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TOYOTA GAZOO RACING STARTS
SARDINIAN CHALLENGE
Toyota Gazoo

Rally Italia Sardegna
- DAY 1 -

Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69):
“This first stage
tage in Olbia was quite a nice one actually, with some gravel as well as roads
rroad
through
ough
gh the city, and it’s
it s always good to put on a show for the fans
fans. Shakedown was slippery
slipper as
a
we expected for the opening pass as the first car on the road, but at
at least the rain this week has
been making
aking our life a little bit easier
easier. Tomorrow is still going to be a big challe
challenge for
fo us,
opening
pening the road for the longest day and the longest stages of the rally. We just need to make iit
through
hrough
ough without any issues and see if we can be up there in the standing
standings
standi
at the end.”

LAPPI PIPS OGIER IN THRILLING ITALY
OPENER
Red Bull

Rally Italia Sardegna
- DAY 2 -

Lappi giggled at the stop line:
“There was no need to push harder, one tenth is enough! I’m glad to be at
at the finish, that
that was
quite
itee a tricky
tri
stage and we got a slow left re
rear puncture as well, so that started to disturb a
bit."

OGIER VERY CLOSE TO THE LEAD FOR
TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Toyota Gazoo

Rally Italia Sardegna
- DAY 2 -

Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17):
“I’m happy
appy with my day and to be in the position we’re in tonight. I was surprised with
wi the gap
wee made in the first stage this morning and in Monte Lerno, but the car was working
worki well and I
think
hink wee made the right tyre call which helped us to be fast this morning. It was a bit
bi more
difficult
ifficult this afternoon, but it was still an OK loop
loop. I was happy with my driving, a bit less
le w
with
wi
the
hee decision we made in service; we had a bit the wrong tyre choice and setup. But we still
sti
managed
anaged
ged to get through without any drama in the slippery conditions and without taking
takin too
many
any risks. We are still where we wanted to be, in the fight for the win. The gap is
i very close
and tomorrow we will push again.”

TENACIOUS NEUVILLE SEIZES ITALY LEAD
ON CHAOTIC PENULTIMATE DAY
Red Bull

Rally Italia Sardegna
- DAY 3 -

Neuville:
“I'm relieved to be at
at the
hee finish. It was a tough day out there, but the feeling was getting
getti bette
better
and better with the car. We learned a lot, that's
that's important, but it's still not always perfect yet
and we can still improve."

TOYOTA GAZOO RACING ENDURES STORMY
SATURDAY IN SARDINIA
Toyota Gazoo

Rally Italia Sardegna
- DAY 3 -

Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69):
“It’s
t’s been a good day and a really smart one from us I think. This morning we could show some
som
pace
ace when we needed to. We had a better road position than yesterday and it wa
was going quite
qui
well;
ell;; then with some others dropping out we ended up having to do some road cleaning aga
again.
The afternoon was really tricky. We had some tyres that
that were already well-used so we just did
the best that
that wee could. We tried to stay out of trouble, have a clean afternoon and we coul
could also
gain one position – but it’s never nice to gain it when a team-mate
team-mate has issues. Hopefully our
tyre package will be better for tomorrow and let’s see what
what we can do.”

VICTORIOUS NEUVILLE REIGNITES WRC
TITLE QUEST IN ITALY
Red Bull

Rally Italia Sardegna
- Final Thierry Neuville vaulted from fifth to second in the FIA World Rally Championship standings on
Sunday afternoon after clinching a long-awaited victory at Rally Italia Sardegna.
Belgian star Neuville headed i20 N partner Esapekka Lappi by 33.0s in a dream 1-2 finish for
Hyundai at round six of 13, scoring his 18th career success alongside co-driver Martijn Wydaeghe.
The result served as a maiden 2023 triumph for both Neuville and his team, helping the Korean
marque to move within 23 points of championship-leading manufacturer Toyota Gazoo Racing.
The lead changed hands a whopping nine times during the fast and furious Mediterranean island
fixture until Neuville seized the initiative when rival Sébastien Ogier went off the road in
Saturday’s rain-hit penultimate test.
He surpassed Lappi, who celebrated his third-consecutive top-three finish, in the same stage and
managed a comfortable advantage through Sunday’s four-stage finale.

Neuville (who now trails series leader Kalle Rovanperä by 25 points):
“Obviously it was a challenging weekend. We came here with the belief that
that we could fight for
victory,
ory,
y, but the first day was challenging and we lost a bit of time
time. Yesterday we found ourselves
ourselv
ourselve
in the lead and we had to manage it until the end.

“It's
t's the first victory for the team this year, it's a 1-2 and the first win for our team principa
princi
principal
[Cyril
ril Abiteboul] as well. Craig Breen is in our memories also - we wanted the win in
i Croatia for
him, but we got it now."
Rovanperä completed the podium in third overall, his best result out of five Rally Italia
Sardegna attempts.
Although he trailed fellow Finn Lappi by 1m 22.3s at the finish, the high rate of attrition saw
him end a sizeable 3m 25.2s clear of fourth-placed Toyota team-mate Elfyn Evans. Evans
struggled to get into a rhythm in his GR Yaris and dropped around three minutes on Saturday
when the car’s radiator sustained damage in a water crossing.
Dani Sordo almost made it three Hyundais in the top five, but retired after the day’s second
stage due to exhaust failure. It brought an early end to what been a turbulent weekend for the
Spaniard, having previously rolled his i20 N on Friday morning.
His demise paved the way for Andreas Mikkelsen to claim fifth overall as well as taking a
surprise victory in WRC2. The Škoda Fabia driver had trailed Adrien Fourmaux by more than half a
minute before the Wolf Power Stage, but the Frenchman slid off the road 1.4km into the finale.
The WRC season enters its second half with a hotly anticipated visit to Africa later this month.
The legendary Safari Rally Kenya is based in Naivasha and takes place from 22–25 June.
Overall classification:
1. T Neuville / M Wydaeghe BEL Hyundai i20 N 3h 40m 1.4s
2. E Lappi / J Ferm FIN Hyundai i20 N +33.0s
3. K Rovanperä / J Halttunen FIN Toyota GR Yaris +1m 55.3s
4. E Evans / S Martin GBR Toyota GR Yaris +5m 20.5s
5. A Mikkelsen / T Eriksen NOR Škoda Fabia RS Rally2 +9m 33.3s
6. T Suninen / M Markkula FIN Hyundai i20 N Rally2 +11m 48.9s
Drivers' championship (after round 6 of 13):
1. K Rovanperä 118pts
2. T Neuville 93pts
3. S Ogier 85pts

ROVANPERä INCREASES LEAD WITH
PODIUM FOR TOYOTA GAZOO RACING
Toyota Gazoo

Rally Italia Sardegna
- Final TOYOTA GAZOO Racing World Rally Team driver Kalle Rovanperä has added to his lead in the FIA
World Rally Championship with a clever drive to the podium and a Power Stage victory on a
tricky Rally Italia Sardegna.
Faced with sweeping loose gravel roads on Friday while running first on the road, Rovanperä ran
as low as eighth overall before a characteristically strong drive in the rain to win the 50kilometre Monte Lerno stage lifted he and co-driver Jonne Halttunen to fourth at the end of the
day.
He was then one of only a few drivers to avoid trouble on an eventful Saturday in more wet
weather conditions, gaining third overall while also having to manage the limited number of
softer compound tyres made available on what is normally a hot and abrasive rally.
Able to conserve rubber through Sunday’s opening tests, Rovanperä then produced a typically
attacking drive on a soaking rally-ending Power Stage, setting the best time by 4.7 seconds.
Taking the maximum five bonus points to add to his third place overall means he increases his
lead in the standings to 25 points.
Elfyn Evans ensured there were two GR YARIS Rally1 HYBRID cars in the top four at the finish,
recovering strong points together with co-driver Scott Martin after losing time on Saturday
morning with damage from a deep watersplash. He set the fourth-best time in the Power Stage,

claiming additional points for the manufacturers’ championship which TGR-WRT continues to lead
by 23 points.
Sébastien Ogier was leading the rally with a strong drive before a series of unfortunate events
on Saturday afternoon that culminated in him sliding off the muddy road in SS14. He returned to
action on Sunday and took fifth in the Power Stage.
Takamoto Katsuta also restarted on Sunday morning in his TGR WRC Challenge Program-supported
entry and resumed the good pace he showed on Friday, adding his second stage win of the
weekend in the penultimate test and coming third in the Power Stage.

Akio Toyoda (TGR-WRT Chairman):
“I would like to send my appreciation
appreciation for the hard work of all TGR-WRT members. It must have
been especially tough for Kalle and Jari-Matti
Jari-Matti who travelled back and forth between Europe and
Japan
apann in a short period of time
time. I’m
I m thankful to them for achieving the podium again despite
despi
such a busy schedule.
I was
as in Sardinia four years ago, and on the final day I was preparing to jump into the wa
w ter
with the team members. But unfortunately
unfortunately we were unable to do that
that in the end. I remember that
that
I felt slightly relieved that
that I didn’t need to. Maybe because of that,
that, our team became not so
good at
at watersplashes...
watersplashes...
ersplashes... So I hope everybody including Seb, Elfyn and Takamoto turns the
th page
and moves on to the next event. That
That said, I still hope I can jump into the water
water at
at Sardinia
someday
omeday (although I heard it was not allowed this year). I believe the team will continue
contin to
improve the car for driving through watersplashes.
watersplashes.
Safari
fari Rally Kenya is in three weeks
weeks. Like Sardinia, it will be another tough rally but it
i seems
see
that our team is very well liked by the animals there. So I’m sure that
that
that our team and crew will
fascinate
fascina
te the people in Africa again this year.”

Jari-Matti Latvala (Team Principal):
“Thiss rally last year was very difficult for the team in terms
term of our performance, but we came
here
ere this year and were looking much stronger and really fighting for the victory.
vi
There were
many
any challenges with a lot of rain and slippery conditions which brought qquite a bit of drama
dram

and unfortunately
unfortunately
ely
ly the weekend didn
didn’tt turn out to be as good for us as it maybe
m
could have bee
been.
But
ut today in the Power Stage we saw an excellent performance from Kalle to take the win there
as well as third place in the rally, which is giving him more nice points fo
for the championship.
championship
championshi
It’s good too that
that Elfyn was alsoo able to secure fourth to get some important points
poi
for the
team, and now we will look forward to the next event in Kenya.”
Kalle Rovanperä (Driver car 69):
“Wee had a good tyre package left for the final day and it was really nice
ni that we could therefore
push
ush on the Power Stage and finally take the fastest time and five extra points. It was definitely
definite
definitely
not
ot easy,
asy, with a lot of rain just beforehand which was easing up a bit for the last ca
cars, but it
i
was
ass a proper challenge in the mud
mud. This has always been a tricky event for me personally
personally, and
an
this weekend
eekend
end our plan was to try and be fast when we can be and take it steady when
whe needed and
an
I think we did that.
that. We had quite good pace overall and stayed out of trouble and at
at the start of
the weekend I really didn’t expect that
that we could end it with this many points.”
Elfyn Evans (Driver car 33):
“Todayy it was just a case of getting the car through the first three stages and trying to look
loo
after the tyres
yres we had ready for the Power Stage
Stage. The conditions really changed quite a lot fo
for
thee Power Stage, it was raining very heavily so it was pretty slippery but thankfully we managed
man
too get through it OK. We would have liked to take some more points from there but a couple iis
still better than nothing. After everything that
that happened this weekend I think we have to be
grateful
gra
teful
eful
ful to take fourth overall and some decent points even if we
we’re
re not re
really happy with
wi how
everything went.”
Sébastien Ogier (Driver car 17):
“Todayy we could get back out there and it was all about the Power Stage and trying to tak
take
some points for the team if we could. Again the weather
weather made things quite tricky at the end off
the
hee rally, and the feeling was not really there to take too much risk in these conditions
conditions. We kkind
ki
of finished
shed with some decent speed but it was nothing crazy. So overall it’s
it s probably not
n a
weekend we will remember strongly but that’s
that’s the way it is sometimes in sport and you have to
accept it. There’s still a lot of positives we can take with the speed that
that we had this weekend,
and let’s hope that
that on the next one the luck will be back on our side.”
What's next?
The legendary Safari Rally Kenya (June 22-25) is the only African round of the championship.
Since returning to the championship in 2021, it continues to provide gruelling conditions on
rough and rocky roads as well as high speeds across open plains.

ALPINE ELF ENDURANCE TEAM ON PACE
DURING THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS TEST
DAY
Alpine

Alpine
pine shifted into 'Le Mans mode', embarking
embarki on the challenge of the 24 Hours of
Le Mans centenary.
The 91st Le Mans 24 Hours kicked off with the Scrutineering. A public event held in the Place de
la République in Le Mans, these administrative and technical checks saw all the cars entered in
the 24 Hours of Le Mans inspected by the FIA and ACO stewards to ensure they comply with the
regulations.
André Negrão, Memo Rojas and Olli Caldwell, along with Matthieu Vaxiviere, Julien Canal and
Charles Milesi, were there to be weighed in with all their equipment and received a warm
welcome from the crowd before looking ahead to their next task: Test Day. With two three-hour
sessions, the two trios used this track time to get to grips with the non-permanent 13.626 km 24
Hours of Le Mans Circuit, renowned for its Mulsanne straight.
From 10am, Olli Caldwell and Charles Milesi climbed into the cockpits of the #35 and #36
Alpines to launch the team's programme. The Briton took the opportunity to immediately carry
out the first part of the rookie ritual: completing ten laps during the day, which he will have to
complete with five night laps on Wednesday or Thursday. Despite a few interruptions, the two
men and their teammates focused on the essential elements for a successful performance: set-up,
track evolution, fuel consumption management and analysis of the different tyres compounds.
After taking the lead through Matthieu Vaxiviere, the six drivers took turns gathering

information during a morning session in which the two A470s finished in the top six of an
impressive field of 24 LMP2 cars. The work and pace picked up in the afternoon. André Negrão put
the hammer down, setting a time of 3:36.644s to go to the top of the timesheets before finishing
the session third in the LMP2 category. In the sister car, Matthieu Vaxiviere was fourth best with
a time of 3:36.782s. At day's end, the two crews had completed 126 laps, totalling more than
1,700 kilometres.
With valuable lessons learnt, Alpine Elf Endurance Team now turns its attention to its tasks on
Wednesday: the first free practice and qualifying sessions. In addition to the on-track activity,
Alpine Cars will unveil the A110 R Le Mans in the Alpine Paddock Center, following an
entertaining parade.

