“The Red Line”, produced by Ferrari, tells the story of the legendary Italian manufacturer’s victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary race. The Ferrari AF Corse team takes you behind the scenes during a dream week for the Prancing Horse.

24H Le Mans

24 Heures du Mans

Ferrari’s historic win at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary might well have been scuppered by an electronic issue. Fortunately for the Italian manufacturer, a close-knit team and a trio of determined drivers saved the day.

Sunday 11 June 2023, 10:32. Ferrari AF Corse driver Alessandro Pier Guidi brings the #51 Ferrari 499P in for fuel. But something was awry. The pit stop dragged on and on. The onboard camera showed Pier Guidi pressing various buttons but the Prancing Horse refused to budge.&nbsp;Then, as if by magic, the twin turbo-powered V6 sprang into life. The Italian camp breathed a collective sigh of relief! However, on the final stop for fuel, 25 minutes from the chequered flag, the gremlin reared its head once again. Would the problem quash the Italian manufacturer&rsquo;s dream of victory? Not at all! Pier Guidi repeated the procedure and set off again on his quest for a historic success.&nbsp;&ldquo;It was more stressful the first time the car failed to restart,&rdquo; said Antonello Coletta, Head of Ferrari Attivit&agrave; Sportive GT. &ldquo;As it didn&rsquo;t reoccur on the following two refuelling stops, we&rsquo;d almost forgotten about it when it happened again on the final pit stop.&rdquo;

So, what was the problem with the 499P? When questioned at the preview of the official film of the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary, Coletta replied:&nbsp;&ldquo;We encountered an electronic problem. When you restart the car, it activates a procedure that inspects the electronic system. If the slightest fault is detected, the car won&rsquo;t restart. We therefore had to find a solution to overcome the issue. Alessandro remained unbelievably cool and simply followed the engineer&rsquo;s instructions to get the car running again. It turned out that it was a small 12-volt battery that caused the problem. The most important thing was that our engineers quickly established a procedure to restart the car. It shows that our victory was achieved by the whole team. Human endeavour still has its place at Le Mans and that&rsquo;s what makes this race so special.&rdquo;

<h2>A win that will remain in the team&rsquo;s heart for ever</h2>

Pier Guidi also said a few words about this incident late in the race:&nbsp;&ldquo;I think it was easier for me inside the car than it was for my team-mates watching! I was just focused on trying to do the procedure. I already did it a few hours before and it worked, so I was just hoping that it would go the same way. When the engine started and I was able to leave the pit lane, it was a relief.&rdquo; 
The Italian racer also admitted that this win on the biggest endurance stage had had an unexpected impact on his life.&nbsp;&ldquo;I had already won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice in LMGTE Pro, but this outright win changed my life. Now, people have started to recognise me when I&rsquo;m out and about. Hardly a day goes by without my thinking back to our win and to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. I have the picture of our win as my wallpaper so I see it every time I open my laptop!&rdquo; he explained.

Ferrari will return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next June to defend its crown. <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/antonio-giovinazzi-ferrari-af-corse-the-challenge-will-be-even-tougher-58033" target="_blank">In an earlier interview</a>, Antonio Giovinazzi declared that the team will keep on working &ldquo;flat-out&rdquo;.&nbsp;Ferrari AF Corse is still a young team with room for improvement in several areas.&nbsp;&ldquo;Our strategy will be working every day on improving,&rdquo; he said.

How a 12-volt battery almost put a stick in Ferrari's Centenary spokes

Motor racing fans in France will continue to enjoy full coverage of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans following a two year extension deal with French broadcaster, l’Équipe.

The free-to-air media powerhouse has signed a deal with the world&rsquo;s premier endurance racing series to televise the FIA WEC until the end of 2025.

L&rsquo;&Eacute;quipe group which encompasses TV channels, a website, application, newspaper and magazine will publicise the WEC as it takes on eight races in 2024 with 14 manufacturers going head-to-head over two classes. The newspaper and magazine l&rsquo;&Eacute;quipe will also offer exclusive editorial throughout the year covering special WEC-related topics and interviews.

