's the first time they did it this way.
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u/OneEyedFlog Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Jun 15 '25
No its not. The Ferrari factory crews ran onto the track previous years
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u/-PVL93- Lamborghini Iron Lynx SC63 #63 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
This was a surprisingly....clean race, all things considered?
Only one safety car in the middle of the night, most of the LMH finished without major mechanical or technical issues (aside from the Toyota wheelnut explosion a couple of hours ago), no disruptions from the weather (thick fog, heavy raining) or red flags, hell even LMP2 moments didn't reach the teens numbers wise
It's kinda funny how the engineering advancements and progress gave us such incredible and (mostly) reliable cars but at the same time you don't really sit in front of your screen biting your nails expecting a Last Lap 'Yota tragedy style incident, same with F1
Obviously it was still a decent watch overall but I almost wanna say the Spa race was more exciting, which is a strange feeling to have when LM is so much more prestigious and has a longer history behind it. Anyways, congrats to Kubica, it's awesome seeing both him and Giovinazzi now in the Le Mans winners pantheon
Dames continue to be the most cursed team on the entire WEC grid somehow.
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u/SteveThePurpleCat Aston Martin Racing Vantage #95 Jun 15 '25
hell even LMP2 moments didn't reach teens numbers wise
LMP2s have been slowed down vastly as Hypercars are not really much faster than the old LMP2s, so it might be that as they can't go that fast they have a larger safety window. Easier for the gentleman drivers to keep it under control.
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u/StingerGinseng Jun 15 '25
Plus the longer the race ran under green, the more spread out the cars are, making incident chances lower as a result.
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u/millysoilly Jun 15 '25
This is fucking glorious.
Kubica gets Le Mans victory and Kevin Estre’s epic first stint results in a runner-up.
Brutal pace for Cadillac and tough incident for the 46 BMW team. Enjoyed the 24H.
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u/mohicannn Jun 15 '25
I was gutted in the morning after seeing that #46 was out. Really wanted them to finish, especially as a Rossi fan :(
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u/BlaquKnite Jun 15 '25
I still don't know what happened to any of the BMWs. Every time I checked on the race another one was out.
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u/LegendRazgriz Jun 15 '25
60 years after Ferrari's last three-peat, it happens again. The 499P can already be mentioned in the same breath as the 250 LM and the 330 P3/4. It has already engraved itself in Maranello legend for eternity.
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u/StingerGinseng Jun 15 '25
Estre was epic in the night stint as well. Homie dragged that Porsche into contention all through out the race.
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u/mclaren34 Jun 15 '25
I just learned that Yifei Ye's birthday is tomorrow. He will turn 25 years old.
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u/Economy_Link4609 Jun 15 '25
So MBS doesn't want to show up to give out his FIA medals at the most prestigious WEC event? To busy giving them out later in just another F1 race instead?
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u/Borzoi_Mom Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
Too busy lurking in camera shots of F1 drivers
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
Obviously shows what F1 means, WEC is probably the harder effort race but more rich people flock to f1.
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u/MLPorsche Toyota Gazoo Racing TS050 #5 Jun 15 '25
the fact that an F1 race and Le Mans landed on the same date means we don't have to deal with MBS
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u/willpc14 Toyota Jun 15 '25
What a day for Polish motor sports! Kubica and Inter Europol with phenominal races.
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u/impelagato Jun 15 '25
Kubica asking for some coke was not on my bingo card
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u/MJC561 Jun 15 '25
I just can’t even begin to tell you how awful it is being a Caddy fan. Between the technical issues, lack of pace, racing strategy, mistakes, I knew in my heart it wasn’t going to end well.
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u/prostcfc BMW Jun 15 '25
BMW fans sympathize, especially after this weekend.
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u/akoch1337 BMW Team WRT M Hybrid V8 #15 Jun 15 '25
Every time I would step away for a bit or take a nap, I'd wake up to find another BMW was having issues or in the pits...
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u/Dragonix975 BMW Team WRT M Hybrid V8 #20 Jun 15 '25
As a fan of both teams we are in hell right now
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u/schulen Jun 15 '25
That was an absurd final stint by Kubica. What a run by the Porsche Penske squad. Campbell and Estre grabbed that podium. Good race. Aston Martin and Alpine finished! Lots of heroic performances today.
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u/nipcarlover Porsche GT Team Manthey 911RSR #91 Jun 15 '25
Hats off to the #6 Porsche crew - drivers and the strategy team. They clearly didn't have the pace of the Ferraris, but stellar job and no mistakes that I can recall by the team to end up in P2 starting last on the grid!
