Ferrari’s sportscar racing boss Antonello Coletta made the remark after the manufacturing facility #50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina won the 92nd running of the French endurance traditional, a race during which a lot of producers loved stints on the entrance and 9 vehicles completed on the lead lap.
Key figures inside the Italian marque had downplayed its prospects forward of the race, citing the tempo of the hybrid-powered 499P LMH throughout the check day, follow and qualifying.
Certainly, the very best of the three vehicles from its steady solely certified third, half a second behind the polesitting #6 Porsche and the #3 Cadillac, and was lagging behind on lengthy runs as properly.
Nevertheless, the story was very totally different when the race kicked off on Saturday night, with the three Ferraris charging to the entrance within the opening hour and persistently remaining within the hunt for the victory because the situations repeatedly switched between moist and dry.
There was late drama for each vehicles, together with the profitable #50 entry, with Nielsen unable to close the right-hand facet door of the automobile. However though it compelled the AF Corse-run squad into making an unscheduled pitstop, the #50 crew was capable of keep forward and take the chequered flag by 14s over the #7 Toyota of Kamui Kobayashi, Jose Maria Lopez and Nyck de Vries.
“We arrived [here] like not the favourites,” stated Coletta. “I bear in mind after the primary check on Sunday and the FP1, FP2 and FP3 my thought was that with out a particular race with the issue of the climate, with the change of the climate or the opposite downside it was inconceivable for us to win.
“After the beginning of the race we have been aggressive however as you already know very properly the 24 Hours of Le Mans [can] change every a part of the day. If you’re aggressive initially, [you] cannot [be] certain you can be aggressive on the finish.
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, Nicklas Nielsen
Photograph by: Rainier Ehrhardt
“In truth throughout the 24 hours, quite a lot of vehicles have been within the first place throughout the race. And for us it has been very difficult as a result of we began with two penalties for the #83 and the #51 [carried over from qualifying].
“After that I do not bear in mind what number of penalties we obtained however [it was] lots. We [also] had an issue with the door. [But] we received for the second 12 months and we’re very, very pleased.”
Though a lot of producers have been in competition for victory, the race ultimately got here all the way down to a straight struggle between Ferrari and Toyota as Porsche’s problem subsided.
Ferrari technical director for sportscar racing Ferdinando Cannizzo admitted that Toyota had the sting over the competitors in dry situations, however the Italian marque was capable of struggle again when the observe was moist.
“I used to be not likely that optimistic earlier than the race,” Cannizzo admitted. “However we knew that we have been lacking one thing Toyota particularly.
“I additionally pressured that we knew our power so our job was the certainly one of attempting to use our power and attempting to minimise our weak spot particularly in opposition to the opponents.
“The significance was we knew earlier than what our weak spot was and we labored all week to minimise the hole.
“Within the center half there are two totally different phases within the moist the place the Toyota was positively the quickest automobile, little question. Clearly had quite a lot of downforce. They did a wonderful job.
“Our bundle within the dry was most likely higher than the Toyota particularly with the medium tyres, which we have been attempting to make use of initially of the race due to the ambient situations.
“On the finish of the race we additionally determined to take a threat as a result of we stated if you wish to create or shut the hole we have to play this card, regardless that the climate was not suggesting medium tyres.”