Furthermore, the L&#39;&Eacute;quipe website and app will offer fans real-time race results, rankings and action clips.&nbsp;L&rsquo;&Eacute;quipe live digital channels&nbsp;will broadcast the entire WEC season live, in the TV area of the L&rsquo;&Eacute;quipe site and app.

Round one of the 2024 WEC season will take place in Doha, Qatar (1-3 March).

Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Lequien,&nbsp;FIA WEC CEO: &ldquo;As we approach our biggest season yet with 14 manufacturers and the all-new LMGT3 category, it is fantastic to have extended our partnership with l&rsquo;&Eacute;quipe for a further two years. It is our goal to make the WEC as accessible as possible for our fans and being able to watch the events from home is key. L&rsquo;&Eacute;quipe&rsquo;s impressive household reach and high-quality media coverage can certainly help us achieve this goal in France.&rdquo;

Pierre Fillon,&nbsp;President of Automobile Club de Ouest:&nbsp;&quot;In this new golden age of endurance racing, it is crucial to offer our fans and manufacturers as much coverage as possible.&nbsp;L&#39;&Eacute;quipe &nbsp;is a high-quality broadcaster which allows us to offer everyone to experience the WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the best possible conditions. I would like to thank the Amaury Group for its trust and the quality of its offer.

L’Équipe renews partnership with FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans

Porsche Penske Motorsport has its sights set on victory at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans (12-16 June). Kévin Estre promises fans that they will see a much improved Porsche 963 in 2024 as a result of the team’s current hard work behind the scenes.

What frame of mind were you in, heading into the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary?

K&eacute;vin Estre: I was extremely proud to be one of the 186 drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans Centenary, especially as a Porsche works driver competing in the top class. A dream that I had held ever since I first started out in endurance had finally come true. It was a very special edition as there were a lot of events on and off the track &ndash; and a fair amount of pressure too.

What did you take away from the Porsche 963&rsquo;s d&eacute;but season?

KE:&nbsp;Significant progress because we had a lot of ground to make up from our start in Sebring. Much more than we&rsquo;d anticipated. However, we reacted well and made our first podium in the 6 Hours of Portim&atilde;o. We were there to pick up the pieces when our rivals made mistakes or encountered the problems which we had faced in Sebring. We were then disappointed with our lack of performance and reliability at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Almost all the Porsche drivers made errors, but that shows that we gave it our all and didn&rsquo;t give up.&nbsp;We didn&rsquo;t want to be just also-rans. Our will to win was stronger than that. We progressed well after Le Mans. We led Toyota and the rest of the field in Fuji for four hours. It was a very positive race for our programme as it showed that we were capable of fighting for a win. So, the season was very much a learning curve, even if that wasn&rsquo;t our original intention as we had hoped to win. We knew, though, that it was going to be a tough challenge. Now we have a season under our belt, we&rsquo;re going to build on that and do better in 2024.

In which areas does the car need to progress in 2024?

KE: There isn&rsquo;t one area in particular. It&rsquo;s more a case of fine details covering several items. Our Porsche 963 needs to be more consistent on tyre and brake wear like the Toyota GR010 Hybrid. We have to reduce wheel lock on braking so we can be more aggressive. For a race like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the car must be more reliable. I admit it&rsquo;s easier said than done. It was our first 24-hour race in the FIA World Endurance Championship. We really attacked hard and took a lot of risks. It was tough on the car. Next year, we expect to benefit from improved reliability and greater performance so we can run at 98% instead of 101% for 24 hours,&nbsp;which rarely guarantees success as you end up making a mistake or the car breaks down because you&rsquo;ve pushed it too hard.

What can you tell the fans who hope to see Porsche win the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year?

