Ruthless BOP for Ferrari
“Ferrari, after three consecutive wins with the 499P, arrived at the most anticipated round of the season with the awareness, from the eve, that the 24 Hours would be a decidedly uphill test for the Maranello crews. A prediction that was confirmed during the race, with the Ferraris never in a position to aim for victory or a podium finish, on a circuit where power on the long straights and the ability to accelerate quickly out of chicanes or in the mixed sections play a key role”. This is how Ferrari’s official note regarding the Hypercar class opens at the end of the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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Ferrari was coming off three consecutive wins in the most famous endurance race in the world and it was predictable that the BOP would be particularly penalizing for the 499P. From this year, the FIA and the ACO have decided not to make the BOP values public, but it was evident that the Scuderia Maranello cars lacked top speed and struggled a lot in acceleration, a combination of factors that made the race a ordeal for the Ferrari crews. The #50 had to retire due to technical problems after the race had already been compromised by an extinguisher issue. The #51 finished in fifth place and the #83 in seventh, results that rewarded the fighting spirit of the men in red.
“Let’s start with congratulations to our opponents who deserved the victory at the end of a race that confirmed our expectations made known on the eve – said Ferrari’s number one at the pit wall Antonello Coletta – we knew we could not fight for the win but despite this we did not get discouraged, on the contrary, we looked for further motivation to optimize everything that was under our control. Coming down from the Le Mans podium after having been on it, with all our crews, for three years in a row does not make us happy and we are aware that we did not run the perfect race we had set out to achieve. However, we gave our best and we really have little to reproach ourselves for. This result is an incentive to return as quickly as possible to the positions that matter.”
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