André Negrão:
"It's
t's a good starting point. The car worked well and we tried many thing
thi
things on what was a lovely,
flowing day. We accumulated
accumulated a lot of kilometres without any problems, which enabled us to
collect valuable data
data for
or the team. It was also an opportunity to see Olli learn the track, and he
he's
he'
doing
g exceptionally well, as is Memo. So far, so good, and there are plenty of reason
reasons to be
optimistic for next week!"
Olli Caldwell:
"It was a great
great first day as this is my first 24 Hours of Le Mans. I really enjoyed discovering
discoveri and
expriencing
priencing this amazing track. We have made some really good improvements since Spa thanks
tha
thank
to our tests at
at Monza. Thee car feels much better
better, II'm
m really happy with
wi the progress we made and
andd we're
we re heading in the right direction
direction. Now we have a lot of preactice sessions the week to
find the perfect adjustments to make a good race car!"
Memo Rojas:
"I'm satisfied
satisfied
isfied
ed with the first day of Le Mans testing. The car was competitive right away, and it's
it'
always
ays nice to be upfront even it is still too early to draw any conclusions.
conclusions The mos
most important
importan
thing
hing
g was to achieve all our goals from a technical point of view,
vi
and my te
teammates did a
fantastic
tastic job in this respect. However, we will keep working hard, as we have a long week ah
ahead
of us, often full of unforeseen events!"
Matthieu Vaxiviere:
"The first feeling is great,
great, especially when you look at
at the timesheets. It gives the team
confidence,
onfidence,
dence, although you always have to put the results of Test Day into perspective. The
Th
important
mportant
portant thing was to stick to our plan without the slighte
slightest hitch
hi
so that we'd have plenty off
things
gs to analyse ahead of Wednesday
Wednesday. Mission accomplished, with a constructive Sunday
Sunda
Sun y
bringing
ringing some serenity even though we must keep our feet on the ground and wo
work hard.
hard."

Charles Milesi:
"It's good to be back at
at Le Mans, especially on a constructive day that
that gave us a good baseline
too work from. Wee tested several ideas, and we seem to be in a good position right now. We won
won't
won't
be resting
ting on our laurels, as the track will change considerably over the next few days
days. W
We must
m
continue
ontinue
ntinue to adopt the right mindset to confirm our progess for this long wee
week."
week.
Julien Canal:
"It was
as a solid first
st day, with not the least problem to report
report. We've
We ve made good progress over the
th
laps
ps to advance our programme
programme, and we all agree about the car's potential for development
development. So
far, we're well-positioned and know the areas where we still need to make a few adjustments
far,
adjustments. So
thatt gives some peace of mind and confidence before the proper week at
tha
at Le Mans begins."
Philippe Sinault, Alpine Elf Endurance Team Principal:
"It was
as a constructive
onstructive and productive day, although track time was shorter than in years pas
past
pa
past.
Despite the neutralisations,
neutralisations, we have completed an important part of our programme with many
lessons
essons learned for the long week ahead. The aerodynamic confi
configuration is always particular at
at
Lee Mans,, so the drivers needed this track time to gradually get up to speed and ready for the
th
challenge
allenge
ge awaiting us
us. It's
It s still too early to compare ourselves with the competition, so we
w
focusedd on our own cars. We have everything we need to score a good result, and we will do oour
ou
utmost to do just that
that by carefully analysing the data
data we've collected to ensure we go into the
first free practice session on Wednesday in the best conditions."
CLASSIFICATIONS
Test Day – Morning
5. Alpine Elf Endurance Team n°36 3:38.534s (32 laps)
6. Alpine Elf Endurance Team n°35 3:38.559s (28 laps)
Test Day – Afternoon
3. Alpine Elf Endurance Team n°35 3:36.644s (32 laps)
4. Alpine Elf Endurance Team n°36 3:36.782s (34 laps)
Test Day – Cumulative
4. Alpine Elf Endurance Team n°35 3:36.644s (60 tours)
5. Alpine Elf Endurance Team n°36 3:36.782s (66 laps)
TIMETABLE
Wednesday 7 June
2:00-5:00pm: Free practice 1
7:00-8:00pm: Qualifying
10:00pm-12:00am: Free practice 2
Thursday 8 June
3:00-6:00pm: Free practice 3
8:00-8:30pm: Hyperpole
10:00-11:00pm: Free practice 4
Saturday 10 June
12:00-12:15pm: Warm-up
4:00pm: Start of the 91st edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans

ASTON MARTIN'S HISTORY AT THE 24
HOURS OF LE MANS
Aston Martin

Aston
ston Martin aiming for 20th class victory
vi
as the 24 Hours of Le Mans marks a
century of endurance racing
Aston Martin goes in search of an incredible 20th class victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans as the
world’s most famous endurance classic celebrates its centenary edition this weekend. The ultraluxury British sportscar manufacturer’s involvement with the event stretching back 95 years,
having made its own debut with a pair of AM415 ‘Internationals’ in 1928. Aston Martin can
proudly boast that a car bearing its name has been entered for 53 (including 2023) races in the
event’s history.
Aston Martin Racing’s Vantage GTE is the most successful GT racing car in the history of the
company. A record five current-generation Aston Martin Vantage GTEs will contest the 24 Hours of
Le Mans, run by four AMR partner teams, as the car seeks its third LMGTE Am class victory at the
French race. Aston Martin is also challenging for its first back-to-back wins since the glorious
GT1 class double with the Aston Martin DBR9 in 2007 and 2008.
Reigning world champions and last year’s LMGTE Am class winner TF Sport brings two cars to the
race. The #25 ORT by TF Vantage, which finished third in the most recent WEC round at SpaFrancorchamps will be driven by one of several Aston Martin race rookies, Ahmad Al Harthy – the
first Omani to contest the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He will be joined by 2020 class winner Charlie
Eastwood (IRL), and another race debutant Michael Dinan (USA). The team also brings its European
Le Mans Series trio Arnold and Maxime Robin (FRA) and works driver Valentin Hasse Clot to race

the #72 TF Sport-run Projet 24 car.
As well as running its own cars, TF Sport assists Japanese team D’station Racing, back for its
third crack at the race with owner Satoshi Hoshino (JPN), team manager Tomonobu Fujii (JPN), and
Aston Martin Academy candidate Casper Stevenson (GBR) who finished second in class with the
team’s Vantage GT4 in the recent Fuji 24 Hours.

Thee Heart of Racing team makes its Le Mans debut as it seeks to rack up a second major 24 hours
ho
hour
race
ace victory of the year. Having won the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona back in February with
wi te
team
principal
rincipal Ian James (GBR)
(GBR), Marco Sørensen (DEN)
(DEN), Roman De Angelis (CDN) and Darre
Darren Turner
Tur
(GBR
(GBR),
the
hee team has taken over Paul Dalla Lana’s NorthWest AMR entry and will field the #98 ca
car this
thi
weekend.
eekend Joining James on driving duties will be IMSA race winner Alex Riberas (ESP) and Daniel
eekend.
Danie
Da
Dani
Mancinelli (ITA).

Aston
ston Martin’s endurance racing is indelibly linked to Le Mans
Mans. A mere 15 years after
af the marque
was formed by Robert Bamford and Lionel Martin, it was racing at
at la Sarthe. Three years later
later it
claimed
aimed its first victory when Augustus Cesare Bertelli and Maurice Harvey won the 1.5-litre class
cla
cl
in an International.
International.
onal.
l. It took class honours in 1932 and ’33 as well. Two more wins in the ’’30s for
the Ulster meant that
that Aston Martin ended the pre-war era as one of Le Mans pre-eminent
manufacturers.

This century Aston Martin has come to the fore once again as one of the truly great GT
manufacturers. Returning to the race with a GT1 class podium in 2006, Darren Turner, Rickard
Rydell and David Brabham recorded a famous victory over Corvette with the mighty V12-powered
DBR9 in 2007. Aston Martin Racing repeated the victory the following year.
In the WEC era, which began in 2012, Aston Martin has five class victories with Vantage. The V8
Vantage GTE won the GTE Am class in 2014 with the Danish line-up of Nicki Thiim, Kristian
Poulsen and David Heinemeier Hansson. Then in 2017 Jonny Adam (GBR) delivered a famous last-

lap pass on the rival Corvette to clinch a dramatic GTE Pro win along with team-mates Turner
(Aston’s most successful Le Mans racer with 15 starts and three wins), and Daniel Serra (BRA).
The Vantage GTE made its Le Mans debut in 2018 and claimed a breathtaking double-class victory
in 2020. Alex Lynn (GBR), Maxime Martin (BEL) and Harry Tincknell (GBR) outfoxed Ferrari in a
famous win without stopping for a traditional Sunday morning brake change, while TF Sport
conquered GTE Am with Salih Yoluc (TUR), Adam and Eastwood. The team won again last season in
its world championship title year with Ben Keating (USA), Henrique Chaves (POR) and Sørensen.
In total, a little under 240 drivers have raced Aston Martins at Le Mans in the past 95 years in 27
different chassis and engine combinations through virtually every famous era. No venue has
given Aston Martin so much success, or more steadfastly proven that our DNA is forged out of the
very essence of competition, than Le Mans.

Renato Bisignani, Head of Global Marketing and Communications, said:
“Thatt Le Mans is just as important to the world’s great
“Tha
great car-making pioneers now as it was 100
years ago, is a great
great testament
estament
ment to the sporting traditions and heritage of this extrao
extraordinary
extraordi
event. We congratula
congratulate
te the ACO and all who organise the 24 Hours of Le Mans for this
outstanding
nding landmark achievement. Aston Martin is proud to have been a competito
competitor
competi at Le Mans
since
ince the very earliest days, and we remain so today through our loyal, de
dedica
dedi ted and talented
partner
rtner teams
teams. We wish them all well as they take on the challenge of winning a 20th victory
vi
fo
for
Aston Martin at
at Le Mans.”
Aston Martin's history at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
https://youtu.be/jJuqDtA_bbo
@astonmartin

HYPERCAR – FERRARI RETURNS TO TOP
CLASS AT LE MANS WITH TWO 499P
FERRARI

Thee history of motorsport comprises
compri
names, cars and manufacture
manufacturers that have
starred on the public’s favourite stages.
Ferrari and Le Mans represent the pinnacles of a red thread that returns to the top class of
endurance racing after half a century. The Prancing Horse will line up for the Centenary 24 Hours
of Le Mans with two 499Ps. Ferrari – AF Corse compete in round four of the FIA WEC 2023, fielding
the number 50 Hypercar, crewed by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen, and the
number 51 car with Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado and Antonio Giovinazzi.
The “race of races”, the event staged on France’s La Sarthe circuit, with its 13.626 kilometres and
38 turns that are part of motor racing legend, lies at the heart of the FIA World Endurance
Championship season. After the pole position debut at Sebring and the Portimão and SpaFrancorchamps rounds, the series of three races concluded with three podiums and confidence in a
reliable and competitive car.
Ferrari comes to France to continue on this positive path, with results equalling and surpassing
its targets, continuing to gain experience as a team in its debut season with the Hypercar. The
Maranello marque is second in the Manufacturers’ standings, 33 points ahead of Toyota, heading
into the event with the most points at stake. The winning car receives 50 points.
The 24 Hours of Le Mans is also synonymous with community and all-around excitement. That’s
why Ferrari is offering its passionate customers several initiatives to follow the race and
experience 24 hours of pure adrenaline. For the occasion, all European dealer network will open
their doors to their loyal customers for 24 hours of event in which they will follow the race

immersed in the heart of the Ferraristi community enjoying the local and dedicated
entertainment offered by the dealerships.

Antonello Coletta, Global Head of Endurance and Corse Clienti:
“Lining
g up for the Centenary 24 Hours of Le Mans is the point of departure for a proje
project,
proj
supported by the entire company, that
that sees Ferrari return to the top class after half a century.
Thee last few months have seen our entire team working hard ahead of this event, which
whi ha
has
finally arrived. Now it’s time to take our 499Ps out on track at
at the circuit that
that embodies the
essence
nce of endurance racing more than any other in the world
world. After the first three success
successful
succe
successfu
races
aces in the FIA WEC 2023, where our Hypercars proved reliable and competitive, we will
w mainta
maintain
maintai
a humble
ble approach, well aware of the level of our competitors. However, we come to the
th 24 Hours
ambitious to secure a podium place.
The team spirit, drivers and the entire team that
that has been with us since the early stages of this
project
roject also give us confidence going into the historic Le Mans 2023 eve
event”.
event”
Ferdinando Cannizzo, Head of Endurance Race Cars:
“Only
Only a few months ago, this event seemed so far off and yet, in the blink of an eye, here we
w are
on the eve of the most popular and eagerly anticipated
anticipated race in the endurance racing world. For
us,, thee 24 Hours of Le Mans will have a special flavour as we return to the top class 50 years
yea
year
since
ince our last appearance, and we do so on the centenary of this historic
histori race
race.
We approached the preparation
preparation for this 24 Hours, round four of the FIA WEC, with our usual
humility, confident that
that we could have a good race thanks to the dedication
dedication and efforts of the
entire team, despite the car and the team’s lack of experience to date. We have carefullyy
reviewed
eviewed all the races run so far, trying to learn from the mistakes made, identify
identifying
identifyi and
working on areas for improvement, and evaluating
evaluating setups and strategies
strategies in the simulator.
simulator.
Reliability
liability will be crucial in this race, especially for us, and we will
wi need to pay close attention
too every
very detail in preparing the 499P for the race
race. It has been months of highly intense work
work, and
now we can’t wait to start.”

FERRARI 499P HYBRID POWERTRAIN: HOW
ERS AND 4WD WORK
Ferrari

If a racing car’s engine is what most excites enthusiasts, the hybrid powertrain off
the Ferrari 499P, the Prancing Horse’s Le Mans Hypercar, is no exception.
The Prancing Horse’s Le Mans Hypercar uses innovative technologies to extract the best
performance from the combination of an internal combustion engine and an electric unit, the
latter on the front axle. This allows the Hypercar to benefit from four-wheel drive in the
situations specified in the FIA World Endurance Championship regulations.

