In recollecting their joint triumph with the AF Corse #83 Ferrari 499P, Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson revealed three different yet complementary views of endurance: that of a former Formula One racer who reminded us that each stint is just a small part of a huge collective endeavour; that of a young talent for whom the Le Mans win represents not only a sporting achievement but is also symbolic on a personal and national level; and that of a former LMP2 star who sees the class as an ideal training ground before graduating to Hypercar.
Three individual accounts that each, in their own way, portray the enormous scope of one and the same victory.

Robert Kubica, the final link of a long chain

Asked about the physical and mental strain of taking the wheel for 166 of the 387 laps completed by the winning car, the veteran Pole focused instead on the very essence of endurance – teamwork. His words revealed the pressure he felt at the time but especially the deeply held respect he holds for those working out of the limelight. He said: “It’s quite a lot of laps but, in the end, Le Mans is a big challenge for everyone. Not only for us drivers but especially for the team – for mechanics, for engineers, for everyone who has contributed to the work on the car, not only in Le Mans itself, but especially in the workshop preparing the car. It’s a long process so, in the end, my laps were a final part of a big challenge. Without those people, we would not be here. When you are ending the race, you know what you are playing for. There is a bit of pressure but, in the end, it has been something special. We had been in this situation four years ago where we were leading in LMP2, and we lost the race on the last lap due to a technical issue. Somehow, it was for me easier to drive the car than being outside of the car as I was four years ago. I was focused. It was intense.”

Yifei Ye – almost a home win

Promoted to the status of Ferrari works driver in December 2023, Yifei Ye views his 24 Hours of Le Mans win as much more than a sporting feat. It was a historic moment for his country. “Chinese motorsport has never enjoyed as big a success as my 24 Hours of Le Mans victory. I’m delighted to have become the first Chinese driver to win the race. I was really surprised by the repercussions from it on social media and TV. It drew a lot of attention, and I think that’s a good thing for the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the FIA WEC. It also provides the impetus to keep on performing to such a standard. I’m pleased to have won the race with Robert after 2021 when we were forced to retire on the last lap while leading the LMP2 class. I’ll never forget this victory.”

But how can a Chinese driver consider his 24 Hours of Le Mans triumph as a home win? He replied: “I know Le Mans well as I moved here from China when I was 14 to join the FFSA Academy. I lived in an apartment near the Forest Esses. I even sat my driving test here. I remember my instructor was most unhappy when I spun the car wheel on my first lesson! So it’s almost a home win for me.”

Phil Hanson – experience built across years in LMP2

Before joining the Hypercar class in 2024, Phil Hanson had notched up six LMP2 starts at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, winning the class in 2020 with United Autosports. In his view, LMP2 is an excellent launchpad to the top class of endurance. “You do gain a huge amount of experience across many years of Le Mans. I think there’s no actual ceiling on the amount of experience you could possibly gain because, every year, you face different circumstances: weather, conditions... A race like this year’s where it was basically a true attrition race, flat out for every single lap as you saw.  So every year you can gather beneath your belt, all those years in LMP2, were essentially very useful just to build that experience. I obviously raced against these two guys [Kubica and Ye] in LMP2 but wasn’t able to profit from the breaking down on the last lap that year!”