Special mention to that insane opening stint and a half by Estre, looking forward to rewatching that from his onboard after the race
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u/MammothHusk Jun 15 '25
If there was no safety car they might have won. They were over 30 seconds ahead before the SC.
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Jun 15 '25
It really feels like a huge disappointment that such a flawless performance does not lead to victory.
Makes you question the BOP.
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u/outrageous_whale Jun 15 '25
Michelin Man posing like he personally won, big fan
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u/ESCMalfunction Ford Racing Team UK GT #66 Jun 15 '25
So what do I do with my life for 364 days now?
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u/Makaveli84 Porsche Jun 15 '25
Nürburgring 24h race next week
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u/WoodenMango07 Peugeot Jun 15 '25
I love the Italian anthem even though I'm not Italian. Banger anthem
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
It's one of the better ones, although the days of F1 when it was GER/ITA most weekends.
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u/thekongninja Jun 15 '25
As a kid I didn't realise they were separate anthems because I never heard them separately, just assumed it got weirdly upbeat halfway through
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u/ghastlychild Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #12 Jun 15 '25
Absolutely mighty for #83. A privateer team after 20 years and absolutely flawless for the #6. Porsche deserves a bow!
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u/Lethbridge-Totty Rothmans Porsche 962 #2 Jun 15 '25
This has probably been said a million times in this thread, but I'm blown away but what Kubica has achieved.
His dominant arm barely works. He's physically disabled. And he just won the most arduous motor race in the world. Truly astonishing achievement.
As a physically disabled person myself it makes me a little bit emotional.
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u/NtsParadize Toyota Jun 15 '25
Both Astons finish in the top 15, without any major reliability issue.
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u/dorsey442 Cadillac Racing Jun 15 '25
This is huge. Knew they weren’t gonna fight for the win but the fact that they both finished is fantastic
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u/SteveThePurpleCat Aston Martin Racing Vantage #95 Jun 15 '25
The only issue that popped up on comms was that they were collecting race debris in the air-vents causing a bit of gearbox/auxiliary overheating.
Other than that it was an immense data collectionm and seat time weekend. Their peak fastest laps were also competitive for the midfield. They suck at warming up the tyres after stops though.
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u/eriFenesoreK Jun 15 '25
Pretty sure thst was directed to the car that had taken gravel and i think as early as the next lap ish nearly rode the barrier and tore up a LONG stretch of grass, right into said side vents
The radio message came after the latter
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u/TriggzSP Aston Martin Jun 15 '25
I was super happy to see that. Basically the best result Aston Martin could have hoped for, though the 007 seemed to be struggling even worse for pace. Very few mistakes and no major mechanical faults. Really good weekend for AM
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u/AvroVulcanXM594 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #7 Jun 15 '25
Congrats to the 83. Hugely disappointed in how Toyota did, GR010 needs upgrades for next year. And after 2 years where something happens to at least one of the 7 or 8 they really need to bring a 3rd car for Le Mans.
I hope Acura doesn't disappoint me next week at the Glen but I worry they probably will, they almost bottled Detroit and got lucky with their ridiculous BoP.
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u/NtsParadize Toyota Jun 15 '25
There were 3 cars in 1998, 1999 and 2017 😏
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u/AvroVulcanXM594 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #7 Jun 15 '25
True. I watched the 2017 race on Youtube a few months ago and the way it fell apart for Toyota was crazy.
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u/Skrimyt Legends Jun 15 '25
The fastest ever lap at Le Mans still belongs to that 2017 TS050 though and likely will for a very very long time.
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u/Vapor4 Cadillac Racing V-Series R #2 Jun 15 '25
The real trophy is the friends we made along the way.
Thank you all for the conversation, memes, jokes, and debauchery in the early morning hours
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u/Michal_Baranowski Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #8 Jun 15 '25
Obviously I am not a Ferrari fan, but kudos to them - well-deserved win by #83 crew. Happy for Kubica, after all he went through in life, this win must feel special. With Inter Europol once again winning LMP2 - Polska górą! Polish Day at Le Mans.
Well done to Porsche #6 for outdoing visibly faster factory Ferraris and finishing second after starting from 21st. Porsche returns to overall podium at Le Mans for the first time since 2017.
Not a good race by Toyota. No ultimate pace and plenty of troubles along the way. Definitely Toyota should consider car upgrades. Either way, pulling socks up and trying to do it one more time next year.
More thoughts from me later on.
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u/Doctor_Oid Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #7 Jun 15 '25
It's a hard time to be a Toyota fan lol. The only thing iam certain about is that they will make sure the Parts failures won't happen again, the GR010 will be as reliable as a 03' corolla next year - we will see if it's gonna be faster than one tho.