KE: We hope so too!. It has been our aim since we set out on this programme. Everyone at the R&amp;D Centre in Weissach and at Penske in Mannheim is working flat-out on improving the car and putting out a super package at next year&rsquo;s 24 Hours of Le Mans. We have to keep our hopes up even if this year was tougher than expected, as we achieved good performance here and there.&nbsp;You can count on us in 2024.

Driving for Porsche in the top class, we imagine that you are living the dream. How do you manage to keep your feet firmly on the ground?

KE: I try to remember how far I&rsquo;ve come. The first time I drove at the Circuit des 24 Heures was in a Carrera Cup France race in 2010. That&rsquo;s when I really got to know the paddock and the racetrack. When I&rsquo;m on the grid in this fantastic Porsche 963 in a truly awesome field, I have to pinch myself sometimes, but it&rsquo;s a feeling of great pride. However, nothing should be taken for granted.&nbsp;You always have to prove and push yourself, as there&rsquo;s always another driver who is a bit quicker at a particular moment in the race or at a particular turn. We have some talented drivers at Porsche so it&rsquo;s quite easy to keep your feet on the ground.

Why do drivers now have to approach the 24 Hours of Le Mans as if it were a sprint?

KE:&nbsp;Partly because the cars are much more robust than they were 20 years ago. The competition is much fiercer too. The gaps between the cars are minute nowadays. There is also a quite incredible level of professionalism&nbsp;that is almost on a par with Formula One. The manufacturers and teams invest colossal amounts of money. There are many marques that aspire to win this race and that have the potential to do so.&nbsp;It&rsquo;s got to the point where we can ill afford to drop a few tenths. It&rsquo;s very easy to lose a lap too due to an error in strategy. You always have to try and keep in touch with the leader.&nbsp;So the race today is won and lost for a few tenths of a second by making fewer mistakes at the wheel or by taking risks in traffic.

Further reading: <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/porsche-looking-to-score-20th-win-at-2024-24-hours-of-le-mans-57973" target="_blank">Porsche looking to score 20th win at 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans</a>

Kévin Estre (Porsche): Everyone’s working flat-out on improving the car

The grid for the 2024 ELMS will feature a total of 43 cars, the largest ever field of LMP2s for the leading continental endurance championship. Over half of the grid, 22 in total, will be entries in the two LMP2 classes, the largest gathering of LMP2 cars outside of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The Le Mans Prototype entry has been further enhanced by 10 LMP3 cars and 11 cars are entered for the brand new LMGT3 class, with Aston Martin, Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Porsche represented.

<h2>100% Increase for LMP2 in 2024</h2>

With ELMS becoming the home of LMP2 from 2024 onwards, the number of entries for the category has been increased from 7 to 14 cars, with reigning champions Algarve Pro Racing back to defend their hard-won title. 2023 champion Alex Lynn will be joined by Olli Caldwell and Matthias Kaiser in the no25 Oreca-Gibson.

2020 ELMS Champions United Autosports will run two cars in the LMP2 category with former ELMS Drivers&rsquo; champion Filipe Albuquerque in the no23 Oreca, and 2022 Asian Le Mans Series champion Ben Hanley will be in the no22 machine.

2023 LMP3 Champion Alejandro Garcia will move up to LMP2 next season with COOL Racing, the Swiss team running a two-car entry in the top class. Garcia will be in the no47 Oreca and 2022 ELMS LMP3 Champion Malthe Jakobsen in the no37 entry.

A Le Mans winner returns to the ELMS grid, with Will Stevens joining Nielsen Racing next season alongside Nicolas Pino in the no27 Oreca.

Inter Europol Competition will also run two cars in LMP2 in 2024, with 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winner Jakub Smiechowski returning to the ELMS in the no34 entry alongside Jonathan Aberdein and former Formula 2 driver Cl&eacute;ment Novalak. 2022 Michelin Le Mans Cup LMP3 Champion Tom Dillmann joins the team in the no43 Oreca alongside Vladislav Lomko and Sebastian Alvarez.

