Ferrari may not have tasted glory in the F1 championship for a long time. However, the same is not the case in Endurance racing, particularly at Le Mans. The Prancing Horse are showing their prowess at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, as they have now won it for a second consecutive year. Following Ferrari’s win, Charles Leclerc got emotional and sent a heartwarming message to Antonio Fuoco.
“Very happy for you. You deserve it all. You’re great. Your dad will be very happy from up there”, the Monegasque wrote on his Instagram story, as quoted on Twitter (now X).
Charles: “Very happy for you. You deserve it all, you’re great. Your dad will be very happy from up there.”
HIS MESSAGE TO ANTONIO pic.twitter.com/ozQZsYl7mz
— tami. (@Vetteleclerc) June 16, 2024
The 28-year-old Italian won in the Hypercar category at the 2024 Le Mans along with Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen driving the #50 car. The Ferrari trio beat the Toyota team consisting of Nyck de Vries, Kamui Kobayashi, and Jose Maria Lopez by a slender margin of 14 seconds.
Meanwhile, the other Ferrari 499P of defending champions Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado, and Antonio Giovinazzi finished on the final step of the podium in the Hypercar category.
The Italian brand returned to the top class of Endurance racing just last year and clinched Le Mans ahead of the dominant Toyota team. This year, in their aim to become more competitive in the World Endurance Championship, this second consecutive victory at Le Mans would do a world of good for the Scuderia.
While it is just one race, winning the mega 24-hour endurance race is a massive achievement, and doing it for two consecutive years certainly adds more weightage. Leclerc, who closely watched the trio of Guidi, Calado, and Giovinazzi win the Le Mans event last year, hopes to achieve the same one day.
Charles Leclerc hopes to win Le Mans one day with Ferrari
Charles Leclerc explained last year how he was left fascinated by Ferrari’s win in Le Mans last year. After watching the Italian outfit return to the top step of the podium, he explained how this victory motivated him also to compete in the event sometime in the future.
“I would love to drive a Ferrari here. It would be an incredible experience. Once in my life, I want to tick that box. I’m so happy. It’s incredible to have a Ferrari win here,” the 26-year-old had said.
Glad you’re enjoying your first Le Mans @charles_leclerc
We can’t wait for you to be part of this show someday either! ⚡️#WEC #LeMans24 #LeMansCentenary | @FerrariHypercar @ScuderiaFerrari pic.twitter.com/elu35v5uXt
— FIA World Endurance Championship (@FIAWEC) June 11, 2023
If Leclerc does compete at Le Mans in the future and goes on to win the event, he would be just one step away from winning the triple crown. This is a prestigious achievement in motorsports, wherein a driver wins F1’s Monaco Grand Prix or the World Championship, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and the Indianapolis 500.
Leclerc has already ticked one of the boxes, having won the Monaco GP earlier this season. Now, it will be interesting to see when the Monegasque chooses to compete in the iconic endurance race at Circuit de La Sarthe.
For now, it seems that could take a while as Leclerc is determined to win the F1 championship. It seems unlikely that the #16 driver will win the title even this season as Max Verstappen has a healthy 56-point lead over him following the Ferrari driver’s shocking retirement at the Canadian GP.