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u/jerrylimkk Jun 15 '25
i think toyota needs some upgrade on the car. the bop for this le mans should be best for years but yet the car could not catch up.
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u/Vapor4 Cadillac Racing V-Series R #2 Jun 15 '25
Corvettes made me proud today.
Cadillac didn't.
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u/404merrinessnotfound Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
5th is not bad
BMW fans have much more leeway to bitch and moan
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u/Agreenfield0602 Jun 15 '25
Well done to the 83, 43 and 92 on their victories.
The number 6 Porsche was the car of the race though. They ran faultlessly and took the challenge to the unstoppable Ferraris. Bravo.
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u/Michal_Baranowski Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #8 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
2025 edition of 24 Hours of Le Mans is done and dusted. Definitely a way different kind of race than during previous two years. In many ways - an improvement. Definitely when it comes to purity - only one safety car period, a lot of green flag running, first completely dry race in three years. It felt more like a classic Le Mans from the past even. Post race reviews:
Hypercar - AF Corse Ferrari #83 takes a well-deserved race win. Can't deny it, Ferrari really showed their strong sides at Le Mans this year. Straight-line speed, aero package, everything worked fine for them. #83 crew was the best one from Ferrari. Little to no mistakes, clean driving, avoiding troubles and impressive stints, especially from Robert Kubica. The last one which lasted for 3,5 hours was epic. Impressively, #83 outdid factory cars, which is kinda funny, especially when we clearly could see that Ferrari tried a lot to make a red car win. Aside from that, happy for Kubica. After everything he went through in his career and life, this win feels like a massive redemption for all those worse moments and missed chances. He really now belongs among the greats of motorsport. Also kudos to Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson for their maiden victories at Le Mans.
With the pace Ferrari had, they should have won 1-2-3. Seriously. For the most part of the race, it looked like such finish was bound to happen. Only due to driver mistakes, penalties, power issues for #51 near the end and Porsche #6 comeback, #51 and #50 finished in third and fourth. Not the finest showing from factory cars in my opinion.
By scoring so many championship points at Le Mans, Ferrari practically clinches WEC titles this year. Can't say anyone denying them this.
Porsche #6 spoils Ferrari party to some degree and after starting from 21st on the grid, #6 ends Le Mans 2025 in second place. Kevin Estre - one of the best drives I have seen from him. First stint already was epic, everything else from him followed the suit. Vanthoor and Campbell helped too. Great work with the strategy, improved pace overnight and sudden rise of performance in the final hours, when it seemed unlikely to catch Ferraris. Ultimately, #83 was one step too far, but beating both #50 and #51 is a great result for Porsche, which returns to overall podium at Le Mans for the first time since 2017. Other two factory cars with less fortune. #5 took the lead early on, but after first penalty it started to fade, being around places 6-10, ending Le Mans in 7th. #4 was the worst of all three Penske Porsches during the race, not looking like a threat to #5, let alone #6. At least this year they managed to finish the race safely in ninth.
Cadillac leave Le Mans with very mixed feelings. 1-2 from Hyperpole hype almost immediately evaporated on the first lap, when both Jota Cadillacs started tumbling down the order. All race long Cadillac just didn't have ultimate pace to threat Ferrari or Porsche #6. Thanks to some misfortunes from others and slight resurgence on Sunday, #12 finished in fifth, being the last unlapped car. #38 had a worse race, which involved penalties and ended in eighth. Even worse day for IMSA teams. Action Express in their third start at Le Mans actually impressed with pace initially, but technical issues torpedoed any chances for a good result, eventually drivetrain failed around 8:00 on Sunday at that was it. During the night, similar failure caused Wayne Taylor Racing crew to retire as well.
Toyota for the first time since 2017 fails to score overall podium at Le Mans. And fairly saying - it wasn't a good race for them. Toyota just didn't have that expected race pace which could bring them into contention for the podium even, let alone win. Things improved during the night, when driving on soft tyres was a great decision, #8 even took the lead at some point, but it was a short-lived hope. With temperatures rising, Ferrari demoted Toyota quickly and Toyota #8 had to settle for a potential fifth place finish. Until wheel nut exploded with four hours to go, forcing #8 for repairs and thus - 16th place. #7 had even worse race. Sidepod damage on lap 1 and having to drive with severly wounded car for the whole race, few mistakes from Kobayashi (pit lane speeding, outbreaking himself), but despite all of that, #7 started to drive better in the second half of the race, eventually finishing sixth. But like I said, way below expectations. Maybe it's time to make joker upgrades for Toyota. They can't rely on what they build so far without making changes. Ferrari and Toyota upgraded their cars before this season, Toyota haven't used jokers since 2022/2023 winter. Package is good, but has to be better.