2019 ELMS Champions IDEC Sport return with a single car entry with Paul Lafargue to head the driver line-up.

Panis Racing and Duqueine Team will also return with a single car entry each in LMP2 with Manuel Maldonado returning for Panis Racing and reigning LMP2 Drivers&rsquo; Champion James Allen racing for Duqueine Team in 2024.

Iron Lynx-Proton will enter a single car for Jonas Ried. 2021 Driver&rsquo;s Champion Robert Kubica will head the line up in the no14 AO by TF Oreca-Gibson, while British team Vector Sport will make their ELMS debut in 2023 with Gabriel Aubry and Ryan Cullen.

<h2>Eight Cars for LMP2 Pro/Am</h2>

AF Corse will return to defend their 2023 title with Driver Champions Fran&ccedil;ois Perrodo and Matthieu Vaxiviere also returning. Race winner Alessio Rovera will also join his teammates for the 2024 ELMS season.

Algarve Pro Racing will run a car in the Pro/Am category for Greek driver Kriton Lendoudis, who will be joined by 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 winner Richard Bradley.

United Autosports will also run a car in the Pro/Am category alongside their two LMP2 entries, with Oliver Jarvis joining Andrew Meyrick and Daniel Schneider.

Another team running a Pro/Am car alongside their LMP2 entry is Nielsen Racing, with former ELMS LMP2 Pro/Am and LMP3 champion John Falb being joined by 2021 Michelin Le Mans Cup LMP3 Champion Colin Noble.

DKR Engineering, Proton Competition and Team Virage will each run one car, while the Richard Mille name returns to the ELMS with a single entry for the Richard Mille by TDS.

<h2>Ten Cars for LMP3</h2>

COOL Racing will defend their back-to-back LMP3 titles, with the no17 Ligier-Nissan being crewed in 2024 by Portuguese drivers Manuel Espirito Santo and Miguel Cristóvão and Swiss driver C&eacute;dric Oltramare.

2023 Vice Champions Eurointernational also return, the Italian team returning with an unchanged driver line up of Matthew Richard Bell and Adam Ali, who ended the 2023 season with a win in Portim&atilde;o.

4 Hours of Le Castellet LMP3 winners Jacques Wolff, Antoine Doquin and Jean-Ludovic Foubert return for another attempt at the title with Swiss team Racing Spirit of L&eacute;man.

WTM by Rinaldi Racing also return with an unchanged line up of 4 Hours of Algarve winners Torsten Kratz, Leo Weiss and Oscar Tunjo.

Spanish driver Bel&eacute;n Garcia will compete for 2021 LMP3 Championship winning team DKR Engineering in 2024, while reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup LMP3 Champion Julien Gerbi will move up to the ELMS with Team Virage.

RLR MSport will field two cars in the 2024 ELMS with James Dayson and Horst Felbermayr Jr in the no5 and no15 Ligiers respectively, while French outfit Ultimate also return after claiming two podiums in 2023.

Inter Europol Competition complete the LMP3 entry with a single car entry for Kai Askey, Pedro Perino and Alexander Bukhantsov.

<h2>LMGT3 First Season Attracts Eleven Cars</h2>

The first grid of LMGT3 cars in the ELMS will feature six Ferrari 296 LMGT3s, two Porsche 911 LMGT3 Rs, two Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 and a single Lamborghini Huracan LMGT3 Evo2.

Reigning LMGTE Champions Proton Competition will field a single Porsche 911 LMGT3 R for Italian Claudio Schiavoni. The second Porsche will be run by the Iron Dames team with a warm welcome back to the ELMS for 2022 4 Hours of Portim&atilde;o race winner Michelle Gatting.

Reigning Michelin Le Mans Cup GT3 Team Champions Racing Spirit of L&eacute;man step up to the ELMS with a single Aston Martin Vantage AMR for Michelin Le Mans Cup drivers&rsquo; champion Valentin Hasse Clot. The Second Aston Martin Vantage will be run by Grid Motorsport by TF, with Martin Berry, the 2023 European Le Mans Series Gentleman of the Year.

