24h Le Mans
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid triumphed today at the 6 Hours of Monza, fifth round of the 2023 FIA WEC. Three different marques claimed the three steps on the podium with Ferrari AF Corse finishing second ahead of Peugeot TotalEnergies.
Mike Conway, José María López and Kamui Kobayashi driving TOYOTA GAZOO Racing's #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid won the 6 Hours of Monza watched on by 65,000 fans this weekend. It was the Hypercar's second win of the season, allowing Toyota to increase its lead in the overall championship to 26 points on Ferrari.
The #50 Ferrari 499P shared by Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen and Miguel Molina finished second ahead of the Peugeot TotalEnergies team's Peugeot 9X8 driven by Jean-Eric Vergne, Paul di Resta and Mikkel Jensen. The French constructor scored its first podium in the FIA WEC since its debut in the Hypercar class at the same circuit one year ago.
The #8 Toyota of Hartley/Buemi/Hirakawa ended the race in fourth place and Porsche Penske Motorsport's #5 Porsche 963 rounded out the top 5.
Proton Competition's #99 Porsche 963 was forced to retire after stopping on the track in the fifth hour. The German team led the race twice, albeit briefly, but will leave Italy with valuable laps under its belt heading into the final two rounds of the season.
In the wake of a particularly competitive race in the LMP2 class, JOTA's #28 ORECA 07-Gibson emerged victorious. David Heinemeier Hasson, Pietro Fittipaldi and Oliver Rasmussen clinched their first win of the season thanks to impeccable strategy. Fittipaldi, who had secured pole position, dueled with Dutch driver Robin Frijns in WRT's #31 ORECA 07-Gibson until the car experienced a mechanical problem.
The LMP2 podium was completed by Alpine Elf Team's #36 ORECA and WRT's #41 ORECA.
Dempsey-Proton Racing's #77 Porsche 911 RSR-19 reached the top step on the LMGTE Am podium. Christian Ried, Mikkel Pedersen and Julien Andlauer passed under the chequered flag ahead of Iron Lynx's #60 Porsche and GR Racing's #86.
Thanks to its fourth spot, Corvette Racing's #33 Corvette C8.R has earned the FIA Endurance LGMTE Am Teams trophy and Drivers crown. Ben Keating, Nicolas Varrone and Nicky Catsburg had already given the team a superb season with four victories and two second place finishes.
The next race on the FIA WEC calendar is the 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan on 8-10 September.
In the meantime, check out this photo gallery of 2023 6 Hours of Monza highlights below.
