Ferrari's hat trick: Kubica leads AF Corse to Le Mans glory in a drama filled 24 Hours

 

Photo by 24 Hours of Le Mans via X (Formerly known as Twitter)

Ferrari secured its third consecutive victory at the 2025, 24 Hours of Le Mans with Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye and Phil Hanson taking the win in the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P. This marks Ferrari’s 12^th overall triumph at La Sarthe and its first privateer victory since 2005. Kubica’s win was particularly emotional as he became the first Polish driver to win Le Mans while Ye became the first Chinese winner. The trio executed a flawless race strategy overcoming challenges from factory Ferraris and Porsche’s late charge.

The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, driven by Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor and Matt Campbell mounted a dramatic late race charge closing the gap to just 14 seconds behind Kubica’s Ferrari. Porsche’s strong pace in cooler conditions allowed it to challenge Ferrari’s dominance. A mid-race safety car period erased Porsche’s lead putting Ferrari back in control. In the final hours, Kubica delivered a quintuple stint holding off Porsche’s relentless pressure.

Cadillac made history by securing its first ever pole position at Le Mans with Alex Lynn’s #12 Jota Cadillac V-Series.R leading a front row lockout. However, race pace proved to be a challenge as Cadillac lost the lead within the first hour as Porsche surged ahead. Despite strong qualifying, Cadillac lacked the long run-run consistency needed to fight for victory. The #12 Cadillac finished fifth while #38 Cadillac featuring Jenson Button placed eighth.

Photo by 24 Hours of Le Mans via X (Formerly known as Twitter)

Kubica’s 2025 Le Mans triumph marks a remarkable redemption after his devastating LMP2 loss in 2021. in his debut Le Mans appearance, Kubica was leading the LMP2 on the final lap when his car suffered a mechanical failure forcing him to retire just meters from victory. Fast forward to 2025, Kubica delivered a heroic quintuple stint in the final hours, securing Ferrari’s third consecutive Le Mans win with the #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P. His victory alongside Ye and Hanson was particularly emotional as Ye was his teammate in the 2021 heartbreak.

Porsche’s Estre put in a sensational recovery drive finishing second despite starting last in the hypercar class due to a qualifying disqualification. Estre surged into the top 10 within the first two hours showcasing aggressive overtaking. Porsche’s #6 Penske Motorsport 963 excelled in cooler conditions allowing Estre to close the gap to Ferrari. In the last hour, Estre pushed Ferrari to the limit finishing just 14 seconds behind Kubica’s winning car.

The #51 Ferrari received multiple penalties, including a stop/go for pit lane speeding dropping it from podium contention. The #50 Ferrari suffered rear wing irregularities leading to its post-race disqualification. The #83 AF Corse Ferrari, a privateer entry capitalised on the factory team’s struggles securing a historic victory.

Photo by FIA World Endurance Championship via X (Formerly known as Twitter) 

Ferrari has solidified its grip on the hypercar class securing its third consecutive victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P driven by Kubica, Ye and Hanson claimed the win marking Ferrari’s 12^th overall triumph at La Sarthe. Ferrari has now won every Le Mans race since returning to the top class in 2023 proving its technical superiority. This victory ensures Ferrari keeps the winners’ trophy permanently, a privilege granted to teams that win three consecutive editions. While Ferrari’s works cars struggled with penalties and technical issues, the AF Corse privateer entry capitalised on the opportunity to take the win.

AF Corse’s victory highlights the growing competitiveness of privateer teams proving they can challenge factory backed giants. The #83 Ferrari became the first privateer entry to win Le Mans outright in two decades. After his heartbreaking LMP2 loss in 2021, Kubica delivered a heroic quintuple stint to secure victory. Ferrari’s works cars along with Toyota and Porsche struggled with technical setbacks allowing AF Corse to shine.

With Ferrari’s dominance reaffirmed, the rest of the World Endurance Championship (WEC) grid is looking to bounce back. The #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963 nearly upset Ferrari’s dominance, finishing just 14 seconds behind the winning car. Despite securing pole position, Cadillac failed to convert its front row start into a podium finish ending up outside the top three. With Ferrari leading the championship, Porsche and Cadillac will need strong performance in upcoming rounds to challenge for the title.