#51 Ferrari team believes “we could have done better” despite Le Mans podium

One of the best Le Mans races in years was won by Ferrari, however, it wasn’t last year’s winners who were unable to overcome unfortunate slow zones and mistakes.

#51 was given a five second penalty for an unsafe release after a few hours, while the latter stages of the race saw them hit with another penalty following contact with the #8 Toyota.

An incident that caused Brendon Hartley to spin, the #51 car continued on their way and were in contention for the win despite all that.

But in the wet conditions, Alessandro Pier Guidi did not have the pace of the #50 car in the hands of Nicklas Nielsen, nor the #7 Toyota.

“Once again, the Ferrari was the best car at Le Mans,” said Pier Guidi. “We’ve shown how extraordinary this car is every time we’ve come here.

“I want to congratulate my teammates: they did an extraordinary job. Our race was tough, but we got on the podium in the end, so having two Ferraris on the podium is fantastic. In the same way, it’s extraordinary to win two years in a row.”

James Colado was one of the star performers this time last year, and while he showed great potential in the race, it wasn’t enough as he called the race ‘tough’.

Colado added: “I’m extremely happy for Ferrari because they got another win at Le Mans for the second year in a row.

“It’s a fantastic result for the team. I’m very proud of the entire team and, obviously, of the #50 guys.

“They deserved this victory; they have been performing and focused throughout this week. From our point of view, it was a tough race.

“However, we are talking about a podium, which is still an excellent result. A first and a third place for Ferrari is not a bad way to end a day at Le Mans.”

Former F1 driver Antonio Giovinazzi felt it was a ‘shame’ not to win as the potential was there to do so, in his mind.

“The biggest congratulations must go to Ferrari for winning at Le Mans two years in a row,” reflected Giovinazzi. “We are a fantastic team that deserves everything we get at the moment. It’s a shame for us in the 51 because we could have done better.

“But it’s great this way. We took yet another podium after last year. Getting on that podium here is always a great feeling, especially after a race as long and difficult as this one, with the rain and constantly changing weather.

“This result allows us to get back into the fight for the championship, which is the most important thing to consider right now. And now all eyes are on the next race.”