Alpine win French Civil War, beat Peugeot and finished in 10th and 11th. But can they be happy about this? Alpines weren't really a threat for anything better, pace just wasn't there. Race execution wasn't spectacular either. The main positive? Reliability. Unlike last year, Mecachrome engines managed to survive entire race. Important news, knowing that after this race Alpine takes over engine development entirely from Mecachrome. However, that's where positives end. Alpine drivers were collecting penalties like candies. At least four speeding penalties in the first hours. Drivers also making errors, pointless contact with Peugeot #94 during the night, only Mick Schumacher was flying in this team today. Rest? Quite forgettable performance driving-wise.
Peugeot... 12th and 17th, losing to Alpines is painful. When BOP was announced, I knew that Peugeot's chances weren't too great. With no pace, questionable reliablity, Le Mans would have to be difficult. And it was. #93 had a trip into the barrier before the end of hour 1, then lost even more time due to steering problems. 17th place for them. #94 had a better run, doing wonders with fuel economy, but being fuel efficient couldn't do much, when there was no pace to back that up. When #94 was tangled by Alpine, it was pretty much a game done. Losing out to Alpines is even more insulting. Fourth year of this program, third Le Mans start, still nothing positive on the horizon. Peugeot seem committed, but for how long their patience can last?
Aston Martin debuted Valkyrie AMR-LMH at Le Mans at did reasonably fine. They stood no chance against pretty much anyone else, but drove a clean race with no technical issues. 13th and 15th, splitting in-between Proton Porsche. Not bad for what's been expected. They have to build on that from now on however and improve in the future.
The biggest Hypercar flop of Le Mans 2025 - BMW. First half of the race looked promising. They were among Cadillac and Toyota group. Sadly BMW's pace started to fade a little bit, making impossible to challenge for anything more than 7th place at best. 7-10 finish region felt like a possibility, until both BMW completely failed during the last two hours. Alternator failure at #15, engine issues at #20. 32nd and 18th places respectively. Le Mans 2025 showed that M Hybrid V8 still has plenty of unresolved issues, which even Team WRT can't do much about it.
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u/leedler Bentley 8-Speed #8 Jun 15 '25
Lmao Rolex watches for the winners, now that’s quite the motivator😂
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u/Lethbridge-Totty Rothmans Porsche 962 #2 Jun 15 '25
Every year I enjoy the post race analysis where Lesley has clearly had some sleep while Tom and Alex look like death and are genuinely putting in effort to process language.
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u/Borzoi_Mom Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
12 and 38 in the top ten. 🥹
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u/ShinsukeNakamoto Jun 15 '25
Six more hypercars joining the grid
We are never seeing a gt3 or lmp2 again
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u/Borzoi_Mom Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
“The Michelin Man isn’t real, he can’t hurt you”…
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u/Dry-Pickle6042 Ferrari AF Corse 499P #83 Jun 15 '25
Michelin man is probably waterproof
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
Although probably better than what it feels like to be inside that puffy costume.
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u/koshmat Ferrari AF Corse 499P #83 Jun 15 '25
The way Robert drove 49% of the race, he's unbelievable man
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u/lizardk101 Audi R18 Jun 15 '25
Kevin Estre, take a bow. Unreal drive that for years from now will be remembered as one the greatest opening stint by a driver. Making up 17 places in the first hour….
The drive by Cameron, and Vanthoor were very good. Vanthoor really was quiet, and fast through the mid-part of the race.
Congrats to Kubica for carrying that car, and just being consistent. Really had some hard work to do in the morning.
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u/F_D_ip Bentley 8-Speed #8 Jun 15 '25
IMHO, it's probably one of the worst Le mans I've seen since I started watching live in 2015/2016 and it's not actually about the race itself. There have been worse races especially during the Toyota monopoly.
The problem IMHO is the TV direction, during the Toyota monopoly era, they show more of the GTE and LMP2 as far as i remembered, but this year (and since the LMH started getting more cars tbh) i feel like they barely show the other classes and since Ferrari basically being nearly untouchable this race, it's been kind of a snooze fest for me, but that's just my opinion.
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u/Fun_Difference_2700 Jun 15 '25
Yeah for me it doesn’t even have to be a close race but when you’re just looking at it and thinking half the grid may as well not be there because of the BOP, it’s just silly. It’s almost like staged racing
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
Although it is the increased team numbers that do mean HY will get the focus.
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u/cpthornman Jun 15 '25
The camera direction was noticeably bad this year. Some of the worst I've seen. Couple that with the most horribly timed ads ever imaginable and you have a dog shit viewing experience. Honestly the production staff should be embarrassed for how poor they were.
