24h Le Mans
Winner 27 years ago, BMW returned to the 24 Hours of Le Mans podium last Sunday. The second place for the BMW M Team WRT #20 confirms that the Munich-based carmaker is well and truly back at the top of endurance racing.
It was almost an even more spectacular comeback: having taken the lead several times, the #20 BMW M Hybrid V8 was a credible candidate for victory. At the finish, the car was a mere 10.9 seconds behind the winning Toyota. In the hands of drivers Robin Frijns, René Rast and Sheldon van der Linde, BMW take their first overall podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans since the BMW V12 LMR won the 1999 race.
For BMW M Team WRT, the 94th 24 Hours Of Le Mans was special even before the race start. The #15 BMW M Hybrid V8 claimed BMW’s first Le Mans Hyperpole in the Hypercar era, sending a clear message to their opponents and confirming their progress since rejoining the élite of endurance racing.
In the race, the #20 BMW was quick to deliver on the promise. Solid traffic management and excellent performance in all track conditions enabled BMW M Team WRT to figure among the front-runners and to take the lead several times.
With six hours left on the clock, a safety car intervention regrouped the leaders, causing a scrabble for position. The final sprint lived up to expectations. Despite remarkable resistance, the BMW had to be content with second place.
Head of BMW M Motorsport, Andreas Roos, was delighted: “What a magnificent and historic result! Pole position and second place on the podium – incredible! We have worked for years to be successful at Le Mans again, and now we have reaped the reward with second place.”
Aside from the points it earns the team, the result illustrates how far BMW’s Hypercar programme has come. In a class where every detail is important, BMW M Team WRT delivered an exemplary performance.
Vincent Vosse, Team Principal, BMW M Team WRT: “That was one of the strongest races we have ever had as a team with the BMW M Hybrid V8. Absolutely flawless. No penalties, no bad pit stops – nothing. We are one unit, we are making progress, and we deserved this podium."
Proficient from start to finish, BMW gave the crowd an impressive show of fighting spirit right to the end.
Within the crew of the #20, emotions ran high, matching their performance. Finishing in the top three at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is a rare accomplishment. But coming so close to victory can be frustrating.
Robin Frijns: “I honestly don’t quite know what to say yet. Second place at Le Mans is a fantastic achievement, but seeing the victory so close does hurt a bit. We led for long stretches of the race, but in the end, second place was the maximum we could achieve after the safety car.”
René Rast felt the same: “It’s a bittersweet podium. On the one hand, it’s a great achievement to be on the podium at Le Mans. The team and we as drivers did everything right, I would say. But unfortunately, Le Mans didn’t choose us as winners this time.”
Sheldon van der Linde summed up the overall feeling: "At first, I don’t really know whether to laugh or cry. When you finish just ten seconds behind the winner after 24 hours, it’s not easy to accept at first. But if we look at the past two years and see the huge progress we’ve made, we can be very proud."
As runners-up, BMW leave Le Mans certain of having reached a milestone. 27 years on from its last podium place in the overall ranking, the German marque is well and truly back among the major players in endurance racing.
At Le Mans, a result can be much more than a line on a timesheet. Behind this one is a tale of perseverance and meticulous preparation to climb back to the top. BMW’s second place is a reminder of why we love the 24 Hours of Le Mans so much: because it always makes for an enthralling story.
