The 2024 edition of the 24h of Le Mans brought great satisfaction to Ferrari, thanks to the victory of the #50 and the podium of the #51, but there is also a bittersweet note, namely the withdrawal of the #83 after a leading race .
Subsequently, during the twenty-ninth lap, the AF Corse car took the lead, thanks also to an excellent stint by Robert Kubica. However, after less than six hours, a contact between the #83 and the #15 BMW during a lapping phase resulted in the withdrawal of the German car and a 30-second stop&go penalty for the Red car (dressed in yellow) which ‘he slipped to seventh place.
From the hope of aiming for a prominent result, having maintained the lead of the race in alternating phases for around 83 laps in total, the AF Corse home crew thus found themselves having to get back on top again during the night, taking full advantage of better the difficult weather conditions to return to the virtual podium at first light in the morning.
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, Yifei Ye
Photo by: Marc Fleury
However, at the end of the twentieth hour of the race, an electrical blackout forced the team to recall the car to the pits, with the car emitting smoke from the front area, which was actually not due to the problem that led to the withdrawal itself, but rather to a secondary problem with the brakes linked precisely to the failure of the motor generator on the front axle. After assessing the damage and carrying out an initial analysis of the data, the AF Corse technicians unfortunately had to declare a forfeit, withdrawing the yellow 499P from the race.
An undoubtedly bitter ending, which does not do justice to the performance put on the track by the Italian team which, beyond the penalty, in terms of performance as well, had demonstrated that it was capable of achieving a result of great importance.
The problem appears to have been caused by an assembly problem which, in the long run, led to the electrical failure. At the beginning the technicians were unable to understand the reason, so much so that they chose to continue but, as the laps went by, the problem worsened, to the point of losing the electric motor, so much so that during braking the car had to rely only on the mechanical brakes, which clearly overheated to the point of generating the smoke seen in the pit lane.
“It’s a shame for us. What happened was that we identified a problem with the car’s electrical system that made us lose control of the electric motor. At first we didn’t understand why, so we continued. We still have to analyze it in detail and I can’t give a precise answer, but it is certainly something related to the front part of the car and probably something that has lost the connection or a temperature problem”, explained Ferdinando Cannizzo.
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, Yifei Ye
Photo credit: Rainier Ehrhardt
“The smoke you saw was only due to the brakes, in the last laps we didn’t use the electric motors to brake, so all the effort was on the mechanical brakes and that’s why they were very hot. It was a shame that we tried to continue until the end.”
“I don’t have a full picture at the moment, but I can argue that it could be some sort of assembly problem. I don’t know, maybe a screw not tightened correctly or something. A very small detail, but something that came loose, so the race was very tough. And if you sometimes drive over curbs, you can run into some small problems. Up to now we have had very good reliability,” added the head of Maranello’s endurance cars.
A regret that increases especially considering the potential shown by the #83 during the race, with a podium probably within reach, but which gives some good signals in view of the next events, as also explained by Giuseppe Petrotta: “It was a pleasure to be able to take takes part in the 24 hours of Le Mans in the Hypercar class with the Ferrari 499P number 83. The AF Corse car #83 stood out in the first six hours, remaining in the lead for a long time. Then, after serving a penalty, we lost positions, which we managed to recover throughout the night to get back into contention for the podium, a source of pride for the drivers and teams. Four hours before the end of the race, an electrical problem forced the withdrawal.”
“In light of the final result of the Ferraris we can say that the 83 could also fight for a position on the podium, so we remain disappointed about the result of the race and the championship standings,” said the managing director.
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, Yifei Ye
Photo by: Shameem Fahath
Among the great protagonists aboard the #83 we undoubtedly cannot fail to mention Robert Kubica, the one who more than anyone brought the AF Corse car to the lead in the endurance race par excellence. The Pole wanted to highlight above all the good performances and the strategic choices made by the team, in contexts that were anything but simple.
“It was a good Le Mans for the first 20 hours, what happened next is part of the essence of motorsport. It’s a shame, because apart from the penalty, we made good decisions and conducted a complicated race very well. We return home with the awareness that we have excellent potential, but also that we missed an excellent opportunity to fight for the top positions.”
My colleague, Robert Shwartzman, is also of the same opinion, having his first experience ever in the French 24 Hours: “They were 24 hours characterized by different emotions. Starting from twelfth place we didn’t have many expectations, but soon the race started to take a positive turn. Robert (Kubica) made a good start and we made the right strategic decisions.”
“We then maintained a good pace for a long time, but a contact with a lapped car that didn’t respect the blue flags gave us a penalty. During the night we managed to get back into the fight for first place, before a sudden problem forced us to retire. However, Le Mans remains a splendid experience. We did an excellent job, it’s a shame that only the result was missing.”
#83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Robert Kubica, Robert Shwartzman, Yifei Ye
Photo by: Marc Fleury
The #83 took the lead a couple of hours into the race, maintaining it until after the Safety Car came in, having among other things to serve the penalty for the accident. Yifei Ye also fits into this context, who is having his first experience at the 24 Hours with the Prancing Horse brand, even though he had already tried the taste of endurance racing with another manufacturer. The Chinese wanted to underline his compliments to Ferrari for the good work done beyond the retirement.
“We had a great start, taking the lead after a couple of hours and holding it until nightfall, when we had an accident that cost us a penalty and some positions. We then recovered again and in the morning we looked capable of fighting for the overall victory. It would have been nice as a birthday present if we had managed to achieve a good result, but unfortunately we had to withdraw.”
“However, I am very happy for Ferrari, a double podium is a great thing for them, congratulations to all the guys. Now focus on the next race in Brazil.”
#Mans #Ferrari #assembly #problem #blackout
