Hanson thought United had "thrown away" LMP2 win
Phil Hanson says he feared United Autosports had "thrown away" its Le Mans 24 Hours victory in the LMP2 class as the race neared its dramatic conclusion with a late safety car period.

United pair of Oreca 07s were the class of a 24-car LMP2 field for much of the distance at La Sarthe, with Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque and Paul di Resta coming through to claim victory in the #22 car and sealing the FIA World Endurance Championship title with it.
But there was late drama when a safety car was deployed in the final hour when the Graff Oreca suffered a crash at the Porsche Curves, damaging a tyre barrier, reducing the two-minute advantage the #22 car had held over the #38 JOTA Sport Oreca.
Read Also:
Hanson was forced to make an additional splash for fuel with just 10 minutes left and rejoined with around five seconds in hand over the pursuing Anthony Davidson in the JOTA car, only for the latter to have to make a splash of his own on the next lap.
"What a way to win at the end, especially," said Hanson. "I thought in the car we’d thrown it away, not knowing if the JOTA [car] was going to stop or not.
"It was a very hectic last 10 minutes of the race and that made it for me, I think. It’s not as exciting when you’re coasting home just looking after the car, as to when you are pushing like mad making sure you bring it home in P1. So yeah, really exciting way to end it."
Albuquerque, who had never finished on the podium at Le Mans in six previous attempts, added: "Even if we were leading with two minutes [in hand], one minute-and-a-half, it was always a gamble with the safety car.
"Obviously the last safety car was very important, it was so important when we were in the 'A' safety car [train] and they [JOTA] were in the 'B' [train].
"In the last 10 minutes, the win was not granted, we were 50s ahead, but we had to pit for fuel, we knew the other ones were saving fuel but we didn’t know they had to come in."

#22 United Autosports Oreca 07 - Gibson: Philip Hanson, Filipe Albuquerque, Paul Di Resta
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
United's Le Mans win follows its WEC triumphs in the previous three rounds in Bahrain, the Circuit of the Americas and Spa, while the team is also unbeaten so far in this year's European Le Mans Series season.
Additionally, ex-Formula 1 driver di Resta managed to break the LMP2 track record around the Circuit de la Sarthe on his way to pole position earlier in the weekend.
"It’s exceptional to win four races in a row, but Le Mans is something quite unique," said di Resta. "I think we understood if we came here and did a good job we would be in a position to win this race, but it’s the icing on the cake.
"To take the Hyperpole as well, drive this amazing track on Friday and get the track record, it’s something [special] again."
#32 United crew left to rue lost shot at victory
Both of United's cars would have likely been in the mix for victory come the end of the race had it not been for an oil leak in the 16th hour for the #32 car that cost Alex Brundle, Job van Uitert and Will Owen around 45 minutes.
The trio eventually came home 13th and 11 laps behind the winning #22 entry.
“We got off to a good start, getting up to second from fifth which was nice," recalled Brundle. "We were always in a race with the JOTA car, the sister car and the G-Drive car, but it looked like we could have won the race in all honesty. All three of us had the pace.
"It was a normal driver change from me to Job and then I was on my way to the motorhome when I heard we had started to have issues. It then went from there. But it’s just one of those things.”
Van Uitert added: "I think even with the pace we showed through the night and even after the problem we had we were definitely in it to win it. But Le Mans is Le Mans. You can do everything right and still it can go wrong."

Previous article
Toyota "running out of words" to console unlucky #7 Le Mans crew
Next article
Lynn proud of Aston's "vast improvement" after GTE triumph

About this article
Series | Le Mans |
Event | 24 Hours of Le Mans |
Drivers | Paul di Resta , Filipe Albuquerque , Philip Hanson |
Teams | United Autosports |
Author | Jamie Klein |
Hanson thought United had "thrown away" LMP2 win
Trending
1988: The number 2 Jaguar wins Le Mans
Entry list for the 2021 24 Hours of Le Mans
Le Mans: Dan Gurney - Le Mans 1967
How an ingenious fix prevented Paul Newman from winning Le Mans
It's one of the great what-if stories in Le Mans history. Paul Newman finished second in the 24 Hours in 1979, but it could easily have been a famous victory were it not for the resourcefulness of the late Manfred Kremer.
Why Ferrari is ending its 50-year top-flight sportscar racing exile
Making a return to top-flight sportscar racing after 50 years away, Ferrari will enter the Le Mans Hypercar ranks in 2023. The Italian marque denies the link with Formula 1's new cost cap that frees up resources, but it's certainly no coincidence...
Oliver Gavin's Corvette Racing highlights
Oliver Gavin has stepped down from the full-time Corvette Racing line-up after a stellar career with the team spanning nearly 20 years. He looks back on a stint that encompassed, among other successes, five Le Mans 24 Hours victories.
How Tandy joined an exclusive club of endurance legends
Victory at last year's Spa 24 Hours meant Nick Tandy had completed the unofficial sextuple crown of the world's six biggest endurance races, becoming the first Briton to do so. Ahead of his fresh start with Corvette Racing, he explains how he did it…
The cherished curios kept by motorsport's professionals at home
Keeping trophies and momentos of key triumphs is par for the course for motorsport professionals, but what are the most cherished souvenirs picked up by the drivers and engineers who have seen and done it all?
The Porsche icon that forged sportscar racing's greatest era
Porsche is returning to the top class of Le Mans with an LMDh prototype that it hopes will write its next successful chapter in sportscar racing. But it will have to go some to emulate its 956/962, a car which defines the Group C age more than any other.
How Tom Kristensen forged his ‘Mr Le Mans’ legend
He is synonymous with success at the Circuit de la Sarthe, but Tom Kristensen's sportscar legacy amounts to much more than his record-breaking nine Le Mans wins, as the most successful driver ever at Sebring and a world champion to boot…
Why Audi’s shock return promises a new age for sportscars
OPINION: The news that Audi will return to Le Mans means we'll at last get to see the fight promised in 2012 against Peugeot and Toyota. It also gives LMDh a tangible form, which could open the floodgates for more like-minded marques to follow suit…