Ferrari contests reasons why #50 car was disqualified from Le Mans 24h
Ferrari denied that its fourth-placed car was unsafe or had any kind of unfair top speed advantage as a result of four bolts that were missing from the rear wing assembly on its disqualified #50 race car
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Antonio Fuoco, Nicklas Nielsen, Miguel Molina
Photo by: Emanuele Clivati | AG Photo
Ferrari has expressed its surprise with the disqualification of its #50 499P Hypercar from fourth position in the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours.
A press release from the Scuderia on Tuesday put into perspective the arguments of the stewards, who argued that not only was the car not compliant with technical regulations but it was unsafe – due to the rear wing lacking four bolts – and had a potential performance advantage.
“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,” Ferrari insisted.
Performance-wise, stewards pointed out a “a rear wing deflection of 52mm”, which is about three and a half times higher than the regulatory maximal deflection of 15mm, as well as the fact that the #50 machine achieved its highest top speed on lap 380 out of 387 – implying the overly flexible rear wing enjoyed reduced drag and therefore generated more performance.
Ferrari has disagreed in clearer terms: “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.
“The top speed of the #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 #51 499P.”
In the same release, the Scuderia reiterated its view that “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”, but steered clear of actually criticising stewardship and stated its “full confidence” in the World Endurance Championship’s regulations.
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