ERS
The Internal Combustion Engine on the rear axle and the Energy Recovery System are two “souls”
that enable the 499P to deliver a total maximum power output of around 700 horsepower (515
kW), within the regulatory limits.
Mauro Barbieri, Endurance Race Cars Performance Simulation and Regulation Manager, explains:
“The term ERS refers to the combination
combination of the high-voltage battery
battery and the MGU (Motor
Generator
Genera
tor Unit), a system that
that can deliver up to around 270 horsepower. This system allows the
hypercar to generate
generate electrical energy and store it in the battery
battery during braking and to improve
the car’s performance during acceleration,
acceleration, either in combination
combination with the combustion engine or

as an alternative
alternative to it.”
The battery pack, with a nominal output of 800 volts, benefits from the experience gained in
Formula 1, although it was developed specifically for this project.
4WD
In the Le Mans Hypercar, the electric unit, when braking, works as an alternative to or with the
front brake discs to slow down the 499P, while when accelerating, ERS’s major benefit is the
ability to activate 4WD. “The electric motor’s activation speed,” Barbieri continues, “is set by the
BoP and also depends on the size of the tyres used by the different hypercars.” The Prancing
Horse cars can only use the positive torque unleashed by the electric unit at over 190 km/h, that
is, in specific conditions and on certain sectors of FIA WEC tracks.
At Le Mans, these conditions occur near the final part of the Porsche curves and in the initial
part of the track when exiting the Bugatti circuit and entering the 24 Hours circuit. At Monza, the
venue for the fifth round of the 2023 season, drivers take the second turn of the Ascari chicane
and the Parabolica corner, which leads onto the main straight at speeds of over 190km/h.
The advantages
Hybrid hypercars use less petrol per stint by harnessing the electric motor’s power, benefiting
from less onboard weight. In addition, in the traction phases, when 4WD activates, the all-wheel
drive provides better energy distribution to the rear tyres, which thus suffer less degradation.

FERRARI HISTORY AT THE 24 HOURS OF LE
MANS
Ferrari

epic victories and thrills
A race that is part of the collective imagination of endurance racing, an event that has written
pages of history where racing competition intertwines with heroics, driving feats, and the
resilience of the cars shape the legend. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is more than simply an
endurance race. It has been a concentrate of excitement since its first edition in 1923. Over this
long history, Ferrari has amassed nine overall victories and 29 class wins: a prestigious roll of
honour for the Prancing Horse, which returns to the top class of the FIA WEC after half a century,
with two crews in the 499Ps lining for the race on 10 June.
Black and white images documenting Ferrari’s first appearance on the Sarthe circuit depict the
magical atmosphere of endurance racing after the Second World War when Europe and the world
were slowly rediscovering the joys of motor racing.
Debut: In 1949, the Prancing Horse debuted on the La Sarthe circuit, claiming its first overall
victory at Le Mans. The result came with the 166 MM Barchetta Touring driven by Luigi Chinetti
and Lord Selsdon. The American and Briton basked in the public’s applause as they crossed the
finish line after sharing a sporting adventure in the red-liveried number 22 car, specially
prepared for endurance races. It packed a 1995cc V12 front-mounted engine, delivering 103 kW
(140 hp). Thanks to its low weight of just 680 kilograms, the Maranello Barchetta triumphed in
the biggest endurance races of the time, including the Mille Miglia (hence the ‘MM’ acronym) won
the same year before the big French event.
Iconic models: The names of some of the most iconic models stand out in the roll of honour of

the oldest and most illustrious 24 Hours race. One car occupies a prominent place among them.
In 1958, the Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa was first to the chequered flag with Olivier Gendebien and
Phil Hill, in 1960 with Gendebien and Paul Frère, and in 1961 again with Gendebien-Hill. The last
two triumphs also paved the way for the six consecutive victories celebrated by the company
founded by Enzo Ferrari in 1947.
Developed for long-distance racing, beneath the Scaglietti-designed bodywork, the 250 Testa
Rossa housed a 2953cc V12 engine delivering 221 kW (300 horsepower). This power, combined with
a weight of just 800 kg, allowed the car to accelerate to 270 km/h. Such record-breaking figures
enabled the model, whose futuristic lines and aerodynamics also immediately garnered the
admiration of fans, to triumph at the La Sarthe circuit and in the World Sports Car Championship
over those same years.
Winning Streak: The last of the nine overall victories came in 1965 when Jochen Rindt and Masten
Gregory triumphed co-driving the 250 LM. The sixth consecutive victory capped off a 348-lap race
that ended with three Ferrari crews on the podium. It came through exploiting the performance of
a rear-mounted 3285cc V12, which at 7,500 rpm, unleashed 235 kW (320 hp). The Ferrari 250 LM
was credited with a 287 km/h top speed. During the 24 Hours, Rindt-Gregory recorded an average
speed of over 194 km/h.
Recent years: Of the 29 class victories that forged the Ferrari legend at the 24 Hours of Le Mans,
some memorable ones came with production-derived cars. Since the founding of the FIA WEC in
2012, the Maranello manufacturer has claimed eight victories, two with the 488 GTE by
Alessandro Pier Guidi and James Calado, who now share the cockpit of the number 51 Hypercar
499P with Antonio Giovinazzi. In 2019, the Italo-British pairing celebrated their first win in the
LMGTE Pro alongside Côme Ledogar, two years later sharing the car with Daniel Serra. Ferrari also
took first place in the LMGTE Am in 2021 with the 488 GTE crewed by Nicklas Nielsen, Alessio
Rovera and François Perrodo.

All the overall victories at the 24 Hours of Le Mans:
1949 – Ferrari 166 MM – L. Chinetti, Lord Selsdon
1954 – Ferrari 375 Plus – J. F. Gonzalez, M.Trintignant
1958 – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – P. Hill, O. Gendebien
1960 – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – O. Gendebien, P. Frère
1961 – Ferrari 250 Testa Rossa – O. Gendebien, P. Hill
1962 – Ferrari 330 TR – O. Gendebien, P. Hill
1963 – Ferrari 250 P – L. Bandini, L. Scarfiotti
1964 – Ferrari 275 P – J. Guichet, N. Vaccarella
1965 – Ferrari 250 LM – J. Rindt, M. Gregory

LE MANS, 24 HOURS TO WIN: RICHARD
MILLE AF CORSE
Ferrari

After making their debut in the FIA WEC championship, the Richard Mille AF Corse
team,
eam,
m, with a Ferrari 488 GTE, will also tackle their first edition
editi of the 24 Hours of
Le Mans, relying on the synergy of the French-Italian-Argentinian crew.

The team
It results from the collaboration between the Richard Mille Racing Team, founded in 2019 by the
renowned watchmaker, and AF Corse, Ferrari’s historic partner which boasts a very extensive
experience in motorsport. The team has already picked up its first results in the 2023
championship and hopes to continue on the Circuit de la Sarthe.

The number 83 crew
The car is driven by a competitive trio made up of Luis Perez Companc and the two official
Ferrari Competizione GT drivers: Alessio Rovera and Lilou Wadoux. The crew currently holds second
spot in the LMGTE Am standings of the FIA WEC. After an unlucky start in the first round at

Sebring, the trio were able to recover, taking the podium in the round at Portimão and then
winning at the Spa-Francorchamps circuit, with Lilou Wadoux the first female driver to claim
victory since the World Endurance Championship began in 2012.
The pro’ driver from Amiens, despite her young age, is already taking part in the 24 Hours for a
second time and is proving her true talent race after race. Italian driver Rovera, by contrast, will
take part in his third Le Mans, having already achieved his first win in the LMGTE Am class
alongside teammates François Perrodo and Nicklas Nielsen with AF Corse in his debut race in
2021.
More experience for Luis Perez Companc, making a sixth appearance at the Circuit de la Sarthe.
The Argentinian’s best result dates back to 2014 with third place in an AF Corse Ferrari F458
Italia in the LMGTE Am.

COMMENTS AHEAD OF 24 HOURS OF LE
MANS
Ferrari

drivers of 499P number 50
The La Sarthe circuit hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the most eagerly anticipated 2023 FIA World
Endurance Championship round. Two Ferrari 499Ps will compete in the top class of the world’s
most prestigious endurance event half a century after the Prancing Horse’s last official
appearance. Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen start in the number 50 Hypercar.
Ferrari is second in the Manufacturers’ standings after the first three rounds, 33 points behind
Toyota. In the Drivers’ standings, Fuoco-Molina-Nielsen are third on 42 points after the Sebring,
Portimão and Spa-Francorchamps rounds. The race will kick off on Saturday, 10 June at 4 p.m.

Antonio Fuoco:
“Expectations
“Expecta
tions
ions
ons for the 24 Hours are very high, with Ferrari returning to the top class of the world
world’s
world’
most
ost
st famous endurance race after half a century.
century This is undoubtedly a unique race in which yo
you
feel a lot of excitement.
xcitement. I remember the 2022 race with the 488 GTE in
i the LMGTE Pro class whe
when

wee finished
shed in second place.
place It was special and adrenaline-packed
adrenaline-packed. We drivers will do every
everything
everythin
to achieve the best possible result with the Hypercar”.

Miguel Molina:
“When you drive
i for
f Ferrari
FFerrari,
i the
th endd goall iis always to win. We have high expectations, but we
know
ow the 24 Hours will be a tough race. They built the car with Le Mans in mind; we know it
i has
greatt potential.
grea
ntial. We aim to finish on the podium. I remember in 2022 when we achieved this
thi fe
feat
with the 488 GTE. Seeing so many people around the podium at
at the end of the race was a
fantastic feeling. What
What does Le Mans mean to me? The loveliest race not only in the FIA WEC
calendar
alendar but one of the most beautiful races anywhere. A very tough race, espe
especially
especiall at night,
when
en you drive in the dark, alone with your car, and need to be very aware of the traffic. This
Thi
year,
ear,
r, racing in the top class for the overall victory is the high point of my caree
career”.
career”

Nicklas Nielsen:
“Ass a team, we did a fantastic job preparing for the race. The car is very reliable
reliable, which is
i
extremely
tremely important, especially in a 24-hour race
race. We all look forward to seeing the 499P take
tak to
thee track on this fantastic circuit for the first time. Speaking of goals, as a driver, you always
alwa
alw
hope
ope to be in the fight for victory, but we know it will
wil be really tough because there are so
many variables. When I think of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the first things that
that come to mind are
its
ts characteristic excitement and speed. The night? Driving to the limit is very special.
specia It is
i
difficult to explain, but what
what you feel at
at that
that stage of the race is strange and unique. My fondest
Lee Manss memory is the 2021 victory with the 488 GTE, alongside Alessio Rovera and François
Franço
Françoi
Perrodo in the LMGTE Am”.

WEC – THE 499PS IN THE SPOTLIGHT AT LE
PESAGE
Ferrari

- Le Mans The streets of the centre of Le Mans bustled with the voices and faces of fans who arrived in
droves to witness the by-now traditional Pesage, the scrutineering session for the cars set to
take part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans. So begins the most highly anticipated week of the World
Endurance Championship, as the curtains open on the Centenary edition, marking Ferrari’s return
to the top class after 50 years.
The two Ferrari 499Ps took centre stage, among the cars most eagerly applauded and
photographed by fans and insiders. The anticipation and enthusiasm for the return of Prancing
Horse to the challenge for the overall win was already palpable during the warm French
afternoon, with the drivers acclaimed and pestered for autographs and souvenir photos.
In addition to the two Hypercars, the entry list for the marathon at La Sarthe will feature the
488 GTEs, which also paraded through the streets of the city centre, with a special mention going
to the Ferraris of Kessel Racing and Walkenhorst Motorsport who were also involved in the
dynamic parade.

FERRARI 499P, THE RULES OF THE GAME
Ferrari

The Hypercar class of the FIA WEC
The 11th season of the FIA World Endurance Championship, the first to feature the Ferrari 499P in
the Hypercar top class, includes seven rounds. From the Hypercar category to the hybrid car known
as the Le Mans Hypercar, taking in the powertrain and four-wheel drive, here are some topics to
learn about to experience the spectacle of the World Endurance Championship to the full.

Class: Hypercar
Prototypes and production-derived cars both compete in the World Endurance Championship.
Overall, three classes take to the track: The Hypercar is the main one; the others are LMP2 and
LMGTE Am. The cars in the first class are easily recognisable by the words “Hypercar” (red on a
white background) and the initials “HY” (white on a red background), which stand out in the front
and on the side panels.

Hypercar: two options
The Hypercar class, introduced from the 2021 season, allows two types of cars: LMH (Le Mans
Hypercar) and LMDh (Le Mans Daytona Hybrid). The former can have four-wheel drive if a hybrid

powertrain is used, the result of combining a combustion engine transmitting motion to the rear
axle and an electric unit on the front axle. The second type, meanwhile, deploys rear-wheel drive
only.

Ferrari’s choice: LMH
Ferrari decided to field an LMH, a platform that allows the car to be designed, developed and
manufactured in-house. In this way, the manufacturer is solely responsible for creating the
chassis, the hybrid powertrain (electric motor, battery), and the aerodynamics. In contrast, the
LmdH class requires the team entering the championship to buy the car chassis from one of the
four FIA WEC-approved suppliers.

Ferrari 499P: technical data
The Prancing Horse’s LMH is a hypercar that, as required by the technical regulations, has a
maximum combined power to the wheels of around 700 horsepower (515 kW), within the regulatory
limits, the total of both the thermal unit (the engine is a twin-turbo V6) and the electric unit,
respectively known as the Internal Combustion Engine – ICE, and Energy Recovery System – ERS.
The Prancing Horse four-wheel-drive LMH uses carbon fibre for the chassis and bodywork. The car
comes with a battery pack rated at 800V and a seven-speed sequential gearbox. The total weight
cannot be lower than 1,030 kilograms.

Tyres

Michelin is the sole supplier for the Hypercar class. It provides identical sets of dry and wet
tyres for the individual manufacturers competing in the Hypercar class. It supplies two types of
tyres for each championship round (three for the 24 Hours of Le Mans). As of the 2023 season,
heating blankets are no longer used to keep the tyres warm. Exclusively for the 24 Hours of Le
Mans, however, the possibility of heating tyres has been restored.
Balance of Performance
BoP is a technical rule which allows cars of different architectures to race together on equal
terms by balancing out their potential performance levels through adjustments of power, weight
and aerodynamic performance. The process is entirely data driven, relying on simulations and car
data.
Virtual Energy Tank
Virtual Energy Tank, during the live broadcast of the races, shows the live status of combined
energy from both the combustion engine and the hybrid system, which is allocated per stint as
part of the BoP process.
Since the introduction of the Hypercar class to the FIA WEC in 2021, torque sensors were made
mandatory, allowing for precise live monitoring of powertrain parameters. The data from these
sensors is transmitted via telemetry to FIA WEC’s TV production where it is integrated into the TV
graphics, allowing spectators to have an insight into the live energy usage status of each of the
Hypercars and thus have an understanding of how far into a stint each of the cars is and
anticipate their next pit stop for refueling.

