On December 28, 1963, Jim Clark was crowned F1 World Champion for the first time after the Grand Prix of South Africa held at the East London circuit. On June 26, 1960, Jim Clark claimed for the first and only time a podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with an Aston Martin DBR1 along with Roy Salvadori.

24H Le Mans

Le Mans Legendes

24 Heures du Mans

Historique

Alpine Endurance Team ends 2025 with one race win, having progressed throughout the FIA World Endurance Championship season. With a logo shaped like an arrow and buoyed with confidence since António Félix da Costa joined the team, Alpine is aiming to hit the top spot more often.

The team&rsquo;s second FIA World Endurance Championship campaign with the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/the-alpine-a424-hypercar-under-the-microscope-more-precise-more-reliable-more-ambitious-59684">A424</a> saw the French constructor reach new heights. Philippe Sinault and his crews achieved several goals:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/alpine-unleashes-peak-performance-at-fuji-to-win-milestone-100th-race-59998" target="_blank">a win at the 6 Hours of Fuji</a>, the 100th WEC race, and two podium finishes at the 6 Hours of Imola and the TotalEnergies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps. As a result, the team ended the FIA WEC season in sixth place in the Hypercar class, behind Ferrari, Toyota, Porsche, Cadillac and BMW.

<h2>An informative 24 Hours of Le Mans top 10 finish</h2>

The Alpine A424s finished ninth and tenth in round 4, the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans, two and three laps behind the winning Ferrari. Despite several setbacks &ndash; a battery cooling system pressurisation issue, pit lane speeding penalties, a drive-through and a spin off at Mulsanne Corner &ndash; the team proved solid.

&ldquo;The results are mixed. We are really pleased that both cars finished and have managed reliability issues well, despite an alert handled perfectly by the team at the beginning of the race,&rdquo; said Team Principal Philippe Sinault in his post- race declaration. &ldquo;Getting both A424s through 24 hours is no mean feat; it&#39;s a milestone. However, there is also disappointment. Given our level of performance at the end of the race, we could have aimed for a top-five finish without the small mistakes we did and issues we encountered. In this new era, every detail matters, as the gaps are so small. Nevertheless, this frustration is healthy. It motivates us to come back stronger. All the information we gathered was essential and will help us improve and continue to build something strong.&rdquo;

<h2>Exemplary reliability and a solid foundation for 2026</h2>

One of the strong points of 2025 resides in the Alpine A424&rsquo;s irreproachable reliability. The car finishes its races. The sound base, formed by teamwork, will be excellent grounding as the project unfolds.

&ldquo;We&#39;ve also made some big improvements in our performance, scoring three podium finishes, including a win,&rdquo; says Bruno Famin, Alpine VP Motorsport. We also know that there were too many average results to hope for a better championship finish. Our goal for next season will be to keep improving and being more consistent in our performance.&quot; Philippe Sinault adds: &ldquo;The Fuji win was hugely satisfying. It was unexpected and rewarded the entire team. We seized an opportunity. Now we have a recipe for success next season. We have enormous potential to do better.&rdquo;

In 2026, Alpine will continue building on its experience. The arrival of Portuguese driver&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/antonio-felix-da-costa-set-to-join-alpine-s-fia-wec-programme-from-2026-60056" target="_blank">Ant&oacute;nio F&eacute;lix da Costa</a>, LMP2 class winner at the 2022 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022 and Formula E World Champion 2019-2020 adds to the positive team spirit. With a reputation for speed and technical meticulousness, the newcomer adds strategic and sporting value to an outfit that intends to pursue its path to the summit of endurance racing.

With a promising win, proven reliability, and shrewd recruitment, Alpine Endurance Team is fast becoming a star FIA WEC team. The aim now is to go from promising to triumphant, and hoist the arrow-shaped A onto the top step of the podium.

Alpine Endurance Team: one win in 2025. How many in 2026?

After three 24 Hours of Le Mans wins on the bounce since 2023 and a Hypercar world title in 2025, Ferrari is firmly in the driving seat of modern endurance. But a look forward to 2027 is enough to set the pulse racing and the spine tingling! Ford will be returning to the top class, reawakening one of the most famous confrontations in the history of Le Mans. Fans of the American giant and the Italian firm’s ‘tifosi’ are already excited by the prospect of a new duel.

Since Ferrari entered the Hypercar fray in 2023, it has notched up one success after another: three 24 Hours of Le Mans victories with three different 499Ps, nine winning drivers, and the 2025 Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers&rsquo; and Drivers&rsquo; titles. While the Prancing Horse continues to gallop ahead, fans are beginning to look&nbsp;forward to 2027 and the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/ford-in-the-top-class-at-the-24-hours-of-le-mans-in-2027-59293" target="_blank">return of&nbsp;Ford</a>. The embers of a battle between the two carmakers that raged in the 1960s could well be reignited.

<h2>A historic confrontation returns to the fore</h2>

It is impossible to discuss 2027 and Ford&rsquo;s quest to conquer Ferrari without stirring memories of the decade that forged the legend. In the early sixties, Ferrari dominated the French endurance classic with six consecutive wins between 1960 and 1965. In response, Ford developed the iconic GT40 to put an end to Ferrari&rsquo;s reign. In <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/le-mans-66-what-really-happened-55729" target="_blank">1966</a>, the American manufacturer broke the Prancing Horse&rsquo;s winning run with the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-centenary-the-american-benchmark-ford-gt40-57263" target="_blank">GT40 Mk II</a>, lighting the touchpaper of a historic confrontation. This emblematic chapter in the annals of Le Mans is about to re-emerge with the prospect of Ford returning to the summit of endurance.

