Porsche – the most successful marque in the 102-year history of the 24 Hours of Le Mans – left La Sarthe with bittersweet feelings following the race’s 93rd edition just over a week ago, after coming within 15 seconds of adding a 20th overall triumph to its extraordinary tally.
Porsche Penske Motorsport began the legendary twice-round-the-clock contest from third (#5), fifth (#4) and 21st (#6) positions, after the latter – piloted by defending world champions Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor alongside Matt Campbell – was sent to the back of the Hypercar grid for failing post-qualifying weight checks.
Behind the wheel of the #5 963 hybrid prototype, Julien Andlauer – the FIA World Endurance Championship’s ‘Revelation of the Year’ in 2024 – made short work of the two front row-sitting Cadillacs to grab the lead on the opening tour, with Estre in the #6 entry scything immediately through to 14th. Continuing that charge, by the end of lap 23, the latter was up to second – and when Andlauer pitted next time around, his fellow Frenchman hit the front of the field.
While the #5 Porsche’s challenge faded during the night due to tyre damage and penalties, dropping it down the order from where it eventually recovered to sixth, the #6 remained in the hunt throughout, courtesy of a flawless strategy and stellar stints from all three drivers. Estre in particular was a standout performer, with his total track time of 165 laps eclipsed only by eventual winner Robert Kubica in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari on 166.
Ultimately, the trio wound up a mere 14.084 seconds shy of victory after 24 hours of relentless racing in front of a record-breaking 332,000 spectators, with the pressure they applied to the Ferraris causing all three of the Italian manufacturer’s 499Ps to encounter late scares.
That enabled the #6 Porsche to leapfrog two of them to scoop the runner-up spoils in the brand’s 75th consecutive appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe – so near, yet ultimately so far…
“Starting from the back of the grid and fighting our way up to second as a team is something to be proud of,” acknowledged Estre. “We saw from hour two or three that we didn’t have the pace, but we never gave up, fought as hard as we could, made no mistakes and the car ran well without any issues or penalties.
“We tried to push Ferrari all the way and to split them in the end was a small victory, but obviously it wasn’t what we wanted. We went to Le Mans to win – for us, for Penske and for Porsche – and we didn’t get it. That’s twice in a row now, which feels a bit bitter. After finishing fourth last year, this year, we were closer but still so far. That’s the way it is. There’s definitely quite a lot of disappointment, but we’ll come back stronger.”
Team-mate Vanthoor echoed those sentiments.
“It stung, coming that close to writing history,” reflected the Belgian, “but we can also be proud. We achieved more than we could have expected after the practice sessions and qualifying. It was a proper 24-hour sprint – every lap felt almost flat-out.
“We knew Ferrari would be the favourites, but we tried everything to make their life as difficult as possible, and at the end, I think we can say we delivered the perfect race – no mistakes, no penalties, no contact, no off-track moments, no bad pit-stops, and all while constantly pushing 100 per cent to keep up.
“Everything went super-smooth, which is what earned us second place, but on the other hand, it’s also super-frustrating when you execute a perfect race and you don’t win. It will hurt for a while to have come this close – we virtually had one hand on the biggest trophy, which is an opportunity you don’t get every day – but we can walk away without a single regret and our heads held high. It was all we had, but unfortunately it was just not enough to achieve a lifetime dream.”
“Pioneering spirit, courage and sportsmanship are part of Porsche’s DNA – that’s why we never gave up and fought with determination right to the end,” added Porsche Motorsport Vice-President, Thomas Laudenbach. “We did a lot of things right in the final phase, and we got the absolute maximum out of our #6 Porsche.
“Of course, we also look back on the result with a teary eye, coming just 14 seconds short of overall victory, but during the night, nobody would have expected us to finish on the podium, so we can be very proud of that.”
Impressively, all three factory 963s completed the race without any technical issues, and the 1,159 laps covered between them raised a combined 600,000 € for non-profit children’s aid organisations Interplast Germany e.V. and Kinderherzen retten e.V. as part of the company’s ‘Racing for Charity’ initiative.
The money will support medical assistance for seriously ill children worldwide, earning Porsche the Sustainability Endurance Award from race organiser the Automobile Club de l’Ouest for the second time in three years.
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