The Lone Star Le Mans marked a historic moment for the AF Corse Ferrari after clinching its maiden WEC victory at the Circuit of the Americas following a last minute battle with Toyota.
The AF Corse Ferrari 499P, driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Robert Shwartzman, secured a hard-fought victory after a dramatic final hour that saw #7 Toyota Gazoo GR010 Hybrid receive a critical drive-through penalty.
The Lone Star Le Mans race marked the sixth different winner in as many rounds of the season, showcasing the intense competition within the Hypercar class.
The race began under clear skies, with a crowd of 65,089 fans eagerly anticipating the action. As the green flag waved, the #51 Ferrari piloted by Antonio Giovinazzi took the pole position but it was Kubica in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari who quickly made his move.
In the first hour, Kubica executed a well-timed pass on Giovinazzi, seizing the lead and setting the stage for a competitive race.
The early stages saw the three Ferraris—#51, #83, and #50—dominate the track. Kubica, Ye, and Shwartzman in the #83 Ferrari showcased impressive pace and strategic acumen, maintaining a solid lead through the first half of the race. Meanwhile, the #50 Ferrari, driven by Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen, and Antonio Fuoco, steadily climbed to third position.
However, the fortunes of the #51 Ferrari took a turn for the worse after Giovinazzi encountered trouble while lapping the #94 Peugeot 9X8, resulting in contact that caused significant damage. The incident forced the #51 Ferrari to retire, leaving the #83 and #50 cars to carry the Ferrari banner.
As the race progressed, the momentum began to shift as AF Corse made a strategic decision to double stint a set of hard compound tires with Ye behind the wheel.
This move allowed Nyck de Vries in the #7 Toyota Gazoo GR010 Hybrid to close the gap significantly, putting pressure on Ye and the tactical gamble eventually left the Ferrari vulnerable to an undercut, enabling Kamui Kobayashi to take the lead when he relieved de Vries.
Kobayashi quickly established a commanding lead, opening a gap of over ten seconds to Shwartzman in the #83 Ferrari and it appeared that Toyota was on course for victory until a yellow flag was deployed late in the race to retrieve the stranded Peugeot. The #7 was penalized for not slowing sufficiently during the yellow flag conditions, forcing the Japanese driver to serve a drive-through penalty.
This penalty proved to be a game-changer as Kobayashi rejoined the track behind Shwartzman, who had regained the lead and with just minutes remaining, the Ferrari had to defend fiercely against a charging Toyota, determined to reclaim the top spot.
Tension escalated during the final laps as Kobayashi closed the gap to Shwartzman while the two drivers engaged in a gripping battle, with the former pushing hard to regain the lead.
However, Shwartzman remained composed, skillfully navigating the COTA layout and holding off the Toyota driver. As the checkered flag waved, Shwartzman crossed the finish line first, securing the #83 Ferrari’s first victory of the season by a mere 1.780 seconds.
The victory marked a historic moment for Ferrari, as it was the first time in over 50 years that a customer Ferrari won an internationally recognized sports car race. The triumph was further celebrated as it coincided with Scuderia Ferrari’s victory at the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix in Monza earlier that day.
The #7 Toyota, driven by Kobayashi, de Vries, and Mike Conway, finished in second place, while the #50 Ferrari of Molina, Nielsen, and Fuoco completed the overall podium in third.
Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber in the #2 Cadillac Racing entry finished fourth, while the #35 Alpine A424, driven by Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Paul-Loup Chatin, rounded out the top five. The Alpine team showcased resilience, recovering from an early drive-through penalty to secure their first top-five finish since rejoining the Hypercar class.
The championship-leading #6 Penske Porsche 963, driven by Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Andre Lotterer, faced a challenging race and ultimately finished sixth after also serving a drive-through penalty for a yellow flag infringement.
The Porsche team had to navigate a tense clash with the #8 Toyota, which resulted in a puncture for the Toyota but did not significantly impact their overall performance.
Sebastien Buemi who was battling Estre at the time managed to squeeze the Porsche over the track boundaries and almost into the wall, puncturing the Toyota in the process. The former was later reprimanded for the incident with a 30-second stop-and-go penalty, which dropped the car out of the points.
Frederic Makowiecki, Matt Campbell, and Michael Christensen in the #5 Penske Porsche finished seventh as the #15 BMW, #36 Alpine, and #38 Hertz Team JOTA Porsche rounded out the top ten.
The #20 BMW driven by Sheldon van der Linde, Rene Rast, and Robin Frijns fell out of the top ten to 13th after receiving a 100-second stop-and-hold penalty for a technical violation late in the race.
LMGT3: Heart of Racing claims maiden WEC Victory
In the LMGT3 class, the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR, driven by Ian James, Daniel Mancinelli, and Alex Riberas, claimed a commanding victory.
Starting from pole position, the #27 Aston Martin led the race from start to finish, crossing the line 21 seconds ahead of the #92 Manthey PureRxcing Porsche 911 GT3 R piloted by Aliaksandr Malykhin, Joel Sturm, and Klaus Bachler.
The #91 Manthey Porsche, driven by Yasser Shahin, Morris Schuring, and Richard Lietz, rounded out the LMGT3 podium in third position. The #59 United Autosports McLaren 720S LMGT3 Evo finished fourth, while the #31 Team WRT BMW M4 completed the top five in class.
The best-placed Ford Mustang LMGT3 was the #77 Proton Competition entry in sixth position.
