A “disappointing” second place for the No. 6 Porsche despite a “fantastic” race

In the press room of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the AUTOhebdo editorial team took part in the game of more or less unusual predictions before the start of the double round-the-clock race. One of our journalists had bet that the Porsche No. 6 would be in the top 10 in less than an hour and a half. A daring choice, because the crew of Frenchman Kévin Estre, author of the pole position in 2024, started 21st and last of the Hypercars after being disqualified from qualifying for weighing less than the authorized limit.

Estre defied all odds by making a blistering start, which allowed him to enter the top 10 after… just half an hour. A phenomenal start to the race, which quickly allowed the crew of the No. 6 to believe in a podium finish, or even better in the final hours, when victory seemed possible. But the Ferrari No. 83 of AF Corse did not fail, offering a third consecutive victory to the Prancing Horse in Sarthe.

ALSO READ > Ferrari No. 83 wins the 24 Hours of Le Mans 2025

At Porsche, a legitimate background of disappointment is mixed with the satisfaction of a job well done. "It's disappointing to be second at Le Mans, but we drove a fantastic race.", qualifies Matt Campbell. "We didn't get a penalty and we maximized everything. We gave Ferrari a hard time. We'll come back next year to win Le Mans. During the last four or five hours, the strategy was paying off for us. But the more it went on, the more difficult it became, especially with the tires."

After finishing fourth last year, just off the podium, Kévin Estre and Laurens Vanthoor finally took to the podium: enough to put a smile on the faces of the two reigning world champions and their teammate Matt Campbell.

More information to follow…