COMMENTS AHEAD OF 24 HOURS OF LE
MANS
Ferrari

Drivers of 499P number 51
The 24 Hours of Le Mans, round four of the FIA World Endurance Championship, will run on the La
Sarthe circuit. The race celebrates its centenary this year. This special edition will see the two
Ferrari 499Ps compete in the top class of the world’s most prestigious endurance race, half a
century after the Prancing Horse’s last official appearance. Alessandro Pier Guidi, James Calado
and Antonio Giovinazzi will start in the number 51 Hypercar.
After the first three rounds, Ferrari is second in the Manufacturers’ standings, 33 points behind
Toyota. In the Drivers’ standings, Pier Guidi-Calado-Giovinazzi lie fifth with 32 points. The race
will kick off on Saturday, 10 June at 4 p.m.

Alessandro Pier Guidi:
“The first goal at
at Lee Mans is
i to
t make
k iit to the finish line, something we should never take for
granted
ranted especially considering
consideri the number of cars on the track and that, as we have seen in

previous
revious races, everyone has encountered some reliability problems with the new Hypercars.
Hyperca The
Then
depending
nding on our performance, which we can only know about once we are on the track, we will
wi
try
ry too do our best. Obviously, personally I aim to try and win every race, and it will
wi be no
different at
at the
hee 24 Hours, the season
season’ss most important race. However, we must be re
realistic,
realisti
knowing it won’t be easy. My loveliest memory at
at Le Mans was in 2019 when, after a few years in
which
ch wee were not very competitive, we claimed the class win with
wi the 488 GTE. It came oout of a
team
eam
m effort lasting the entire previous season
season. Winning was an extraordinary moment
moment.
mom
W
What is it
like driving at
at night? A special experience. Even though when you are behind the wheel, your
onlyy focus is the track, during those hours, you notice the large crowd; you see the lights around
aroun
the track and, especially during the neutralisations,
neutralisations, you understand that
that the 24 Hours is unlike
any other race”.

James Calado:
“We arrive at
at Lee Mans expecting to do our best. We know we have a good car with a package tha
th t
suits
its the fastest sectors of the Le Mans track.
track In performance terms, I think we will
wi have the
chance
hancee to do well in a race in which, of course, we will test the reliability
reliabili of the 499P to the
utmost.
most.
ost. The prime goal is making it to the chequered flag while getting on the podium or
o
scoring
ring a victory would be even more of a dream come true. My best memorie
memories
memori at the 24 Hours off
Lee Mans are the two victories with the 488 GTE in 2019 and 2021, exceptional moments.
momen Le Ma
Mans
holds
olds a special meaning for me because the race has a glorious history. Winning it automa
autom tically
means being remembered for a long time. It is a race that
that holds a special place in my heart. The
night?
ght? Racing in those hours with the 499P will be special because of the high speed
speed. Driving
Drivin at
Lee Mans in the dark is always special, and it is pretty tricky, so it will
wi be a gre
great experience,
especially as it will be the first with this car”.

Antonio Giovinazzi:
“The season’s
on’s first three races were positive, and securing three podiums as a team was aan
encouraging
ncouraging start. Now it is time for the most important race, a 24 H
Hours of Le Mans that marks
Ferrari’s return to the ranks of manufacturers that
that can aim for overall victory. Of course,
expectations
expecta
tions
ions
ons are very high, partly because when you race for the Prancing Horse, the ultima
ulti te
goall is always to fight for victory. It won
won’tt be easy to win because we know the worth of oour

opponents, starting with Toyota, which has plenty of experience in the category.
category. It won’t be
enough
gh to be fast and have a reliable car to achieve an excellent result. We will also have
hav to
minimise mistakes, considering that
that it will be a long race and our team’s first 24 Hours race. In
2018, I was lucky enough to race at
at Le Mans in the 488 GTE in the LMGTE Pro class. I have fond
memories of that
that race, which was very exciting for me. With the 499P, this year will be even
more exciting, especially at
at night when a driver has few reference points, and the darkness
means
eans
ans you need to be extremely careful, especially when overtaking
overtaking. Le Mans is not just pure
pur
speed,
peed, as people sometimes think, considering the long straights
straights. It is also a beautiful and
an
varied track to drive, with significant braking in the last sector”.

PORSCHE PENSKE MOTORSPORT GAINS
IMPORTANT INSIGHTS
Porsche

Porsche Penske Motorsport used the so-called pre-test at
at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
for
or intensive work on the set-up of the three Porsche 963. On the 13.626-kilometre
13.626-ki
Circuit
ircuit des 24 Heures in France, the hybrid prototypes in special livery
li
complete
completed
many
any consistent
onsistent laps. The LMDh customer squad Hertz Team Jota also impresse
impressed
i
during the total six hours of driving at
at Le Mans. In the GTE Am class, the eight
Porsche
orsche 911 RSR cars from five customer teams reeled off an extensive
extensi programme
programme.
At the official test day in Le Mans, the Porsche Penske Motorsport factory team intensively
adapted to the special features of the 13.626-kilometer Circuit des 24 Heures. In the two threehour sessions, the three Porsche 963 completed a total of 142 laps (1,934.9 kilometres) in bright
sunshine and temperatures of up to 27 degrees Celsius. In addition to set-up work, tyre testing
was the focus of the only testing opportunity at La Sarthe. The #75 car was in the pits for around
two hours in the afternoon because a component of the braking system had to be replaced.
Meanwhile, Belgian Laurens Vanthoor at the wheel of the No. 6 Porsche 963 set the second fastest
lap time of the entire test day in 3:29.648 minutes. The identical over 500 kW (680 PS) strong
hybrid prototype of the customer squad Hertz Team Jota circled the legendary circuit in western
France 55 times. In the GTE Am category, the eight Porsche 911 RSRs fielded by five privateer
teams covered a total distance of 6,213 kilometres.

Urs Kuratle, Director Factory Motorsport LMDh:
"Our
Our lap times may look good, but the results from the test don't mean too much. The mo
most
m
important thing is that
that all the cars, including the customer car from Hertz Team Jota, are in one
piece.
iece. We were able to reel off plenty of laps and learned a lot about the spe
special track at Le
Mans, on which we are otherwise never able to test. We generated
generated important data.
data. I'm also very
pleased
leased with how smoothly the processes worked in our big team with three ca
cars. It
I was a

successful day for us overall."

Jonathan Diuguid, The Managing Director Porsche Penske Motorsport:
"It was very important that
that we were able to put our team structure, all the tools and all the
equipment
quipment to the test during this day. We have a third car on the grid here in addition to our two
tw
cars
rs from
om the FIA WEC. The effort is enormous. Our No. 75 was in the pits for some time
ti
to
replace
eplace
place a component but, overall, we still completed a lot of laps. It was a productive dday in
which
ch wee gained important knowledge, especially in the afternoon in higher
hi
tempe
temperatures."
There will be no driving at all at Le Mans on Monday (June 6). On Tuesday, too, the 62 cars
entered in total will remain in the garages. However, the drivers will be available to fans both
at the track and in the city centre as part of autograph sessions. The Circuit des 24 Heures, which
consists of around 70 percent public roads, will not be reopened for the first practice sessions
until Wednesday.
Thomas Laudenbach: “In Le Mans, our three Porsche 963 will be truly eye-catching at the 75th
anniversary of our brand and the 100th anniversary of the 24-hour race. I do not doubt that this
design will immediately win the hearts of fans. We embraced the vehicle designs from Porsche’s
rich and illustrious history at Le Mans,” adds the Vice President of Porsche Motorsport. “The 917
as a pink “pig” and the “hippie car” from 1970 – these liveries have made racing history and are
still popular today. With our special design on the three Porsche 963, we’re continuing this great
tradition at Le Mans.”

Dane Cameron (Porsche 963 #5):
“Itt was an important and good test day for the entire team and for our No. 5 crew. I've
I' bee
been
looking
ooking forward to this moment for months: finally driving
drivi the Porsche 9963 at Le Mans. I enjoyed
it very much. In the morning the track offered little grip, but that
that improved noticeably as the
day went on. We completed our planned programme without mayor interruptions. Now it
it'ss time
ti
ffor
or analysis.
i The basis is already very good. We're now building on that.”

André Lotterer (Porsche 963 #6):
“In the first few laps we weren't entirely happy with the balance of the car. But we subseque
subsequentlyy
made
adee noticeable progress
progress. The drivability got better and bette
better. We're
We' at Le Mans with the
Porsche 963 for the very first time. Now we've generated
generated important data
data that
that we'll analyse
intensively in the coming days. It was nice that
that our car worked without any technical issues
throughout
oughout
ughout the day. It was also important to get to know the current condition of the track.
trac I
have the impression that
that the bumps have become more extreme in some places - for example in
the Indianapolis area.”

Felipe Nasr (Porsche 963 #75):
“Unfortunately,
“Unfortunately,
ely,
ly, an issue with the braking system cost us some time. We found a solution
soluti and
ended up with good lap times. For me as a driver, it was a great
great feeling to be back at
at Le Mans
and
nd behind the wheel of the Porsche 963. It really is a unique experience to drive such a car oon
this great
great track.
rack. Wee may not have been able to complete our entire programme with our starting
starti
number 75, but we're still satisfied
satisfied with the day.”

Yifei Ye (Porsche 963 #38):
“Our
Our car is running really well on this very special track. Our main aim
ai today was to collect
important data.
data. We succeeded in doing that
that very well. The focus of our work wasn't on achieving
thee fastest
stest possible lap times
times. We're
We re learning all the time
time. Now we have to analyse the findings
findin
finding
from today and translate
translate this into further progress. For me, driving on the Le Mans track is

always associated
associated with great
great emotions
i
be
because I lived in this city for some time as a teenager.”

Ben Barker (Porsche 911 RSR #86):
“It was good that
that wee we
were able to experience
i
the changes to the track today. The curbs in the
Tertre
ertre Rouge area are new, and there's also new tarmac in some sections. Le Mans is so different
differen
from
om other tracks, so every driver always needs a few laps to get back into the rhythm.
rhythm That's
exactly what
what wee did today. So far, our car feels really good, it was a perfect te
test day.”
day.

FROM THE “TRUFFLE SNIFFER FROM
ZUFFENHAUSEN” TO THE WORLD’S
FASTEST “HIPPIE”
Porsche

Thee Porsche
orsche Penske Motorsport works team showcases a spectacular foil wrap oon its
i
three
hree
ee Porsche 963 cars to mark this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans. The designs
desi
ppay
tribute
ribute
bute to historically significant motor racing colours and acknowledge the joint
joi
celebration
celebra
tion
ion
on of the 75th anniversary of Porsche sports cars and the 100th year since
si
the tradition-steeped event was first contested in France.
The colours of sponsors such as Martini, Rothmans and Gulf as well as the iconic designs like the
“pig” and “hippie” have been recaptured – through to the red of the Porsche Salzburg team. They
all honour glorious and spectacular performances at the greatest and most historic long-distance
race in the world.
Seven distinctive stripes in yellow, red, dark blue, light blue, green, pink and orange adorn the
three Porsche 963 entered in the Hypercar class at Le Mans. These colours pay tribute to
legendary racing car liveries from Porsche’s long and illustrious history. Thanks to 19 overall
victories and 110 class wins, Porsche is the most successful manufacturer at the world’s greatest
endurance race, which celebrates its centenary this year.

Orange: the Gulf 917 as a movie star and podium visitor at Le Mans
The orange stripes on the Porsche 963 are a nod to the legendary Gulf design of the Porsche 917.
As the previous year’s winners, the British squad John Wyer Automotive Engineering switched to
the swift prototypes from Zuffenhausen in 1970, and brought the mineral oil company along as a
sponsor. Although the three vehicles fielded by the team retired early that year, everyone was
talking about the Gulf Porsche: The American Hollywood star Steve McQueen, who plays the

character Michael Delaney, drove the blue and orange racer in the film Le Mans, which is still
popular today and considered one of the finest motor racing depictions in history.
Before the spectacularly staged duel between Porsche and Ferrari hit the screens in October 1971,
the Gulf Porsche clinched a podium spot at Le Mans. Richard Attwood from the UK and Herbert
Müller from Switzerland finished second overall in the 917 KH powered by the 4.9-litre twelvecylinder engine. Almost 50 years later, the Gulf design adorned a Porsche 911 RSR in the FIA
World Endurance Championship WEC and several Porsche 911 GT3 R at the 24-hour race in SpaFrancorchamps.

Pink: the legendary “pig” unlucky in the race
In 1971, the Porsche 917/20 delighted fans, drivers and officials at Le Mans. Porsche’s designer
Anatole Lapine sketched the butchers’ cuts of pork on a basecoat of pink and labelled them
accordingly: snout, ham, pork knuckle and brain. Endearing nicknames were quick to appear. The
car driven by Willi Kauhsen and Reinhold Joest was dubbed, among other things, the “truffle
sniffer from Zuffenhausen”. Ultimately, the term “Sau” prevailed in German-speaking countries,
while in English, the vehicle got the name “Pink Pig”.
In 1971, the meaty vehicle failed to perform in sporting terms: while running in fifth place,
Kauhsen/Joest retired shortly before the end of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. At the revival of the
livery, the situation improved: the Porsche 911 RSR decked out in the “Pink Pig” design scored the
GTE class win at the Sarthe in 2018 with works drivers Kévin Estre, Michael Christensen and
Laurens Vanthoor.

Green: Porsche’s new chief designer given complete freedom with the “hippie”
In April 1969, Anatole Lapine was hired as the new chief designer at Porsche. Just one year later,
the native-born Latvian made his first artistic mark in motorsport with the long-tail Porsche 917
driven by Gérard Larrousse and Willi Kauhsen: the green and purple waves painted on the “hippie”
car with around 1,500 spray cans created a psychedelic effect.

While the paintwork caused some consternation in parts of the executive floor, racing team
owner Hans-Dieter Dechent and those responsible for his sponsor Martini & Rossi were thrilled.
The fast “hippie” also made waves in the motor racing scene: while Hans Herrmann and Richard
Attwood achieved the first overall victory for Porsche at Le Mans in 1970, Larrousse/Kauhsen
secured second place.

