The Le Mans 24 Hours crowned Ferrari for the third consecutive year. But was it the only brand to shine in this 93rd edition?
Far from it, here’s a round-up of the winners and losers from round 4 of the 2025 WEC season.
Winner: Ferrari
All week long, Ferrari insisted it wasn't the favourite, claiming several other cars were faster than the 499P. Perhaps over a single lap, yes, but in terms of consistency, only the naive bought it. Even after the race, the Italian camp tried to make us believe it had won without having the fastest car.
Without an unusually slow pace at the end (reportedly due to technical issues) and the #6 Porsche 963 being relentlessly pushed by a trio driving on the edge for 24 hours, Ferrari could have secured a 1-2-3 finish. Based on the “best 60% laps average” ranking, Ferrari was 1-2-3, and the two factory 499Ps also reached an impressive top speed of 349 km/h. That straightline speed, several km/h ahead of rivals, clearly made the difference.
“After an unremarkable qualifying, we focused everything on race pace, trying to optimise the car and make the best use of strategy, including tyre management,” said head of Ferrari endurance race cars Ferdinando Cannizzo.
“In the early hours we recovered positions, reaching the lead and then holding it for most of the 24 Hours. In the final stage, we had to defend against Porsche, which proved to be very competitive, thus signing the victory.”
That said, it wasn't a flawless race for Ferrari, each of the three cars received penalties, and the factory drivers made several mistakes. Still, if one 499P deserved the win, it was the #83. A pity that the disqualification of the #50 tarnished the overall result.
Loser: Toyota
To find a Le Mans edition where Toyota wasn't in the fight for victory, you'd have to go back to 2015.
When the BoP was revealed, hopes were high for the Japanese manufacturer. But surprisingly, they were never in contention. A strong tyre strategy briefly put the #8 car in the lead during the morning restart, but it was just a flash in the pan.
“On pure performance, there was no way we could compete,” said technical director David Floury.
“It was a two-class race: one with the cars with top speed and one with the cars with no top speed. Unfortunately, we got the wrong ticket and we were in the second class with Cadillac and Aston Martin.
"I think the only time in the race where we were competitive was when we were not on the same tires as our competitors.”
The #7 car wasn’t blameless either, making contact with a Peugeot in the very first corner. The sister car drove a perfect race, until a mechanical failure on Sunday morning ended its hopes of a top-five finish.
Let’s be honest: aiming any higher was never realistic.
Winner: Porsche
For a brand with 19 Le Mans wins, Porsche can't be thrilled with second place. But we still place Porsche Penske Motorsport among the winners, because second place was hard-earned against dominant Ferraris.
It’s thanks to the resilience of the #6 car’s drivers that the team salvaged a result. Strategy wasn't flawless, but Kevin Estre, Laurens Vanthoor, and Matt Campbell delivered a near-perfect race: no penalties, no mistakes.
“Ferrari matched our strategy every time,” Kevin Estre explained. “But whatever the strategy, they had a performance advantage. They made a lot of mistakes, which kept us in the fight. On our side, we made none, so I think we can be proud of what we achieved. They were simply faster…”
The other two cars weren’t so fortunate, with several mistakes and penalties.
Loser: BMW
BMW M Team WRT had a promising start to the season, raising hopes for Le Mans. Battling with Cadillac and Toyota, the M Hybrid V8s both retired late Sunday morning, one due to an engine issue, the other due to battery cooling problems.
“The 2025 edition was very tough in the end,” said head of BMW M Motorsport Andreas Roos. “It’s a tough one to swallow, but we also have to take the positives. We want to be on the podium, and we didn’t achieve that this time. We collected a lot of data and will work hard to come back and be on the podium next time.”
With both BMW M4 GT3s also retiring, the Bavarian camp left really disappointed.
Winner: Aston Martin
One car in Hyperpole 1, 12th and 14th at the finish without major issues, Aston Martin THOR can be satisfied with the 24-hour debut of its Valkyrie LMH.
“It's a great result for the team, a huge milestone for the programme,” said endurance racing manager Adam Carter. “We come to Le Mans and the WEC because it's hard, because we want to fight against the best. We need to improve our performance, we are racers and we want to be more competitive.”
In the 60% best laps average, the best Valkyrie was still two seconds off the pace of the #83 Ferrari, despite a favourable BoP that made it the lightest and most powerful Hypercar. Still, reasons for optimism abound.
Loser: Alpine & Peugeot
French manufacturers failed to impress on home soil. Expectations for Peugeot were low, but Alpine’s disappointing performance - despite podiums at Imola and Spa - was a surprise. The drivers weren’t spotless, but the car also failed to deliver expected performance.