There are six different teams running the Ferrari 296 in 2024, with former LMGTE Champions Formula Racing running a single entry for father and son duo Johnny and Conrad Laursen and 2017 champions JMW Motorsport running a single Ferrari for American Jeffrey Segal.

ELMS race winners Matt Griffin, Duncan Cameron and David Perel will race together once again in a Spirit of Race Ferrari 296, race winner Takeshi Kimura is returning with Kessel Racing. Emmanuel Collard and Charles-Henri Samani return with AF Corse and Michael Wainwright will compete in a GR Racing run Ferrari 296.

2021 LMGTE Champions Iron Lynx will run the only Lamborghini Huracan on the ELMS grid for Michelin Le Mans Cup race and Road to Le Mans winner Hiroshi Hamaguchi.

<h2>Three Cars on the Reserve List</h2>

The number of requests for a place on the 2024 ELMS grid exceeded demand, with three cars being placed on the reserve list. There are two LMP3 class cars on the reserve list, the no39 Graff Racing Ligier JS P320-Nissan and the no2 Nielsen Racing Ligier JS P320-Nissan. The LMP2 Pro/Am no81 Dragonspeed USA Oreca 07-Gibson is the third car.

<a href="https://storage.googleapis.com/doc-prod/oHeQpUVXpDWFfCXbIntGQSv0.pdf" target="_blank">CLICK HERE</a>&nbsp;for the provisional entry list for the 2024 European Le Mans Series.

Pierre Fillon, President of the Automobile Club de l&rsquo;Ouest (ACO):&nbsp;&quot;Prepare for an extraordinary European Le Mans Series season, as a fantastic field of 43 cars takes to the grid. Anticipate an exhilarating season of high-caliber racing as the series maintains its allure, consistently drawing in top-tier entries. Save the date for April 14th in Barcelona, where the echoes of engines will mark the beginning of what promises to be a historic season, etching new milestones in endurance racing.&quot;

Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Lequien, European Le Mans Series CEO:&nbsp;&quot;As we gear up for the 2024 European Le Mans Series, it&#39;s with immense pride that we announce a huge entry of 43 cars. The LMP2 category stands out prominently with a formidable lineup of 22 cars, including 8 Pro/Am entries, famous drivers, and a roster of top-tier racing talent from across the globe. The addition of the LMGT3 class with iconic brands further elevates the prestige of the series. It&#39;s truly inspiring to witness the return of familiar teams and drivers, adding a sense of continuity to the upcoming 2024 season. Equally, I extend a warm welcome to those making their ELMS debut in Barcelona. We are looking forward to the first race in Spain in April when we will see who the main contenders will be for this year&rsquo;s titles of ELMS Champions.&quot;

The six round 2024 European Le Mans Series will start at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya on the 14th&nbsp;of April, with visits to Le Castellet, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps and Mugello before concluding in Portim&atilde;o on the 19 October.

Largest ever LMP2 entry for 2024 European Le Mans Series

24 Heures du Mans 2023

The Red Line is a two-part documentary that looks back at <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ferrari-wins-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-centenary-57668" target="_blank">the exploits of Ferrari AF Corse</a>&nbsp;at the Centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the fourth round of the 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship season. Viewers are taken behind the scenes of the iconic race, from Scrutineering through to the finish. Throughout an intense week in June, the team members experienced the full gamut of emotions&nbsp;both on and off the track. You can share their thoughts and feelings in this 54-minute film below.

24H LE MANS

Relive Ferrari’s historic Le Mans win in “The Red Line”

Related News

How a 12-volt battery almost put a stick in Ferrari's Centenary spokes

L’Équipe renews partnership with FIA WEC and 24 Hours of Le Mans

Kévin Estre (Porsche): Everyone’s working flat-out on improving the car

Largest ever LMP2 entry for 2024 European Le Mans Series

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