Late last night, the #50 Ferrari was disqualified from Le Mans, as the rear wing deflected too much under testing, the technical scrutineers found after the race.
In a statement, which you can read in full below, Ferrari said they are 'surprised' by the decision to disqualify the car. This is the reason they didn't fix the problem with the rear wing at the car's final stop.
The car, driven by Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina, and Nicklas Nielsen, had originally finished fourth behind the winning #83 car, the #6 Porsche, and the sister #51 Ferrari.
The car did not comply with Section 3.8.7 of the LMH technical regs, which you can read on the FIA website.
Four bolts were missing from the rear wing support, taking the car out of homologation. The wing then deflected 52mm when the load was applied as per the technical regulations. The permissable amount is 15mm. That's more than three times the amount allowed.
The car achieved its highest top speed on lap 380 out of 387, 349km/h. This was achieved after the car's final pitstop, on lap 376, when a Ferrari AF Corse engineer noticed one bolt was missing. This top speed is exactly the same as the #51's highest top speed, which the sister car set on lap 191.
A radio message to Antonio Giovinazzi, driving the #51 a few seconds behind Fuoco in the #50, was also broadcast during the race. The #51's race engineer told the Italian to keep out of the #50 car's slipstream, as parts may fly off.
Ferrari's statement
Ferrari have since issued a statement adding detail and their defence.
Following post-race scrutineering at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, the number 50 Ferrari 499P, which had finished fourth, was disqualified for a technical infringement, as stated in Decision number 225 issued by the Stewards. The irregularity concerned the absence of four bolts from the central rear wing support. The other two 499P entries – the number 83, which won the race, and the number 51, which finished third – passed post-race scrutineering without any issues.
As reported by the Stewards, during the number 50 car’s last pit stop at 3.23 p.m. on Sunday, 15 June, a Ferrari – AF Corse team mechanic noticed that only one of the bolts securing the central rear wing support was missing.
Given the design of the element, the absence of one or more of these components did not compromise the car’s safety in any way. The subsequent loss of the remaining bolts during the final 37 minutes of the race provided no advantage in terms of performance or the final standings.
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The top speed of the number 50 499P reported by the Stewards in their decision was recorded during the car’s final seven laps while it was running in the slipstream of its sister car, the number 51 499P.
While surprised by the decision, Ferrari reaffirms its complete confidence in the professionalism and integrity of its team, in the actions taken, and in its respect for the regulations governing the FIA World Endurance Championship.
With full confidence in those same regulations, even though the incident in question offered no competitive advantage to the crew, nor did it compromise the safety of our drivers or that of other competitors, Ferrari is already at work ahead of the next rounds of a season that resumes under the global spotlight in July, in Brazil.
Following the disqualification of the number 50 499P, Ferrari retains its lead in the championship’s Manufacturers’ standings with 172 points. In the World Drivers’ Championship, the trio of Pier Guidi–Calado–Giovinazzi leads with 105 points, followed by Ye–Kubica–Hanson with 89 and Fuoco–Molina–Nielsen with 57.
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Rules are rules
Even though the #50 gained no speed advantage from the wing deflecting more than three times the permissable amount, rules are rules. The stewards had no choice but to disqualify the car. This moves everyone behind up a position, giving the #12 Cadillac fourth.
Crucially, it also means Aston Martin scores its first FIAWEC points with the Valkyrie, with a 12th-placed finish that turns into 10th when the #4 Porsche, a "guest" car, and the #83 Ferrari, which doesn't contribute to manufacturer points, are removed from the points-scoring standings. Congratulations Aston Martin!
Feature image: DPPI / WEC
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