“I'm a little disappointed that we didn't have the race we should have had,” said Alpine sporting director Nicolas Lapierre. “Our pace wasn't perfect, and we made mistakes. So, we could have done better, which is frustrating. That said, we learned a lot and gathered a wealth of information. We must analyse and understand it, but it will benefit the rest of the season and the programme.”
Ninth and tenth, just ahead of the best Peugeot, it is well below expectations.
Winner: Inter Europol Competition
A late drivethrough penalty left Nick Yelloly, Tom Dillmann, and Jakub Smiechowski thinking they’d lost it. But with the mechanical failure of VDS Panis Racing just nine laps from the end, the #43 Oreca 07 came through to give Inter Europol Competition its second LMP2 win at Le Mans in three years.
“It was a wild race, completely flat-out from start to finish, and we really managed to come out on top,” said Nick Yelloly.
“We had our share of good and bad fortune, but thankfully, we turned it our way in those final 10 to 15 minutes. It’s my first Le Mans and now I’ve added it to my wins at the Nürburgring 24 Hours and Spa 24 Hours.”
What an impressive resume...
Loser: Cadillac
Before test day, Sebastien Bourdais admitted: “We’ll be fast over a lap, but not over the race.”
He was right. Despite Team Jota locking out the front row, the V-Series.Rs never threatened Ferrari during the race.
Still, since the Cadillac/Jota partnership is only a few months old, 4th and 7th place were viewed positively.
“Obviously we want to be on the podium, we want to win, but this is a really solid start for a long-term project,” said Team Jota co-owner Sam Hignett.
“We know what we need to work on, and we have 364 days to do it. That means making the car perform as well in traffic as it does in clean air.”
It was tougher for IMSA teams Action Express Racing and Wayne Taylor Racing, the latter being virtually invisible all week.
Winner: Le Mans
Once again, the Le Mans 24 Hours lived up to its reputation as the world’s greatest endurance race. The event was sold out as expected, and a new attendance record was set: according to the Automobile Club de l’Ouest, 332,000 people attended during race week. Only the Indianapolis 500 rivals such a turnout.
“Every year we do what’s needed to improve the fan experience,” said ACO president Pierre Fillon.
“This time, we introduced a new fan zone with stunning views of the Porsche Curves, definitely one of the most spectacular parts of the circuit.”
Just a month earlier, 311,197 fans had packed the Bugatti Circuit for Johann Zarco’s MotoGP win, the biggest crowd in the championship’s history. Le Mans is undoubtedly the motorsport capital of the world.
Loser: IDEC Sport
Among the entire LMP2 field using the tried-and-tested Oreca 07 (in service since 2017), there were only three retirements, one due to an off (Nielsen Racing) and two due to right-rear wheel failures. Both failures? On IDEC Sport cars.
The #18 was run in partnership with Genesis Magma Racing in preparation for its future Hypercar entry. Despite an early Sunday retirement, Cyril Abiteboul saw positives.
“We wanted to accumulate useful experience for next year, and that's precisely what we've done ever since we arrived in Le Mans, and in the 14 hours of very competitive running during the race,” Genesis Magma team principal Abiteboul said.
“In their first time at the Le Mans 24 Hours, Jamie and Mathys were incredibly impressive in every circumstance, and we need to say a big thank you to André for sharing his experience of Le Mans with them. The retirement is a disappointment, but that should not overshadow that it's been a very successful week where we’ve learnt many things.”
Third last year, IDEC Sport had a much tougher time swallowing this double DNF.
Winner: Richard Lietz
Quiet but consistently brilliant, Richard Lietz continues to make history. The 41-year-old Austrian was the most experienced driver in this year’s race, taking part in his 19th Le Mans, all with Porsche.
The years haven’t dulled his talent, on Sunday, he claimed his sixth class win, his second in a row, and fourth with Manthey Racing. Few pilots can say the same.
The German team remains undefeated at Le Mans in LMGT3.
Loser: The 2025 WEC Season
Ferrari’s win may be bad news for the WEC championship. Even though the #83 doesn’t score Manufacturers’ points and the #50 was disqualified, Ferrari is still way ahead.
Past the halfway point, the Prancing Horse leads Toyota and Porsche by 77 and 88 points respectively. In the drivers’ standings, Ferrari holds the top three spots. The #51 crew (Giovinazzi / Pier Guidi / Calado) leads with 105 points—11 ahead of Le Mans winners Kubica / Ye / Hanson and 48 clear of Nielsen / Fuoco / Molina.
Fourth? The #7 Toyota trio (Kobayashi / Conway / de Vries) with 44 points. Unless something dramatic happens, all the silverware is heading to Maranello this winter.
