Le Mans: Will Buemi clinch fifth victory? 🎥
RACE OF THE YEAR The 24 Hours of Le Mans is one of the most famous car races in the world. For the 100th anniversary, a total of nine Swiss drivers and one female pilot have entered.
Sébastien Buemi is aiming for his fifth victory in the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans next weekend, June 10 and 11. If he succeeds, the driver from western Switzerland would draw level with motorsport greats such as Derek Bell, Frank Biela and Emanuele Pirro. It won't be easy for the driver of the Toyota with the #8. Although the Cologne-based Japanese are still considered the favorite in 2023, Toyota is no longer alone in the field.
16 prototypes are at the start
In the top Hypercar class, 16 prototypes battle it out for victory. They include manufacturers such as Ferrari, Peugeot (with Nico Müller, #94), Porsche and Cadillac. The qualifying showed how close it can get. There, the two Ferraris are in front. Buemi in the Toyota is on grid position 4 next to the sister car with the #7. Nico Müller in the Peugeot 9X8 starts from 11th on the grid.
Four Swiss in the LMP2 class
The 91st edition of the 24-hour thriller at the Sarthe promises excitement not only in the top class. In the second division among the LMP2s, 24 cars are on the grid. Among them are four Swiss drivers: Louis Delétraz (at WRT), Fabio Scherer (Inter Europol), Neel Jani (Duqueine Team) and Alexandre Coigny (in the Swiss Cool Racing team). And one Liechtensteiner: Matthias Kaiser (Vector).
Based on the results of the past few years, Delétraz has the best chance of a promising result. In 2021, the Geneva native already had victory in sight when he stopped on the last lap. In 2022, he finished second in LMP2. Matthias Beche will no longer be driving under Swiss license in 2023.
Photo: Iron Dames
Rahel Frey with Porsche 911 RSR Â
Following the departure of the LMGTE Pro class, the expensive GTE cars are now only represented by amateurs at Le Mans. And this is the last time, because from 2024 they will be replaced by the globally popular GT3 cars. The field of 21 cars includes Thomas Flohr (Ferrari 488) and Rahel Frey (Porsche 911 RSR), a Swiss man and a Swiss woman with good chances of a top-3 result. From the team's point of view, the two Ferraris from Kessel Racing will have their fingers crossed in the GTE.
Photo: ACO
As usual, the race starts at 3 p.m. local time. RTL Nitro will broadcast the entire race live. Eurosport will also report from Le Mans. However, the coverage will be split between the various Eurosport channels, as the French Open finals are scheduled at the same time.
Source: Auto Sport Switzerland
motorsport.ch
24h-lemans.com