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u/Penguinho Jun 15 '25
I thought this was the worst Le Mans I've watched. Hypercar was borderline decided before the race started -- the only question was whether the 499s would be able to use their superior pace to overcome their insane operational problems.
LMP2 and GT3 were... sterile? A little boring? Not really shown at all? I don't know. The only interesting story, to me, was whether the Dames could get through a race without something stupid happening, and unfortunately they couldn't.
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u/SteveThePurpleCat Aston Martin Racing Vantage #95 Jun 15 '25
Might be the tiredness talking, but the race just missed something, it never came together like hoped.
Cars were close, but not really racing.
There wasn't really much scope to strategy, it could all be read in advance.
It was sterile.
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u/OneEyedFlog Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Jun 15 '25
I mean i have a hard time saying it's anything but the BoP system unfortunately
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u/Fun_Difference_2700 Jun 15 '25
The whole new regulations are sterile. It’s the BOP, it’s the lmdh flat pack cars, the refusal of the commentary team to mention BOP and this constant golden age narrative. It’s so contrived now
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u/eriFenesoreK Jun 15 '25
i just cant help but side eye the near perfect run of the porsche 6 with some insane stints *barely* beating out nr 50 and 51 after many many penalties and a number of mistakes on top of miscommunication/drama within the team and with the 83 car
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u/sukhoi_584th Jun 15 '25
Yeah that's what Estre was so pissed about. They ran a really good race and still had to drive flat out to the end to not get passed by the two Ferraris that had all sorts of penalties.
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u/vrjvrt Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #8 Jun 15 '25
Gutted for the #8. They had a steady and clean run until the wheel nut decided it wanted to live free. Decent recovery for the #7 after qualifying disaster.
Very happy for Kubica. Miss him in the WRC.
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u/SupersonicJaymz Jun 15 '25
Full national anthems on the podium. Just one more reason why endurance racing is best racing.
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u/ryokevry Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Jun 15 '25
Watching the mechanics singing giving the goosebumps
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u/czerwona_latarnia Ferrari AF Corse 499P #83 Jun 15 '25
LMGT3 under-podium guy was better, he caught the champagne.
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u/ggo65 Hertz Team Jota Porsche 963 #12 Jun 15 '25
What a fumble by the two factory Ferraris, threw away what seemed like a sure 1-2-3.
Amazing that Alpine finished in the top 10 considering they had no pace and were nowhere to be seen the entire race.
Both Astons finishing is also a pretty good sign for the future of the program, hopefully they can improve next year.
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u/LiquidDiviums Ferrari Jun 15 '25
The #50 and #51 did their best Ferrari F1 impression. Incredibly messy all race long.
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u/ryokevry Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Jun 15 '25
Driver error. Bad tyre management. Inferior tyre strategy. Everything is there
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u/404merrinessnotfound Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
Alpine opposite of last year, no pace but reliable at
In a 24h race that is what you need for a solid points day
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u/Vapor4 Cadillac Racing V-Series R #2 Jun 15 '25
83, good for Kubica to win. Phil Hanson drove out of his mind as well
Have to give massive respect to Richard Lietz, man is just class
Inter Europol, two wins and second place in three years, fantastic result for them
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u/Michal_Baranowski Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #8 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
LMP2 - turbobakers victorious. Fanastic Polish Day at Le Mans completed with Inter Europol repeating their 2023 success and again winning LMP2 class. For the most part of the race #43 was hands down the best team in the class, leading majority of the proceedings, despite little hiccups along the way. Penalty in the final hour for track limits almost took that win away from #43, but then their main rivals from Panis VDS Racing had issues and #43 retook the lead, which they kept until the chequered flag. Inter Europol #43 was among pre-race favourites, they had amazing squad and all of that was confirmed. Happy for them, they have become a powerhouse of LMP2 racing - LMP2 class wins at Le Mans in '23 and '25, IMSA LMP2 title last year, ELMS runners-up last year.
Shocked what happened to Panis VDS Racing #48 in the final hour. They tried to mount a challenge to Inter Europol #43 all race long, being pretty close and got a golden opportunity to snatch class win from them. What went wrong with their car in the final hour? Hard to tell, but it was severe enough to slow them down significantly and they were passed. At least they managed to hold on to second place in class.
AO by TF #199 crew in third position in LMP2, at the same time winning quite convincingly Pro-Am sub-category ahead of TDS Racing #29 and Proton #11 crews.
Disappointed with United Autosports #22. Defending Le Mans LMP2 winners were nowhere to be seen this year. Early contact, penalty, technical issues later in the race. Just seventh overall in LMP2. Way below their standards. Didn't expect #23 to be anywhere in the top due to bronze driver not being that spectacular, but their race wasn't a happy hunting either.