Light blue: The Martini-Porsche and the record run for almost an eternity
In 1970, Hans-Dieter Dechent deployed his team for the first time at Le Mans with the Italian
spirits brand Martini. Porsche locked out the podium, with the “hippie” 917 of Larrousse/Kauhsen
and the 908 driven by Lins/Marko finishing second and third behind the winning vehicle from
Porsche Salzburg. The breakthrough came the following year: Austrian Helmut Marko and
Dutchman Gijs van Lennep won in the Porsche 917 KH fielded by the Martini Racing team. The duo
set a distance record that seemed inconceivable at the time: the 5,335 kilometres they covered
were considered a record for eternity – one that was only broken 39 years later.
The livery of the white Porsche with the eye-catching light blue, red and dark blue stripes still
enjoys cult status today. For example, it also adorned the Porsche 936 of Jacky Ickx and Gijs van
Lennep, which netted overall victory at Le Mans in 1976. The third triumph followed a year later:
Jürgen Barth, Hurley Haywood and Jacky Ickx won at the wheel of a Porsche 936/77 flying Martini
colours.

Dark blue: The Porsche 956 and 962 in Rothmans design influence an era

The Rothmans design with its dark blue and white with red and gold accents is associated with a
winning streak for Porsche. The first outing of the works team in partnership with the Canadian
tobacco group caused a sensation: the three Porsche 956 that contested the 24 Hours of Le Mans
in 1982 swept the pool with first, second and third place. The closest pursuer in this group was
30 laps behind. The following year they notched up a one-two victory. In the sports car world
championship at that time, the Rothmans Porsche proved unbeatable.
In 1986 and 1987, the Porsche 962C featuring this livery crossed the finish line first in the
world’s most famous long-distance classic. About 30 years later, Porsche revived the legendary
paint job at Le Mans. In 2018, the Porsche 911 RSR sporting the Rothmans look set a new
qualifying record for GTE cars. The vehicle finished the race in second place in its class behind
its sister car in the “Pink Pig” livery.

Red: Porsche Salzburg calls the tune as the second works team
After narrowly missing out on clinching the first overall victory for Porsche with a 908 LH by
only about 120 metres at the debut of the 917 at Le Mans the previous year, the sports car
manufacturer from Zuffenhausen doubled down in the 1970 season: the name of the game was full
attack with three cars from John Wyer’s new works team, plus others registered under Porsche
Salzburg. These vehicles flew the red and white national colours of Austria. While Ferry Porsche
waved the green flag and sent the field on its way on Saturday, June 13, 1970, his sister Louise
Piëch handled the business side of the Salzburg team.
The race at that time, which discarded the classic Le Mans start for the first time, was contested
under the most difficult conditions. Torrential rain caused countless accidents, spins and slides.
In the end, only seven of the 57 vehicles entered were classified. At the head of the field:
Richard “Dick” Attwood from the UK and the extremely careful and level-headed Hans Herrmann
from Germany sharing the cockpit of the No. 23 Porsche 917 KH. The pair secured Porsche’s first Le
Mans overall victory with a commanding five-lap lead.

Yellow: Memories of Porsche and Penske’s glory days together
The centrally-positioned yellow stripe with a red border was inspired by the victorious past of

the Porsche and Penske combination. The collaboration between the US team and the sports car
manufacturer from Stuttgart bore fruit in the early 1970s: two titles in the CanAm series. Even
more impressive were the performances of the Porsche RS Spyder decked out in the yellow and
red livery of the main sponsor DHL in the American Le Mans Series (ALMS).
The LMP2 prototype swept the title pool between 2006 and 2008 and achieved 24 victories. The
unforgettable high point: overall victory at the Sebring 12 Hours in 2008. Germany’s Timo
Bernhard and his French teammates Romain Dumas and Emmanuel Collard even beat the more
powerful LMP1 vehicles. At Le Mans, the RS Spyder won the LMP2 class twice, in 2008 and 2009. In
these cases, however, without Penske.

LE MANS 24 HOURS
- PREVIEW TOYOTA GAZOO Racing

TOYOTA
OYOTA GAZOO Racing will be part of another chapter in
i Le Mans 24 Hours lege
legend
when it takes on a record Hypercar field in front of a sell-out crowd for the
centenary
entenary
ntenary edition of the world
world’ss most famous endurance race on 10-11
10- June
June.
After five consecutive victories since 2018, TOYOTA GAZOO Racing targets a double hat-trick of
wins against a 62-car field, including 16 Hypercars from other legendary marques such as
Cadillac, Ferrari, Peugeot and Porsche. Only two other manufacturers have won for six straight
years at Le Mans; Ferrari from 1960 to 1965 and Porsche from 1981 to 1987.
This year’s race is more prestigious than ever, with 300,000 fans expected for the 100th
anniversary edition of an event which began back in 1923 as a showcase for the latest automotive
technology and has pioneered road-relevant innovations ever since.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has made a superb start to the 2023 FIA Endurance Championship thanks to
three wins from the opening three races, most recently a one-two in the 6 Hours of SpaFrancorchamps. With double points on offer, the team can take a major step towards a fifth
consecutive world title at Le Mans.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López, in the #7 GR010 HYBRID, came out on top at
Spa in April. That was perfect preparation for Le Mans, where they go in search of a second
victory together, following their win in 2021 at the beginning of the Hypercar era.
Sébastien Buemi, Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa won Le Mans a year ago in the #8 GR010
HYBRID and they go into the centenary edition as World Championship leaders after fighting back

to finish second at Spa, despite starting from the back of the grid.
Sébastien is the team’s most successful driver at La Sarthe, with four victories to his name,
while Kamui’s five pole positions have contributed to the team’s record-equalling six consecutive
poles since 2017.
This year marks Toyota’s 25th participation at Le Mans since its debut in 1985, and its 12th with
Hybrid power, highlighting its dedication to enhancing hybrid technology in endurance racing,
creating ever-better cars for its customers through motorsport.
Although the GR010 HYBRID made its Le Mans debut two years ago, the car has evolved
continuously since it became the first Hypercar winner and arrives in La Sarthe following further
adjustments over the winter.
The high-performance Racing Hybrid powertrain, which consists of 520kW (707PS) 3.5litre engine
and 200kW (272PS) electric motor, underwent changes to reduce weight and enhance reliability,
exploiting the unique knowledge gained from more than a decade of experience with hybrid
powertrains at Le Mans.
The 2023-specification GR010 HYBRID, which is powered by 100% renewable bio fuel, features
aerodynamic adjustments and other detail changes to enhance drivability and aerodynamic
consistency.
Those updates have already been validated in competition during the first three WEC races of
2023, but the latest evolution of the GR010 HYBRID will turn its first laps of the Circuit de la
Sarthe on Sunday, during the traditional test day.
Official sessions begin next week with two practice sessions on Wednesday either side of first
qualifying, when the fastest eight cars from each class will progress to Thursday’s 30-minute
Hyperpole shoot-out, which takes place at 8pm CEST. Two further practice sessions complete the
track action on Thursday.
The team will spend Friday rebuilding and preparing its cars before the 91st running of the Le
Mans 24 Hours begins on Saturday 10 June at 4pm CEST. It concludes 24 hours later when another
page will be added to the illustrious history of endurance racing’s most prestigious event.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):
“Lee Mans is the highlight of our season and the race we want to win most of all. The te
team in
i
Higashi-Fuji
gashi-Fuji and Cologne, plus all our suppliers and partners, work intensely for a whole yyea
year
with
th a big focus on this race. Thank you to everyone, including
includi our colleague
colleagues at Toyota Motor
Corporation
Corpora
tion
on and Gazoo Racing Company whose support is so important to us, for their huge effort
effor
too start
rt the WEC season with three wins
wins. This puts us in a strong position but the first three
thr
races don’t count for anything at
at Le Mans. We need to start from the beginning and prepare our
car perfectly, find the best set-ups and once again show our great
great team spirit because our
competition is getting stronger all the time. Le Mans can create
create many surprises, so we will be
prepared for everything. The 100th anniversary of this great
great race, with so many fans there to
enjoy
j it,
it will
ill bbe a very special
i occasion and we cannot wait to be part of it.”

Sébastien Buemi (Driver, car #8):
“It is always exciting to compete at
at Le Mans, with its atmosphere
atmosphere and history, but this year it is
even more special. Le Mans is the ultimate
ultimate test of endurance, and it’s an honour to be a part of
this
his unique
que edition. This will be my 12th time there with
wi the team. We have been on a gre
great
journey together and experienced so many emotions, particularly at
at Le Mans where it all began
together
ogether
her back in 2012
2012. Back then
then, I couldn’t have dreamed of winning the race four tim
times
ti
and
being
g part of this story for so long
long. We will need all our experience to meet a strong challenge
challen
this
his year,
ear, but I am confident we will be ready.” Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8): “It’s going
goi to be
a reallyy special occasion and it’s a big honour to be on the grid for the 100th anniversary of Le
L
Mans, especially when you look back at
at the history of this race. Le Mans is always a huge
challenge and that’s
that’s
’s truer
er than ever this year with
wi so many Hypercars
Hypercars. Even though we starte
started the
season
son with three wins, we have seen the new teams are getting to grips with their cars and, lik
like
us,, I am sure they have put a huge effort into Le Mans
Mans. So we expect a big fight, with no m
marg
margin
for error. It’s going to be a great
great spectacle for the fans, but a lot of hard work for the teams and
drivers. I can’t wait.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):
“Lee Mans last year was incredible; to win was a dream come true.
true It was an intense
inten week
week, flatout
ut on the track and off it, and I put so much energy into doing my best, it was not easy. Now
No I
have
ave been
een in the team
team, driving alongside Sébastien and Brendon
Brendon, for another year
year, every
everything
everythin
feels more comfortable. I know what
what to expect at
at Le Mans and how to prepare myself so I will be
in even better shape this year. We have proven that
that our car is competitive, and the team has so
much
uch experience now in endurance racing. We are quite confident, but we will keep pushing
pushi and
always improving our car.”

LE MANS 24 HOURS: TEST DAY
Toyota Gazoo

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing accelerated
accelerated its preparations
preparations for the centenary edition of the
Le Mans 24 Hours with an intense official test day at
at the historic Circuit de la
Sarthe in France
The team will challenge for a sixth consecutive Le Mans win in front of an expected 300,000
crowd on 10-11 June when it faces a record 16-strong Hypercar field on the race’s 100th
anniversary. However, a surprising late rule change means the GR010 HYBRID Hypercars must
compete with 37kg of additional weight.
The World Champions made valuable progress to improve set-ups during Sunday’s two sessions,
completing a total of 1,798km during the only test day of the year at the 13.626km track.
Mike Conway, Kamui Kobayashi and José María López, in the #7 GR010 HYBRID, recorded the third
quickest lap time overall, 3mins 29.827secs. That was 0.323secs behind the pace-setting #51
Ferrari.
Last year’s winners Ryo Hirakawa and Brendon Hartley, sharing the #8 GR010 HYBRID with test
and reserve driver Kazuki Nakajima, set the ninth fastest time of the day. Sébastien Buemi will
join up with the team on Monday having missed the test due to other racing commitments.
A new, modified livery on the GR010 HYBRIDs made its track debut today. Cherry blossom flowers
and buds have been added to emphasise the team’s Japanese DNA and symbolise the advanced
technology which continues to be nurtured at Le Mans as part of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing’s
commitment to sustainability and making ever-better motorsports-bred cars.
The morning session began at 10am in warm, sunny conditions and both cars initially completed
installation laps during the first 45 minutes. The opening hour saw Kazuki, a three-time Le Mans

winner and 2018-19 World Champion, complete his first laps of the Circuit de la Sarthe since
taking the chequered flag in second place to complete the 2021 race.
As the track, which partly consists of public roads, got cleaner, the team’s programme began in
full. Both cars analysed different mechanical and aerodynamic configurations to kick off a
process of set-up development which will continue throughout next week’s practice sessions.
One safety car period and a red flag, each lasting 25 minutes, interrupted the morning’s action
which had been running smoothly for the team until the final moments. With Mike at the wheel,
the #7 car made contact with the barriers at Tertre Rouge, sustaining damage to the front and
rear.
Mike had earlier set the #7 car’s quickest time of the session, which was enough for fifth place,
while Ryo clocked the best lap of the morning in the #8 to finish in eighth.
Thanks to efficient work from the mechanics, new front and rear bodywork was fitted to the #7 in
time for José drive immediately at the start of the afternoon session, with no track time lost
thanks to a strong team effort.
Further set-up comparisons, as well as analysis of the performance and durability of the different
Michelin tyre compounds, continued through a three-hour session which was disrupted for half an
hour due to a safety car around the midway point.
Kamui set the quickest lap from a GR010 HYBRID in the #7 on his way to third in the afternoon
session. The best lap from the #8 was recorded by Brendon and earned ninth place.
After a productive test, the team has significant data to study in detail over the next two days
before two practice sessions and qualifying on Wednesday. Set-up work will conclude with two
further practice sessions on Thursday, either side of the grid-deciding Hyperpole contest. The 91st
Le Mans 24 Hours begins on Saturday 10 June at 4pm CEST.

