#51 Ferrari in Le Mans lead with 8 hours to run

With eight hours remaining at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the #51 Ferrari car leads the #8 Toyota in a thrilling Hypercar battle.

With three Hypercars out of the running – the #7 Toyota, the #75 Porsche, the #6 Porsche (pending) and the Vanwall car – it’s looking like a two horse race for the win, but Cadillac is still there with its Earl Bamber led #2 V-Series LMDh hypercar.

After the #94 Peugeot was the surprise leader for much of the first half of the race, the lead changed regularly between four manufacturers – which at the time also included the #50 pole sitting Ferrari, the #8 Toyota, and the #6 Porsche.

The #94 Peugeot unfortunately became unstuck when Gustavo Menezes went off track, dropping the unlikely challenger down the order into P11, and ending a fantastic tilt from a tram that has struggled for mechanical consistency all season.

The #50 Ferrari was also tracking nicely until disaster struck and it was forced into the pits for 30 minutes with a leaking cooling system, with all the manufacturers resting on the leading #51 499P.

The #7 Toyota came unstuck in the early hours after being involved in a three car collision between an Alpine LMP2 and a Ferrari GT.

Toyota driver Kamui Kobayashi had to brake late in a yellow slow zone when the Alpine slammed its brakes, with the Ferrari then going into its rear, ending the race for the championship leading GR010.

The Ferrari 499P pace has been evident throughout the race, with the the #51 able to close large gaps to it rivals.

The pivotal stop with eight and a half hours hours remaining saw the #51 close an +18s gap with the #8 Toyota struggling with front splitter issues.

After the Ferrari made up the ground, the two hypercars pitted with the Italians coming out in front with less work to do in the pits.

The current Hypercar battle reads:

1. #51 Ferrari 
2. #8 Toyota 
3. #2 Cadillac 
4. #3 Cadillac 
5. #6 Porsche – In garage 
6. #93 Peugeot 
7. #708 Glickenhaus 
8. #709 Glickenhaus 
9. #5 Porsche 
10. #51 Ferrari 
11. #94 Peugeot 
12. #38 JOTA Porsche 
13. #311 Cadillac
14. #4 Vanwall – DNF
15. #7 Toyota – DNF
16. #75 Porsche – DNF

In the LMP2 Am stakes, Aussie James Allen is in the frame for a second straight Le Mans class win, enjoying a comfortable lead over its closest class challenger.

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