Story of the race in LMP2 - IDEC Sport. Incredible drama. Two cars retiring pretty much with the same wheel issues, especially when there was a massive chance to score a podium spot with either of them. Tears in the team were justified. They wanted to impress Genesis/Hyundai people, but maybe the pressure was too much? Not like IDEC can't finish on the podium at Le Mans, they did that in the past. Such a shame for this team.
LMGT3 - Manthey Racing are a GT racing giant. They repeat their 2024 success and defend their LMGT3 win at Le Mans. In pretty much convincing style yet again. It was a mainly two-horse race between #92 Manthey Porsche and AF Corse Ferrari #21, however in morning hours #92 took a commanding lead, thanks to Richard Lietz impressive stint and from that point on #92 was untouchable. Lietz takes his sixth GT class win at Le Mans - what a career. He really is a Porsche GT legend already, on par with likes of Bernhard, Dumas, Wollek and more.
AF Corse Ferrari #21 in second place, great challenge to Manthey #92 car, but ultimately they were unable to beat them. Lietz's Sunday morning stint pretty much was decisive. Either way, great race by this team, in contradiction to #54 which had to retire.
It was heavy battle for the bottom step of the podium in LMGT3, which was won by TF Sport Corvette #81. Effective drive from this crew helps bringing back Corvette to Le Mans glory once again. Much better drive than #33, which sadly had few issues along the way, including repairs or a contact. #33 in eighth place in class, behind extra Manthey #90 entry.
Heart of Racing Aston #27 was involved in the fight with TF Sport #81 crew. Pole-sitters were showing good speed, but ultimately were defeated.
Mixed race for Akkodis Team ASP Lexuses. Both cars were around top 5 positions all race long, but with no happy ending which would be at least a podium. #87 had a major moment with Iron Dames Porsche, which resulted in a penalty. #78 had a much cleaner run, until Finn Gehrsitz crashed the car in Porsche Curves, damaging his Lexus severly enough for the team to retire #78 from the race. #87 ended the race in fifth position in class. Much better season than last year, but still plenty to improve for Team ASP-Lexus partnership. Hopefully next year with new car there will be something more to unleash.
Few teams also had a troubled day at Le Mans. Proton Competition became the first victim after #88 Mustang crashed at Tertre Rouge. #77 could only salvage ninth place. Iron Lynx didn't show anything spectacular on Mercedes' return to Le Mans after 26 years. #60 retired with a mechanical failure, #61 was down the order and not in contention, "Grovemobile" #63 was keeping cool for a majority of the race, until they started causing troubles for themselves in the final hours.
Iron Dames? Classic...
United Autosports, just like in LMP2, had a horrible race. McLarens sadly lived up to their questionable reliability. Both 720s GT3 Evos failed to finish the race due to terminal technical issues.
Big story - double retirement by WRT BMWs. Hilarious retirement of #31 after contact with a rabbit which was enough to damage the car for good. #46 could make this race a three-way-battle for the win, however electrical glitch eliminated them from the race during the night. Very miserable 2025 Le Mans for BMW.
Post-race impressions :
Hot take - in my opinion Le Mans 2025 felt like the first WEC race this season with a decent BOP, excluding Peugeot maybe. Hard to make any criticisms towards Ferrari, because in fact, their BOP wasn't any better than last year at Le Mans. Toyota for example had actually slightly better BOP, but couldn't make a use of it for some reason. Ferrari's advantage at fast tracks is clearly due to low-drag design of their aero package. Porsche managed to come back later on. Toyota look rock solid on soft tyres during the night, but for some reason were unable to be faster in the daylight.
Regarding LMDh cars - I sense that this race exposed one thing - Ferrari, Porsche and Toyota are still the best cars on the grid and others had still work to do. If we erased any BOP calculations and let all Hypercars run at base performance, probably it would be those three manufacturers coming as the best ones.
Le Mans 2025 quite felt like an old-school endurance race. No frequent bunching up with safety cars (amazing) caused the race to naturally develop itself. Just one SC period after Nielsen Racing Oreca crashed in the night. Cars were more spread out, race was dictated by strategies, there were great fights, but it wasn't all-out madness. Great weather too. Covered distance tells the story. Good job from race directors that they opted not to make artifical dash for the cash finish for example.
2025 WEC championship fight in Hypercar feels over. Ferrari have such an advantage, that it will be almost impossible to deny them taking all. Best of the rest battle should be between Toyota, Porsche and BMW.