Kamui Kobayashi (Team Principal and driver, car #7):
“It is great
great to be back at
at Le Mans. I am always impressed by this track and it’s been really fun
to drive here again. We had an incident at
at the end of first practice so the day was not as smooth
as we had hoped.
hoped Mike was fine, which is most important, and the mechanics
mechani worked really hard
to fix the damage quickly. That
That minimised the impact on our programme and allowed us to keep
working
orking on car set-up and balance. In terms of performance we are in a toug
tough situa
si tion but we
just need to keep working.”
Mike Conway (Driver, car #7):

“It’s our first day on track here this year and it has gone reasonably well, despite some
som
challenges
challenges.
allenges.
ges. We have been trying to understand the car and working through a prog
programme oof
comparisons.
omparisons.
parisons. As the sessions went on, we made progress and the balance has been getting bette
better.
There is still some lap time to find, as always at
at this stage. But it’s been productive so far and
we’ll try to keep going like that.”
that.”
José María López (Driver, car #7):
“I’m happy
ppy to be here again
again. This was just the first day and we worked to make sure everyth
everything
everythin
iss running fine
fine. Our day went okay but it’s difficult to say where anyone is
i based on the lapp
times. My first impression is that
that the competitors seem strong, especially in terms of top speed,
but wee will
ill kkeep pushing
pushing.
hi
We
W will
ill workk hard
h d in
i the
th nextt ddays to
t find
fi more performance.”
Brendon Hartley (Driver, car #8):
“We’ve still got some work to do but luckily there are a few more days before the race starts
starts.
sta
Its
I
always
ays nice to get back to Le Mans, particularly in this car which was really made for this track
tra
track.
trac
Last year we had a great
great feeling with the car and we are trying to get that
that balance back. My laps
went
ent well; there
there’ss never a dull moment here but it was just about building
buildi up to the race on
Saturday.
Sa
turday. We are working very hard and we are up for the challenge.”
Ryo Hirakawa (Driver, car #8):
“It was good to be back at
at Le Mans with
i the GR010 HYBRID
B
and it certainly feels different to last
year,
ear, when I had a lot more to learn on the test day. We managed to complete a lot of lap
laps;
everything went smoothly from that
that point of view. The lap times are not where we want to be,
and we have some work to do to understand why that
that is. But we will push before the free practice
sessions on Wednesday to make some improvements to the set-up.”
Kazuki Nakajima (Test and Reserve Driver):
“Itt was very nice to be back in the car again for the first time since March, when I joined
joi
the
post-race test at
at Sebring. To drive this car at
at Le Mans is always something special and it was a
big
g honour to jump back in to start the session for car #8
#8. It was a short stint, but it felt lik
like I
was
as back home, and I am pleased I could contribute to the test programme
programme.
programme.”
Le Mans 24 Hours Test Day - Morning Session:
1st #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) 3min 30.686secs 25 laps
2nd #94 Peugeot TotalEnergies (Duval/Menezes/Müller) +0.660secs 31 laps
3rd #38 Team JOTA (Da Costa/Stevens/Ye) +0.791secs 22 laps
4th #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) +0.950secs 30 laps
5th #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.170secs 29 laps
6th #3 Cadillac Racing (Bourdais/Van der Zander/Dixon) +1.387secs 20 laps
8th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +2.203secs 30 laps
Le Mans 24 Hours Test Day - Afternoon Session:
1st #51 Ferrari AF Corse (Pier Guidi/Calado/Giovinazzi) 3min 29.504secs 34 laps
2nd #6 Porsche Penske (Estre/Lotterer/Vanthoor) +0.144secs 35 laps
3rd #7 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +0.323secs 39 laps
4th #50 Ferrari AF Corse (Fuoco/Molina/Nielsen) +0.352secs 39 laps
5th #75 Porsche Penske (Nasr/Jaminet/Tandy/Campbell) +0.401secs 15 laps
6th #5 Porsche Penske (Cameron/Christensen/Makowiecki) +0.777secs 33 laps
9th #8 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing +1.505secs 34 laps

VERSTAPPEN EXPERIENCES NAUTICAL F1
WITH ALINGHI RED BULL RACING IN
BARCELONA
Oracle Red Bull Racing

Renowned for his
Renowne
i prowess on th
the racing
i circuit,
i
two-time World Champion Max
Verstappen
erstappen made a detour on route to the Spanish Grand Prix, with a thrilling pi
pivot
from land to sea to join
j i Alinghi
Ali hi Red
R d Bull
B ll Racing
R i in
i their
th i 37th Ame
A
America’s
i
Cup
preparations.
prepara
tions.
- Verstappen visited the heart of Alinghi Red Bull Racing's operations in Barcelona for an
exclusive tour that offered a backstage look at the Swiss challenger’s pre-race planning for the
37th America’s Cup, being held in Barcelona next year.
- The visit comes just before the Spanish Grand Prix, where Verstappen is looking to seal an
impressive seventh straight win for his team in the 2023 championship.
- Described as the nautical equivalent of Formula 1, the America's Cup boats leverage cuttingedge aerodynamics and material technology that parallels the impressive Oracle Red Bull Racing
RB19, Verstappen's race-winning vehicle.
- These advanced yachts skim the water's surface, employing hydrofoils for propulsion, which
gives the feeling of flying across the waves at lightning speeds.
- A deep dive into the intricacies of Alinghi Red Bull Racing's operations was on the agenda for
Verstappen. His itinerary included an engaging tour of the Barcelona headquarters, meetings with

the design team and crew members, and an enlightening session on the Swiss squad’s simulator,
guided by skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis.
- In addition to his digital exploration of America's Cup racing, Verstappen had the unique
opportunity to ride aboard the team's Chase Boat, reaching speeds of up to 100km/h on the
Mediterranean waves, providing an authentic taste of America’s Cup racing.

- Max Verstappen said:
"I've had a great
great day with Alinghi Red Bull Racing and skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis.
Psarofaghi They took me
around on the boat
boat up close to see what
what the team was doing, and I loved it. It was great
great to hear
thee team
team'ss insights
ghts and the technical side. It's
It s always nice for me to understand a bit more
mor about
it. Both F1 and sailing are about communication
communication and teamwork. When I'm in the car, I
communicate
communica
tee with so many people to make everything work over a race weekend
weekend, and it
it'
it'ss the
same here with a team of eight racers. It's all about communication
communication and working together to get
the
hee best result. Plus, it might rain on the weekend, and since I've
I' already been on the water, it
might help me!"
- For Alinghi Red Bull Racing skipper Arnaud Psarofaghis, this occasion was a valuable chance to
gain insights from Verstappen, an experienced champion who understands the demanding
integration of precision, preparation, and the perfect union of technology and dedication in highstakes sports.

- Arnaud Psarofaghis added:
"Itt has been amazing to have the opportunity to exchange with
wi someone that is at the top off
their
eir game like Max is
is. We have a lot to learn from his approach to high technology and racing
racin
under pressure. If you compare F1 and our boa
boat,
t, Max is alone in his car and must make quick
decisions on the race track. On our boat,
boat, we're eight people in the cockpit, and we have to
communicate
communica
te with each other and be perfectly coordinated
coordinated to perform.
- As they prepare for the 2024 America’s Cup, the Swiss team is supported by Red Bull Advanced
Technologies, which brings its F1-inspired expertise in aerodynamics, composite materials,

software, and simulations to the team.
- Alongside Verstappen, Adrian Newey, the esteemed F1 designer and Chief Technical Officer of
Oracle Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, visited the Swiss Challenger’s
Barcelona base to see the team's progress on the AC75 boat.

- Adrian Newey explained:
"It's
t's been
een a brilliant experience today
today. There is
i such a parallel be
between F1 and what is happening
at Alinghi
ghi Red Bull Racing, as all the systems are broadly similar to our world; aerodynamics
aerodynamics,
aerodyna
aerodynami
hydrodynamics
ydrodynamics
drodynamics and lightweight composites. Then you have the synergy of human and machine. So
there is plenty for us to learn from, which shows that
that the partnership between the two is
certainly
ertainly
rtainly bearing fruit
fruit. Our guys enjoy working with them, and I think Alinghi Red Bull Ra
Raci
Racing
finds our contribution useful. I've enjoyed seeing that
that come to life today and look forward to
working together further as we gear up for the 37th America's Cup."
- Alinghi Red Bull Racing and Red Bull Advanced Technologies have a keen interest in continuing
to explore the engineering synergies between F1 and sailing technologies. The combined vision
for the teams is to harness the power and speed of F1 and craft the ultimate sailing machine in a
campaign to claim the oldest trophy in international sport at the 37th edition of the America's
Cup.

SPANISH GRAND PRIX – RACING ON SAINZ
HOME TURF
Scuderia Ferrari

Three questions to…
CARLOS SAINZ, #55 DRIVER

1. For the first time since you’ve been racing in F1 you will tackle the Barcelona-Catalunya
circuit without the chicane in the final sector. Are you happy with this change? Do you think it
will help improve the show during the race?
Yes, I think it’s a good idea and it will be fun to race with this new layout in sector 3. There
was nothing really wrong with the chicane, but it’s good to try a different approach and see how
it affects lap times and the race. I’m looking forward to it.

2. Your racing career started on home soil in Spain. What can you remember about your early
races and where did they take place?
Spain has a long and lasting relationship with motorsport and there are many race tracks all
over the country. My first karting races were in my home town, Madrid. From there I started to

travel all over the country, competing in different categories. Then I did my first ever laps in a
single seater at the Jarama Circuit, also in Madrid. Maria de Villota was my instructor that day
and I will always cherish it in my memory. She was a great person and sportswoman and since
she sadly passed away, I have always carried her logo, a star, on the back of my helmet.

3. This year there will again be the Grada CS55 grandstand. How special is it to race at home and
have an entire sector of the track dedicated to your supporters? What would you like to offer
them this weekend?
I really enjoy having the Grada CS55 in Barcelona. The Spanish fans are extremely special for me
and I’m incredibly happy to have a dedicated grandstand for them. If anything, it is too small!
But I know there are many fans on other grandstands also cheering me on. It’s difficult to
explain what it feels like to race in F1 at home. I simply love it and I hope we can put on a good
show and get a good result. They can be sure I will giving my absolute best.

Profile
Carlos Sainz
Born on: 1/9/94
City: Madrid (Spain)

Spanish Grand Prix: facts & figures
12. The number of ghost stations on the Barcelona metro, the second largest in Spain with 165

stops. There are stories that go with some of these, such as Correos, Gaudí and Banco, which have
never been used after the network was changed. Some can be seen in the city, such as Correos,
closed in 1972, as it was next to the new Barceloneta station and had also been used by the
postal service as a sorting office. There’s an opening in the Plaça d’Antonio Lopez, near the Post
Office building where the stairs of the old station can be seen through a ventilation cover. The
Gaudí station, near the Sagrada Familia can be spotted from trains on lines 2 and 5. It is said to
be haunted and there are some who swear they have seen ghosts and spirits waiting on the
platforms. The Banco station at the Plaça Antoni Maura in Laietana street also has a tale to tell.
It was rumoured that a platform was used to take money straight to the Banco de España, but
apparently this was never the case.
16. The number of years when the slow chicane in sector 3 at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit was
used, prior to being done away with this year. The reasons for its introduction in 2007 were
twofold: to slow the cars down in turns 13 and 14 and to allow the cars to run closer to one
another, without the turbulence which occurred in the previous fast right handers. So for this
year, Sector 3 returns to the way it was back in 2006.
40. The percentage of new businesses run by women in Spain out of the 800,000 set up in Spain
in the past five years. This is the highest figure in Europe. In the previous five year period only
one out of five businesses was run by women. This change is attributed to a major change in
working practices in Spain in the recession that hit the country in the wake of Covid-19. The
unemployment rate for women was 54.7% so they came up with new ways of working and found
alternative professions.
346.3. The top speed in km/h at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit. It was recorded by Felipe Massa
in 2016 at the wheel of a Williams. After that, the introduction of the halo produced increased
drag thus lowering top speeds.
1615. The year in which Don Quijote of La Mancha was published in two volumes. Written by
Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra, it is regarded as a literary masterpiece and considered to be the
first modern novel. It presents an unusual mix of the picaresque with the epic-chivalry novel. Its
two main protagonists, Alonso Quijano (Don Quijote) and Sancho Panza are two of the most
famous fictional characters of all time.

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Oracle Red Bull Racing

- Thursday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team

- Thursday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

- Thursday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
- THURSDAY Scuderia Ferrari

Carlos: “Racing at
at home puts me in a good mood”
Charles: “Doing our best to improve as soon as possible”

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team

- Thursday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Scuderia AlphaTauri

- Thursday -

A VERY BUSY FRIDAY ON TRACK
Pirelli F1

Spanish Grand Prix
- Friday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Oracle Red Bull Racing

- Friday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team

- Friday -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
- FRIDAY Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

Lewis
ewis Hamilton: "I would say it was a difficult FP1 and FP2, trying
tryi to get on top of
the tyres and the degradation.
degradation. The car felt OK overall though, and we’re fighting as

hard as we can to learn as much as we can."

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
- FRIDAY Scuderia Ferrari

A full test day

BACK TO BUSINESS IN BARCELONA
BWT Alpine F1 Team

Spanish Grand Prix
- Friday -

FRIDAY AT THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team

Kevin
evin Magnussen: “Today
Today was fun. The new layout is pretty full-on, it
it’s
it’s a g
good
change."
Nico Hulkenberg: “It felt decent, especially that
that lap on new softs, it gives you a
lot of grip over one lap."

SPANISH GP: FREE PRACTICE - FRIDAY Scuderia AlphaTauri

Nyck de Vries: “It’s been a decent day for us, especially FP1. I believe we were
slightly out of position, but we hit the ground running fairly well."
Yuki Tsunoda: “Overall, today went ok."

ANOTHER POLE FOR VERSTAPPEN
Pirelli F1

Spanish Grand Prix
- Qualifying -

VERSTAPPEN CLAIMS FIRST SPANISH
GRAND PRIX POLE
Oracle Red Bull Racing

Spanish Grand Prix
- Qualifying -

MAX VERSTAPPEN:
"The weekend has been enjoyable so far."

MIXED FORTUNE IN QUALIFYING
Scuderia Ferrari

Spanish Grand Prix
- Qualifying -

Carlos Sainz #55
"I’m happy with my qualifying today. The conditions were not at
at all easy out there, but we
managed
anaged
ged to put together some good laps and I think we extracted everything from the car
car. I lleft
lef
nothing on the table this afternoon."

PIERRE QUALIFIES FOURTH, ESTEBAN
SEVENTH IN TIGHT SPANISH GRAND PRIX
QUALIFYING
BWT Alpine F1 Team

Spanish Grand Prix
- Qualifying -

Esteban Ocon:
“It’s been another positive day for us"

Pierre Gasly:
“I’m very
ery pleased to qualify in fourth place in Qualifying today, my best result with Alpine this
thi
season."

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

- Qualifying -

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team

- Qualifying -

SATURDAY AT THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX
- QUALIFYING BWT Alpine F1 Team

Kevin Magnussen: “It’s disappointing, the other car showed what’s
what’s possible and we
haven’t got it right this weekend."

Nico Hulkenberg: “Tha
“That’s
t’s our best qualifying of the season so far, clean and well
executed by the team and myself."
myself."

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake

- Qualifying -

Valtteri Bottas:
“We can take
ake one positive from today: the upgrades we brought in last week appear to be
working, I could feel the difference during practice."

Zhou Guanyu:
"I hadd a clean lap in Q2, probably the best I could, and I only missed out on Q3 for a couple of
o
tenths."

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Scuderia AlphaTauri

- Qualifying -

Nyck de Vries:
“It’s
t’s been a positive weekend, but I am disappointed with the outcome of qualifying
qualifying."
qualifying.

Yuki Tsunoda:
“The team did a good job and my lap was good, but I made a mistake just going outside of the
th
track and my time was deleted."