At the premiere of the official film retracing the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, Antonello Coletti was asked about the future showdown with Ford. The head of Ferrari&rsquo;s endurance programme, however, refused to budge from his line, but did acknowledge how much the fans were looking forward to it.&nbsp;&ldquo;We treat all our rivals the same,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;We have to respect them all. In 2027, Ford will join the manufacturers involved in Hypercar. It&rsquo;s true, nonetheless, that the tifosi are really looking forward to this head-to-head.&rdquo;

First things first, however, and for Ferrari, that means a challenging 2026 campaign. The Italian giant came out on top in 2025, but the competition promises to be even more fierce next season. Coletta warned: &ldquo;It won&rsquo;t be easy in 2026. We need to stay focused as the competition will again be very tough. We shall have to do our utmost to stay at the same level.&rdquo;

Ferrari will have to show technical stability, maintain its performance levels and manage the pressure that comes with its role as the leading Hypercar outfit before turning its thoughts to locking horns with Ford.

Ferrari vs Ford – the fabled face-off set to be revived at the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans

Three questions for … | JOTA Sport’s first season supporting the Cadillac Hypercar campaign was high on emotion, and rich in experience. Team Principal Dieter Gass tells us more about the new partnership, the V-Series.R’s progress and the team’s intentions for the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans on 10-14 June 2026.

Now the American constructor&rsquo;s factory outfit, Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA is running a two-car FIA WEC campaign. Dieter Gass looks back on Cadillac&rsquo;s total commitment last season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole being one of the highlights. He explains the popularity of the <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/cadillac-improves-v-series-r-hypercar-aero-for-2026-60108" target="_blank">V-Series.R, which will have improved aerodynamics next year</a>,&nbsp;its signature sound, and clearly states the team&rsquo;s goal this season.

How would you sum up your first season as the Cadillac Hypercar factory entry and what were the key moments in the partnership?

&ldquo;Like our opponents, we&rsquo;re out to win. But you can&rsquo;t always be number one. The partnership with General Motors and Cadillac as factory team was a new venture for JOTA. Top management commitment to the Hypercar project came across loud and clear when we met at the Cadillac Tech Center in Charlotte last winter. We were starting from scratch and we made huge progress during the season. The 24 Hours of Le Mans Hyperpole was a high point.&rdquo;

Why do you think the Cadillac V-Series.R is so popular with 24 Hours of Le Mans fans?

&ldquo;The V-Series.R has a distinctive sound. Engine sound is a key element at the 24 Hours Of Le Mans and in motorsport in general. It&rsquo;s spine-tingling to be able to tell which Hypercar is approaching just by ear. Our cars give people good vibes.&rdquo;

What is Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA aiming for next year?

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re out to improve, to be in a position to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans.&rdquo;

Dieter Gass (Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA): “We’re out to win”

Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson won the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans together last June. However, at the official 24 Hours of Le Mans film premiere, the trio voiced three singular impressions of what the victory meant to them.

In recollecting their joint triumph with the AF Corse #83 Ferrari 499P,&nbsp;Robert Kubica,&nbsp;Yifei Ye&nbsp;and&nbsp;Phil Hanson&nbsp;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.

<h2>Robert Kubica, the final link of a long chain</h2>

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 &ndash; 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:&nbsp;&ldquo;It&rsquo;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 &ndash; 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&rsquo;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.&nbsp;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.&rdquo;

<h2>Yifei Ye&nbsp;&ndash; almost a home win</h2>

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.&nbsp;&ldquo;Chinese motorsport has never enjoyed as big a success as my 24 Hours of Le Mans victory. I&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;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&rsquo;ll never forget this victory.&rdquo;

But how can a Chinese driver consider his 24 Hours of Le Mans triumph as a home win? He replied:&nbsp;&ldquo;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!&nbsp;So it&rsquo;s almost a home win for me.&rdquo;

<h2>Phil Hanson &ndash; experience built across years in LMP2</h2>

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.&nbsp;&ldquo;You do gain a huge amount of experience across many years of Le Mans. I think there&rsquo;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&rsquo;s where it was basically a true attrition race, flat out for every single lap as you saw.&nbsp; 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&rsquo;t able to profit from the breaking down on the last lap that year!&rdquo;

Three racers, three pathways: different takes on what Le Mans success means to the winners

24 Heures du Mans 1960

The two-time F1 World&nbsp;Champion,&nbsp;who passed away in 1968 during a&nbsp;Formula&nbsp;2 race at the Hockenheim circuit in Germany, took the start at the 24 Hours of Le Mans three times between&nbsp;1959 and&nbsp;1961, always with the Border Reivers team. The outfit facilitated the meeting of young&nbsp;Jim Clark and&nbsp;Colin Chapman, the renowned founder of Lotus. It was at the wheel of a Lotus Elite that the Scot competed at Le Mans for the first time&nbsp;(10th overall and second in his class) and with Lotus that he won all of his 25 F1 victories.

Photo (Copyright -&nbsp;Archives/ACO): The #7 Aston Martin DBR1 driven by&nbsp;Jim Clark and&nbsp;Roy Salvadori at the&nbsp;1960 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans.

24H LE MANS

Today's Photo Story - Jim Clark at the 1960 24 Hours of Le Mans

Related News

Alpine Endurance Team: one win in 2025. How many in 2026?

Ferrari vs Ford – the fabled face-off set to be revived at the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans

Dieter Gass (Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA): “We’re out to win”

Three racers, three pathways: different takes on what Le Mans success means to the winners

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