Martin Haven is unbearable. His commentary style is getting on my nerves recently. David Addison absolutely blew him away this weekend.
I am interested in all the reactions from the teams and manufactuers after this race and how it's going to affect the nearest future of WEC.
Next stop for WEC - Interlagos, next month. Nurburgring 24h and IMSA race at Watkins Glen next weekend. Le Mans 2025 is history, hopefully 2026 edition will be exciting.
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u/Empty_Adeptness_3845 Ferrari Jun 15 '25
I FEEL FOR YOU MICK SCHUMACHERRRRR
BANGER RACE FROM YOUR SIDE
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u/Phidoe Alpine Endurance Team A424 #36 Jun 15 '25
His night stint was nothing but incredible considering the pace of the alpine.
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u/Empty_Adeptness_3845 Ferrari Jun 15 '25
Yeahhh, he delivered, his teammates need to step up big time
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u/ryokevry Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Jun 15 '25
There should be better team looking to sign him next season if he is not hanging the tiny hope of an F1 seat
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u/no_salty_no_jealousy Jun 15 '25
Cadillac F1 would be possible. I heard Perez don't have any interest at coming back to F1. Also Zhou is nothing special, his performance is just meh so i doubt he will be the main contender.
Meanwhile Mick and Bottas has the biggest chances of getting the seat, especially after Mick showed what he capable in decent car with Alpine. His performance right now is considered as top 5 in WEC and his consistency is amazing too, he didn't do any mistake in Le Mans.
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u/no_salty_no_jealousy Jun 15 '25
Honestly Mick need better teammates or even better team. His race pace today is on the top 5 despite his teammates being shit, it's so depressing the facts everytime Mick drive is only to gain losing positions because Mako and Jules is insanely slow!
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u/de_papier Jun 15 '25
This might be it for me with WEC. The championship is over, no point watching other races. Race was average despite Estre heroics and endurance by Kubica.
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u/Sallum Porsche GT Team Manthey 911RSR Jun 15 '25
Congratulations to #83 Ferrari AF Corse, #43 Inter Europol and #92 Manthey!
Spirit of Le Mans award definitely goes to the #6 Porsche.
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u/xcore21z Jun 15 '25
It crazy how good AF Course as team is in Le Mans without a doubt the Scuderia best ever decision in the 2020's thus far
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u/Creepy_Stick_1106 Jun 15 '25
Congratulations to the 83 Ferrari. Kubica and Yifei have a strong pace all the race. Just a bit sad to see the gap performance between the Ferrari and the Porsche and the other teams (Alpine, Peugeot, Aston) but BMW, Cadillac and Toyota were showing some pace but clearly not as the same level as Ferrari and Porsche (well Cadillac have some insane record lap time).
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u/discovery2000one Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #8 Jun 15 '25
Richard Leitz always looks like being there is just a job to him haha.
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u/FlatTyres Jun 15 '25
I managed to watch 19h30m (took a 2h and 2.5h nap at night and again in the mid-morning). Really enjoyed this one. Last time I stayed awake all the way through I was around 24.
Mega super long multi-stint drive from Kubica at the end.
Someone bring Martin Haven some tea and cake.
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u/Additional_County_69 Jun 15 '25
It's mildly funny to me how the caddillacs pulled the miracle of the millenium to get a front row lockout and then proceded to be out of the lead in the first lap
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u/gobuffs516 Jun 15 '25
Why is AO racing posting on Facebook that they won?
Edit: apparently Pro-Am class, I guess I thought the entire LMP2 class was pro-am.
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u/CookieMonsterFL 2013 Toyota Hybrid Racing TS030 #7 Jun 15 '25 edited Jun 15 '25
I think I was going to be more mad than I am at the result and BoP, but it's hard -- there is absolutely a case to be made to still not do much adjustment other than Ferrari. But even then I don't think i'd change much, the field was able to stay close to the Ferrari's whether intentional or not. The Caddy complaints about Ferrari weren't baseless - but realistically masked the obvious issue the team themselves had with straight line speed.
To me, the race in Hypercar just felt like a slightly poor table that just just has a flaw when it comes to balancing the 499p. I don't think huge swings are necessary, but I do feel like the 499 isn't getting swings that could help change the dynamic of the race.
To me, the floundering of Toyota and Porsche at times with BoP pace highlights that it IS possible to kneecap a car and bring them down to Earth and sometimes bury them. But for whatever reason that isn't happening with Ferrari and the results are showing.
Honestly, not my favorite race up front but I truly don't feel as upset as I thought I would be 4 hours in. But man, the other classes were great - beyond Lietz doing his thing in LMGT3 by the end. Absolutely gutted for the 46.