VERSTAPPEN'S GRAND SLAM IN
BARCELONA
Pirelli F1

Spanish Grand Prix
- Race -

MARIO ISOLA - MOTORSPORT DIRECTOR:
“On a track that
that is particularly demanding for the tyres, we witnessed a race in which
whi all three
available
able dry compounds came into play, each one used extensively. The C1 covered 41.6% of the
th
laps
ps completed,
completed then came the C2 (30
(30.6%)
6%) and the C3 (27
(27.9%).
9%) The decision to iintroduce the ne
new
for 2023 C1 specification
specification compound meant that
that a two-stop strategy
strategy was on the cards and was
used
ed by most of the teams. Compared with our pre-race predictions
predicti
we saw that the Medium was
more competitive, partly down to the track temperature
temperature being significantly lower than during
last year’s race. Initial analysis suggests
suggests that
that degradation
degradation on all the compounds was lower, even
with thee softest C3.
C3 Notable examples of this were the first stints for the two Mercedes drive
drivers
driver
with
th Russell doing 25 laps and Hamilton 24
24, or Alonso’s middle stint (25 laps
laps) running
runni a hea
heavyy
fuel load and yet running at
at a pretty competitive pace.
It’s
t’s been a very busy weekend for Pirelli. Apart from F1 here in Barcelona, we were also working
worki
at all
ll three car racing series in which we are the sole tyre supplier – in Sardinia with
wi the W
WRC
and in France at
at Paul R
Ricard
i d with
ith th
the GT W
World
ld Ch
Challenge
ll
EEurope. Addi
Additionally, there was our twowheeled commitment and in Misano (Italy) we celebrated
celebrated Pirelli’s 20th anniversary as sole tyre
supplier
lier in the SBK Championship
Championship. Pirelli is staying in Barcelona with two days of very important
i
testing this coming week aimed at next season. The programme is focused on the development off
compounds that
that can be used without the usual pre-heating
pre-heating procedures.”

THE RACE FROM A TYRE POINT OF VIEW
Max Verstappen continues on his winning way, victory in the Spanish Grand Prix being the
Dutchman’s fifth from the seven races so far the season. It’s his 40th career win.
Proof of the reigning world champion’s dominance can be seen from the fact he secured the third
Grand Slam of his career – the win, pole position, fastest race lap and leading for all laps. He did
this previously in Spielberg in 2021 and Imola last year.
The Mercedes drivers filled the other podium places. Lewis Hamilton who, along with Michael
Schumacher has won six times in Barcelona, was second, followed by George Russell.
Of all the cars that started from the grid, only Red Bull opted for anything other than the Soft
tyre. Verstappen and Perez started on the P Zero Yellow medium. Logan Sargeant (Williams) and
Charles Leclerc (Ferrari) started from pit lane, the former on Medium, the latter on P Zero White

hard.
It was hard to predict strategies for the Spanish Grand Prix, partly due to the low level of
degradation on the compounds, as well as the chance of rain arriving, although that was ruled
out after a few laps. The first four all took the chequered flag on Softs. The Red Bull pair went
from Medium to Hard (Verstappen after 26 laps, Perez 23) while Mercedes opted for the Medium in
the middle stint. Aston Martin went for Softs for the first two stints, doing the last on the
hardest compound. Others to finish on the Hard tyre were the Ferrari, Alpine and Alfa Romeo
drivers and Logan Sargeant (Williams).
The Haas drivers were the only ones to pit three times. They started on Softs, switching to
Mediums for the second stint, Hards for the third, finishing the race on Mediums again. Lando
Norris also pitted three times, but the first time it was to change the front wing at the end of
the opening lap.
Fastest on the Hards was Alonso. Aston Martin’s Spaniard clocked a time of 1m18.083s on lap 49.
Kevin Magnussen was quickest on Mediums in 1m18.069s, while Max Verstappen set the fastest
race lap on Softs in 1m16.330s.
In his second stint, Valtteri Bottas (Alfa Romeo) did more laps (34) than any other driver on the
hardest compound. Yuki Tsunoda (AlphaTauri) did 32 on the Medium tyre in his last stint. Leclerc,
Alonso and Russell did 25 laps on the Soft.
Track temperature dropped during the race. When the red lights went out, the track sensords
recorded 30.9°C while at the end it was 26.7°C (the highest on the grid was 31.3°C).

NEXT UP FOR OUR F1 TYRES
Pirelli is staying on at the Barcelona-Catalunya circuit, for two days of testing for next season’s
tyres with Ferrari and Mercedes running on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will be trying various
compounds to be used without being preheated. The next round of the Formula 1 World
Championship is the Canadian Grand Prix at Montreal’s Circuit Gilles Villeneuve, from 16 to 18
June.

DOMINANT VERSTAPPEN STORMS TO
SPANISH GRAND PRIX GLORY
Oracle Red Bull Racing

Spanish Grand Prix
- Race -

Oracle Red Bull Racing’s Max Verstappen drove to a dominant grid-to-flag victory in the Spanish
Grand Prix at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya by 24.090s over Mercedes duo Lewis Hamilton
and George Russell, as team-mate Sergio Pérez just missed the podium after driving through the
field.
Defending world champion Verstappen came into the Spanish Grand Prix on the back of a brilliant
win the previous weekend in Monaco and maintained his form in Barcelona.
After qualifying on pole for the first time in Spain, the Dutch driver was never headed as his
dominated his rivals to cruise to his fifth win from the seven races so far this season and
maintained the team’s unbeaten season to date.
Team-mate Sergio Pérez meanwhile just missed the podium after driving through the field from
11th place on the grid.
The Mexican failed to make Q3 on Saturday after running off-track at Turn 5 during Q2, but
fought through the field impressively. He just came up short in his chase of Russell to make the
podium however and finished in fourth place.
Verstappen now leads Pérez in the Drivers’ Championship standings by 53 points, 170 to 117,
ahead of the Canadian Grand Prix on June 18.

MAX VERSTAPPEN – 1st
"Too win here again feels incredible
incredible. It's
It s a massive pleasure to drive a car like this
this.
thi It was
wa
important
portant to try and keep the lead into turn one, it was quite tight. From there onwards it
i wa
was
about managing the tyres and I was able to create
create a big gap. We went on to the hards, but I
didn t seem
didn't
eem to have much grip, I was sliding around quite a lot. The pace was okay, but I couldn'
couldn't
couldn t
createe more of a gap, so we switched to softs and then I just needed to bring it home. We've
create
We ve had
h
another strong weekend and that's
that's what
what I like to see for the team. Hopefully we can keep this up
throughout the year."

SERGIO PÉREZ – 4th
"I am disappointed with today, we've ultimately
ultimately
paid the price for a bad qualifying. We did have
a good strategy
strategy but, looking at
at where we started
from, there was only so much that
that we could do. I
think P3 was possible but, if we wanted more
points, then I would have had to take more risks

on lap one and potentially compromise my race.
George went really deep on that
that first lap,
gaining a lot of positions, but we took it easier
to ensure we had more of a clean start. Then we
got stuck behind the Aston Martin and Alonso
was quite hard to pass, so it meant I couldn’t
progress through the field as quickly as we
would have liked. This weekend, in general, has
been a step back and we weren’t quite there, but
there are plenty of things we can do better. All
in all,, we brought home 12 points today and I think, looking forward, Canada sshould be a strong
stron
race for us. Everything is pretty close right now, so that
that will be an interesting one.”

CHRISTIAN HORNER – CEO and Team Principal
“Another great
great performance
rformance from Max. The start was strong, he had to be firm but fair with
wi Carlos
Sainz
inz into the first turn and from there he managed the race really well. We ran all three
compounds today and he had the pace to cover whatever
whatever was going on behind him, finishing with
a 24-second gap by the end of the race. Max was totally in control. But it’s not just Max,
Max the
whole Team is operating
operating at
at an elite level. We have a phenomenal car, we have two great
great drivers
and we are continuing to evolve and become more polished.
It wass a good recovery from Checo, especially the second part of the race and I think th
that will
give
ive him a lot more confidence. He had a difficult Monaco, a difficult qualifying,
qualifyi
but a better
bette
Sunday. Looking at
at the gap between the two drivers, the pressure is off now and we know what
what
Checo is capable of.
of. I'm sure he will refind that
that form from the early races in the near future.”

DOUBLE PODIUM FOR TEAM ON STRONG
AFTERNOON IN BARCELONA
Mercedes-AMG PETRONAS F1 Team

Spanish Grand Prix
- Race -

• Lewis Hamilton finished second and George Russell third in the 2023 Spanish Grand Prix.
• Starting P4 and P12 respectively on the Soft tyre, both drivers made progress in the early
stages. George vaulting to P7 on the opening circuit, with Lewis moving up to P3 within the first
10 laps.
• After running a longer first stint, Lewis and George both switched to the Medium compound and
used their strong race pace to move up to P2 and P3 just after the halfway point of the Grand
Prix.
• A final stop for another Soft tyre saw Lewis running in a comfortable second, with George
managing the gap to Sergio Perez as he occupied P3. Both drivers saw out the final laps to claim
the Team’s first double podium finish since Brazil last year.
• With a significant points haul, the Team has now moved into second place in the Constructors’
Championship.

Lewis Hamilton:
"I am soo happy after today.
today I didn’t
didn t expect us to come here this weekend and finish second
second. I was
wa
w
able
ble
le to keep everything under control today. We couldn’t keep up with
wi the Red B
Bull of Max
(Verstappen)
Verstappen) as they are in another league
league, but this is still a really positive result
result. For George
Geor to
come through from P12 to PP3 iis also
l spectacular.
t l I ffeell iincredibly grateful to the whole Team,
everyone back at
at the factory to Team LH all over the world who are always sticking by me.
We are learning more and more about the car. I am hoping that
that the car continues to be like it
was this
i weekend.
e
I am hoping from here onwards we are in a good place.
For
or sure, there will be some circuits where the car isn
isn’tt quite in the right window
wi
but hope
hopefully
the next few races should suit us."

George Russell:
"Itt was a pretty good race today! This morning, I had a lot of confidence
confi
that I could move
forward from P12 and thought that
that P5 or P6 was achievable. After a good start, our pace was just
there from the very beginning. We knew after Friday that
that we had good race pace, but you can
never be 100 per cent sure if it will translate
translate to the Grand Prix. I was really pleased it did, I was

able to make some good overtakes and bring it home on the podium.
This result highlights all the hard work and efforts that
that have gone on at
at the factory to bring
these
ese upgrades
upgrades.
pgrades. We had a strong race here last year, so the next couple of races will be key
k to
see if we can consistently produce results like this and close the gap to Red B
Bull."
Bull.

Toto Wolff, Team Principal & CEO:
"I’m really pleased with the hard work that
that has been done in Brackley and Brixworth, and happy
for
or everyone in the Team. It’s a good result but we need to be realistic
realisti too. The lowe
lower
temperatures today and on Saturday
temperatures
Saturday really suited us; it was nice and fresh, not too hot nor too
cold, and the car was in a mega window.
Wee took
ook a decision to go in another direction early in the season; it was a risky move,
mov but
everyone
yone has just pushed forward and we
we’ve
ve got a good race car. We now need to just keep
k
chipping away. We are a good Team at
at grinding away; once there is a clear direction we just go
for it. Let’s keep our expectations
expectations real though. We’ve got a long way to go to catch
catch Red Bull but
it’s good to see we are moving in the right direction."

Andrew Shovlin, Trackside Engineering Director:
"It’s great
great too see bothh cars on the podium again. It
It’ss been a while! We
We’re
re obviously please
pleased with
wi
the result but it’s more satisfying
satisfying to see the progress with the car.
The Team have been working flat
flat out since the Bahrain test to bring improvements to the car,
and it’s nice to see that
that the recent updates
updates appear to have brought performance.
The drivers did a great
great job balancing the need to push to overtake today with the tyre
management
anagement
agement requirements. The Team also did really well optimising the race. For sure this tra
track
trac
suitss the car, especially on the long run, so we’re
we re realistic about our chances in Montreal
Montreal. We
W
seem to be moving in the right direction though and that’s
that’s the main thing.
We’ve
e vee made good progress in the championship; Max is clearly out of arms reach for us at the
moment, but we had fun today and we’re looking forward to the next races."

CARLOS FIFTH IN HIS HOME RACE
Scuderia Ferrari

Spanish Grand Prix
- Race Scuderia Ferrari leaves Spain with ten points courtesy of Carlos Sainz’s fifth place. Charles
Leclerc finished just outside the points in 11th place, having started from pit lane, as the team
decided to change several components following the difficulties he experienced yesterday in
qualifying. Carlos and Charles both felt an improvement from the car thanks to the updates
introduced here, but the inconsistency of the car meant Sainz was unable to fight for a podium
finish and Charles missed out on points.

The race
Carlos started on Soft tyres and held second place off the line, while Charles found that his Hard
tyres did not deliver the performance he had expected. For his first stop, Sainz took on Medium
tyres and then worked on defending his third place, once he had been passed by a faster Lewis
Hamilton for second. Unfortunately, Carlos was also unable to fend off George Russell and
dropped to fourth. At his second stop, he took on Hard tyres, eventually crossing the finish line
behind Sergio Perez in the Red Bull. In his first stint, Charles was struggling a lot on the Hards,
swapping over to new Softs on lap 15 after which his pace was good enough to take him to just

outside the points places. He made his second stop on lap 42, taking on Hards once again, this
set working better than his first one and he continued to try and get into the top ten. However,
for a long time, the Monegasque found himself in a train of cars that were able to use DRS and it
was only in the final two laps that he could mount an attack on Pierre Gasly to get into the top
ten, but he was unable to do so.

Canada in a fortnight
The World Championship resumes in two weeks’ time when the Canadian Grand Prix takes place in
Montreal from 16 to 18 June.

Carlos Sainz #55
"It was a tough race. Unfortunately,
Unfortunately, we couldn’t fight at
at the front as our pace is pretty much
dictated
dicta
ted by tyre management and degradation.
degradation. I know Sundays have been frustrating
frustrating so far this
season,
n, but we gave it our all on track this weekend and we will keep working on this
thi ne
new
package and on developing our car.
Thank
ank you to everyone out there in the grandstands cheering for us every day! It’s
It s alway
always
alw
a
pleasure to race at
at home."

Charles Leclerc #16
"Today
oday in terms of balance the car was alright,
alri
but the performance was not at all consistent. We
ran the Hards twice, but with the first set I struggled
struggled a lot, while with the second one it was
reasonably good and I was catching
catching Pierre (Gasly) towards the end.