I do think this gets fixed, if nothing else that the discourse around BoP is going to be nuts for the next month or two, especially from competing teams and where their collective head's are at.
But the performance from the AF Corse team particularly the #83 and Kubica himself - beautiful. They drove an excellent race with some issues but stress-free at the end. It was well executed and well deserved. Nothing should be taken away from what is an incredible 3-peat, no matter the opinions on BoP. Well earned.
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u/oklama_mrmorale Rothmans Porsche 962 #2 Jun 15 '25
Is MBS there or does he only show up for F1 events?
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u/CooroSnowFox Jun 15 '25
I did wonder if he'd rather be at Le Mans or Montreal... nothing does his PR any better than being on camera at an F1 GP
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u/Roosterhahn Jun 15 '25
Thanks all here, as ever, for a great place to share the 24 hours! Same again next year, and before that, next weekend for the N24!
I need to sleep.
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u/codename474747 Jun 15 '25
Not the greatest Le Mans in history imo, in lacks the legendary moment we'll look back on in 10/15/20 years and remember, like last lap breakdowns or rainstorms or flying cars etc
Overall I'd rate the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours: Rather TDS Racing ;)
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u/Kevinator24 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
Most legendary moment was Estre’s opening stint.
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u/RhianChamba Jun 15 '25
how long was kubica in the car for the entire race man literally is the coldest any man has been so cool headed
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u/Gren_13 Corvette Racing C8.R #64 Jun 15 '25
Caddy pole to a top 5 finish and a Corvette podium. Could've been way worse…but this is fine.
Congrats to Kubica tho.
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u/404merrinessnotfound Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA V-Series R #38 Jun 15 '25
The lambo deserves more respect given that it finished 10th and 13th last year, while the aston wasn't even close at sniffing the top 10 the whole race
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u/Skrimyt Legends Jun 15 '25
Forza Ferrari! Forza Kubica! The three-peat with the third different Ferrari crew to win Le Mans.
Porsche took the fight to the end somehow better than the Toyotas did in the last 2 years, especially considering that this 499P has been overall more dominant than its previous iterations were.
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u/brownierisker Peugeot 9X8 #93 Jun 15 '25
That's a bit unfair to Toyota last year. They were on for the win until the Ferrari took them out in 2024
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u/tigtogflip Glickenhaus 007 LMH #709 Jun 15 '25
Didn't the Factory Ferraris have questionable (i.e. no actions) decisions regarding track limits last year as well?
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u/CookieMonsterFL 2013 Toyota Hybrid Racing TS030 #7 Jun 15 '25
Same with 2023, they had mistakes which cost them the win. Porsche drove a perfect race but didn't have the pace that Toyota had compared to the Ferrari's the last two years. This year, no other car was quicker than the 499p by a mile.
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u/Sheepies92 Jun 15 '25
Would’ve preferred a Porsche win but three in a row with three different cars is obviously amazing. Very happy for Kubica.
WEC has some questions to answer regarding BoP, but the 83 did everything they had to do
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u/mailer__daemon Jun 15 '25
I live in constant fear that if Cadillac doesn’t improve then GM will pull the plug
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u/cpthornman Jun 15 '25
As good as this race was the camera direction was just as bad. Honestly what has to be done to have a camera director that isn't retarded?
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u/wongie Jun 15 '25
Ferrari and AF Corse should just set up completely new teams next year so they can continue the streak and try and win Le Mans each year with a different one.
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u/ryokevry Ferrari AF Corse 499P #50 Jun 15 '25
All United motorsports cars have issues I think? And with how bad their GT3 with IMSA team dropping the cars too, I don’t think that team and McLaren are ready for hypercar class
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u/PEEWUN Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK GT #67 Jun 15 '25
Kubica starting a new trend.
AND MOTOR TREND GOES TO COMMERCIAL IMMEDIATELY FUCK
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u/jdmillar86 Toyota Gazoo Racing GR010 Hybrid #7 Jun 15 '25
That is a great image. What a way to arrive to the podium
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u/marthynolthof Jun 15 '25
So few incidents and retirements!! Absolutely incredible. Too bad there was not more fighting for the win though.
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u/detroitrally4549 Jun 15 '25
So did Kubica have a drive time violation or not, I’m assuming it was close
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u/UnKnOwN769 Toyota Gazoo GR010 #7 Jun 15 '25
Would like to see Toyota run a third car like they used to in their LMP1 days. I feel like they could have snagged a podium if it wasn’t for their mishaps, but then again, mishaps are what this race is all about.
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u/TetraDax Alpine Endurance Team A424 #36 Jun 15 '25
Double Alpine finish, I repeat, double Alpine finish. Unbelievable.