We really must analyse all the data,
data, because while the upgrades seem to work as expected, we
are always slightly caught out by what
what is happening with the tyres and we struggle
struggle to get them
in the right window which is a big problem. We ran the same tyre twice in
i the same race and we
went
ent from having
g a very bad car to quite a good one towards the end of the race. Now we will go
back to the factory and find out what
what went wrong yesterday in qualifying because that’s
that’s what
what put
us in a tricky situation
situation today. There’s a lot of work to do."

Frédéric Vasseur, Team Principal
"Wee made a step forward this weekend in terms of our qualifying pace, wit
with Carlos on the
th front
row after the best Saturday
Saturday of his season so far. However it is clear that,
that, in terms of race pace,
Red Bull and Mercedes are quicker than us.
Ass for the upgrades, I think we have made a step forward overall if you compare this weekend
week
with
th Miami. Clearly,
early, we know it is still not enough. Our problem is not our outright
outri
performance
performance,
it is our lack
ck of consistency. Charles’
Charles first set of Hards was a sort of a nightmare but then on
o his
hi
last set of thee same compound he was happy with the balance: we must assess this inconsiste
inconsistency.
inconsistency
Now
ow we will focus completely on this issue before Canada. For sure we will continue
conti
to deve
develop
the car but this is a matter
matter of improving by tenths of a second, whereas in the race we are
looking for seconds at
at the moment. There is something in the car that
that we must unlock if we want
to move forward."

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Aston Martin Aramco Cognizant F1 Team

- Race -

DOUBLE POINTS FOR BWT ALPINE F1 TEAM
AS ESTEBAN ENDS EIGHTH AND PIERRE
TENTH
BWT Alpine F1 Team

Spanish Grand Prix
- Race The race was largely uneventful with both drivers on a two-stop strategy using all three tyre
compounds. Esteban was in a race long battle for a place in the top six – eventually ending in
eighth – with Pierre on the cusp of the top ten after a tricky start to the 66-lap Grand Prix in
which he lost four positions on the opening lap.
In the end, Esteban battled hard to take eighth and four valuable points with Pierre claiming
tenth at the chequered flag for a solitary point. The team remains fifth in the Constructors’
Championship on 40 points.
Esteban started on New Softs (L13 pit-stop for New Mediums, L35 pit-stop for New Hards); Fastest
Lap: 1:18.946
Pierre started on New Softs (L19 pit-stop for New Mediums, L39 for New Hards); Fastest Lap:
1:18.375

Esteban Ocon, started P6, finished P8:
“We leave Barcelona with double points again so I think we can be satisfied
satisfied with our work this
weekend.
eekend. We finished eighth in the end and I don
don’tt think
thi there was much more we could have
done today,
ay, with our race pace perhaps lacking a bit compared to our competitors who finis
finished in

front. We’ll definitely take a look to see how we can improve that
that but, overall, it was a strong
Saturday
Saturday
day
ay and a decent Sunday for us. We can be proud of the last couple of weeks but we kno
know
there is work to do to keep heading in the right direction.”

Pierre Gasly, started P10, finished P10:
Another
other double points finish but we always striving for more. On my side
side, it’s
it’ frustrating after
such a strong
g qualifying yesterday and also the fact we showed good race pace today capable of
of
fighting in the top six. Unfortunately,
Unfortunately, the penalties and the poor start had a big impact on my
race, and we’ll collectively review to see what
what we can improve for next time. The car is
performing well – that’s
that’s three
ee points
i t scoring
i finishes in a row – and we must keep striving for
more.
ore. II’m
m looking forward to a bit of time off before taking on Canada in two wee
weeks.
weeks.”

Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal:
“Wee come away from the Spanish Grand Prix with five points after Esteban finis
finished eighth
ei
and
Pierre tenth. It was a tough race with varying strategies
strategies and gameplans. For Esteban he did a
good
ood job to be in the mix for the top six, just missing out in the end and there are certainly
certainl a
couple
ouple
ple of aspects from his race to be improved for next time.
time Pierre already lost six places
pl
due
too the grid penalty after a superb qualifying yesterday where he was fourth and then lost another
anothe
four positions on lap one after being caught on the wrong side of a scrum of cars in the opening
openin
turns. He did a great
great job to recover
ecover those places in the end to score a point
poi
point. Of course
course, we are
aiming
iming for more than minor points – like last week in Monaco – but the performance of the car is
i
solid and we’re
we re taking the fight to those ahead. There are some things we must improve – small
sma

details to get right – and we look forward to racing in Canada later
later this month ready to keep
battling
ba
ttling for those higher positions.”

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Alfa Romeo F1 Team Stake

- Race Alfa Romeo F1 Team KICK brought home two precious points from the Spanish Grand Prix as Zhou
Guanyu delivered a flawless race in Barcelona. The Chinese driver made a leap forward at the
start, settling into the top ten during his first stint: a good strategy saw the team react to the
unfolding situation on track and, by the end of the afternoon, this resulted in Zhou crossing the
line in tenth place – and immediately promoted to ninth, following a penalty to Yuki Tsunoda.
Valtteri Bottas’s race was compromised at the start, as damage to the floor of his C43 from some
debris had a severe impact on his car’s performance. In a race with no yellow flags, on-track
incidents or retirements, Valtteri, starting in 16th, had no chance to recover to the points. The
Finn ran line astern with Zhou for a few laps in the middle of the race, eventually playing the
team game and providing a good rear guard action to his team-mate before finishing in 19th.
The two points gained see the team reach a tally of eight, equalling Haas and moving closer to
the rivals ahead.

Alessandro Alunni Bravi, Team Representative:

"Today, we showed that
that we’re
e re ready to fight for every single lap
lap, every single
si
tenth of a se
second
on track. We have shown that,
that, working together with determination
determination and as a team, we can deliver
the result we all, and our drivers, deserve. The field is very close, we saw that
that today: every
thousandth of a second matters
matters so we need to be aggressive,
aggressive, have a results-driven mentality. We
had
ad a hard fight on track with the Haas, the Alpines, the AlphaTauris and to come out oof this
thi
with
th points is a very positive result. Zhou drove very well, pushing every lap and working with
wi
thee team on how to improve his performance
performance. He is making good progress: especially after a
tough
ough weekend in Monaco, he showed the ability to bounce back with confidence and the po
points
poin
he scored are a good reward. Valtteri suffered a difficult Saturday,
Saturday, and today he suffered damage
to his car that
that dashed
hed any hope of a comeback. He will get back stronger in
i Montreal. We had a
strong race as a team, with the right strategy
strategy calls from the pit-wall and good execution. The
team worked really hard and we’re grateful
grateful for their effort: the last few weeks haven’t been easy
but we knew we would get back. We keep fighting, together with our partners Fe
Ferrari,
Ferrari that have
helped
elped
ped us to today’s
today s result
result. We had reasonable pace throughout the weekend and we conf
confirmed
confirm
that the good things we showed in practice were not a fluke. We saw that
that
that our race pace is better
than
an our qualifying pace, which is something we will address as a priority as we aim for another
anothe
step forward ahead of Montreal. There
There’ss no time to sit down now, there
there’ss work to be done
don eve
every
day both trackside
id andd in
i Hinwil,
Hi il andd we have
h
full
f ll confidence
fid
in
i our ability
bilit to
t delive
ddeliver."
li

Valtteri Bottas (car number 77):
“First of all, congratula
congratulations
tions
ions
ons to Zhou and the team for getting points; he showed good pace
pace, and
that’s
that’s
’s encouraging for the next races, as proof of the hard work put in by the team back home in
Hinwil and here at
at the
hee track
track. From my side
side,
si
we found damage to the floor
floor, probably from some
debris picked up at
at the start of the race, and that
that cost us quite a big chunk of performance: as a
result,
esult,, I just lacked pace altogether today, I wasn’t
wasn t able to put up a fight with anybody aand iit
was
as quite a long race for me. I know we can put this race behind us and quickly
qui
come back oon
the
hee right track before heading to Montreal in two weeks. The circuit will be once ag
again
agai
completely
ompletely different, and hopefully it
it’ll
ll suit our car
car. We had a decent race in Montreal last ye
yea
year,
year
scoring
ing a very
ery good result for the team
team: hopefully
hopefully, we’ll
we be able to repli
replicate that,
that, and keep this
streak running.”

Zhou Guanyu (car number 24):
"I really
eally
ally enjoyed today, it was a well-executed race from my side: I think these have been some
som
of the best two days for me in Formula One, in terms of performance. I had a good first lap, and
an
that was
that
as crucial
cial to give us the opportunity to get something out of this race: our pace wa
was
w
strong,
rong, although there were times in which we had to manage our tyres wisely. I knew
k
I had to
keep
eep
ep the pressure on the others to bring home a result and, when the opportunity was there, I
tried
ried
ed to force them to make a mistake. At the end, I knew I had the pace to take Yuki [Tsunoda]: I
had
ad DRS,
RS, I was half a car ahead going into the corner, but I wasn’t given any space and didn’t
didn’
have
ave anyy other choice than to take the escape route to avoid contact. In the end, things work
worked
out well
ell and we were able to bring
ing home two points
points, which was a good result
result.””

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
Scuderia AlphaTauri

- Race -

Yuki Tsunoda (AT04-04, Car 22) / Race: Pos. 12th:

“I am super disappointed and frustrated.
frustrated. I think the penalty I was given for forcing another
driver off the track was very harsh but it’s
it s something I have to accept
accept. There was little
littl space bu
but
still I thought
ught it was enough
enough. On a positive side, the team did a fantastic job to improve the
th
brake issues
ssues we’ve
we ve been having, and to put me in the fight for points the last two race week
weekends
weekends.
weekend
It shows that
that the car is improving and the hard work is paying off.
off. The weekend is done now, and
I am looking ahead to the next race in Canada.”

Nyck de Vries (AT04-03, Car 21) / Race: Pos. 14th:
“Obviously,
y, as a team, we wanted more
more. Although I had a good start, I was in the w
wrong pl
place at
thee wrong
g time and got stuck on the inside, so we lost too many places and then go
got stuc
stuck
behind other cars. We tried to undercut, but I was struggling
struggling to get past which cost me a lot of
time.
time
e. Certain moments of the race were good and the last 25 laps on the medium compound were
wer
very
ery competitive, so I think we just need to try and put it together better. This
Thi weekend has
beenn competitive from the start, so I definitely think we are making progress w
wi
with the car.
ca
Canada
anada
nada will be a different type of track, but II’m
m confident we can build on our improvements
i
and
capitalise on every opportunity.”

Guillaume Dezoteux (Head Of Vehicle Performance):
“Until the very last moments on the grid, we monitored the weather
weather closely as it was raining a
few kilometres
etres away.
away Surprisingly, it never arrived and we ended with a two-stop race, close
cl
to
our predictions. Yuki drove fantastically. He was able to stay with Ocon for most of the race
rrace,
which is encouraging regarding our race pace. Unfortunately,
Unfortunately, while defending Zhou in Turn 1, he

didn’t leave enough space at
at the apex and received a five-second penalty for this, ending up P12.
Nyck
yck had
ad a strong start, although he lost a couple of positions in the opening laps and ended
en
upp
in a train of cars for most of the first and second stints. Nyck
Nyck’ss third stint on the medium
medi
tyre
looked strong and he was able to close on Piastri towards the end of the race finishing P14
P14.
P This
Thi
weekend
eekend feels a bit like a missed opportunity, as we believe we had a package strong enough for
fo
points
oints and being closer to the midfield in qualifying
qualifying. Nevertheless, we have llearned a lot
l about
our car in a wide range of conditions, and this will give us valuable data
data for the developments
coming in the future.”

SPANISH GRAND PRIX
McLaren F1 Team

- Race -

SUNDAY AT THE SPANISH GRAND PRIX
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team

Spanish Grand Prix
- Race MoneyGram Haas F1 Team drivers Nico Hulkenberg and Kevin Magnussen finished 15th and 18th
respectively at the Spanish Grand Prix, Round 8 of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship,
held Sunday at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya, Spain.
Both drivers took the start of the race on Pirelli P Zero Red soft tires, Hulkenberg from P7 place
after progressing through to Q3 and benefitting from Pierre Gasly’s grid penalty, with Magnussen
from P17. Hulkenberg lost one position on the opening lap, and was unable to repel further rivals
with DRS from overtaking, while Magnussen gained four spots to hold P13.
Hulkenberg came in on lap eight, changing onto Yellow mediums, with Magnussen following suit
two laps later. In a race of high tire degradation both drivers went on to execute a three-stop
strategy, with the pair taking on White hards for the following stint, Magnussen pitting on lap
24 and Hulkenberg on lap 27. They subsequently switched to mediums for the final stretch,
Magnussen boxing on lap 43 and Hulkenberg on lap 44.
In a race in which all 20 starters were classified, Hulkenberg and Magnussen brought the VF-23s
home in P15 and P18 respectively to lodge another double finish. Up front, Red Bull Racing’s Max
Verstappen dominated for his fifth victory of the season, ahead of Mercedes AMG drivers Lewis
Hamilton and George Russell.
MoneyGram Haas F1 Team maintains seventh place in the Constructors’ Championship on eight
points.

Kevin Magnussen:
“It wass a tough day in terms of tire management
management. At the beginning of every stint, it was quite
qui
competitive
ompetitive
mpetitive compared to everyone we were fighting, but our tires just fell off quickly
qui
and we
had
add to three-stop which wasn
wasn’tt optimal.
opti
Hopefully we can try and le
learn about what caused it to
improve,
prove, but certainly it was a tough race. When you have a bad weekend like this, you tend
ten to
find some interesting answers and that’s
that’s what
what I’m hoping for now – onto the next one.”

Nico Hulkenberg:
“It was tough. Unfortunately,
Unfortunately, the degradation
degradation was really high for us and we had to three-stop
whereas the competition didn’t. It looks at
at first glance that
that over one lap we’re competitive but
iin th
thee long
l
runs we still
ti have some homework to do and some pace to find.”

Guenther Steiner, Team Principal:
“Quite
Quite a disappointing result today, we just couldn’t get the tires to stay alive. We did one more
mor
pit
it stop than everyone else, but even if we hadn
hadn’tt stopped, we would
would’ve
ve gone slower and ended
en
upp there anyway. We need to go back to the drawing board and try to find a solution to our tire
tir
degradation.”
degrada
tion.”

Next Up:
Round 9 of the 2023 FIA Formula 1 World Championship is the Canadian Grand Prix at the Circuit

Gilles-Villeneuve – Montreal, Canada.
Practice – Friday June 16. Qualifying – Saturday June 17. Race – Sunday June 18.