2025 Le Mans 24hrs | PH Review
Ferrari's hat-trick, Kubica seals redemption and a new Peugeot GTI turns up...
The 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans had everything fans live for: relentless heat, high drama, marque debuts, and even a wildlife surprise. Ferrari delivered a third straight overall victory, Robert Kubica claimed elusive redemption, Aston Martin‘s Valkyrie debuted in top-class Hypercar racing, and Peugeot brought its hotly anticipated GTI back to France’s most iconic motorsport festival. Once again, being trackside with PistonHeads turned out to be unforgettable, thanks to our new campsite, a sweltering Classic British Welcome, and the return of our now-traditional pub quiz.
Thursday
How does that saying go? “It’s not the destination, it’s the journey.” Well, for Le Mans, they are both in equal standing. This year, the PH crew rolled out in a particularly French theme, with Cam in Alpine’s A110, Ben in a Renaultsport Megane 275 Trophy, and Pete in his completely-not-French Subaru Impreza STI (but it was adorned with Le Mans 24hr livery, so we figured that counts).
Despite a delayed departure from Folkestone, the sight of two Ferrari SF90 XX Spiders, a colour-coded roofboxed R8, and a smattering of V8 Vantages hinted that this road trip was going to be special. We wouldn’t usually kick off our review with a rundown on a Thursday, but the route from Calais to Le Mans is car-spotter heaven. Smooth roads, clear traffic, and an incredible plethora of sports, super, and classic cars everywhere you look.
Friday
The weekend officially kicked off with our Friday Service at the Classic British Welcome at Saint Saturnin, bathed in sunshine, and this year celebrating Le Mans legends, Matra. Hundreds of classics and performance cars descended on the village, and were welcomed by live music, food stalls, vehicle demonstrations, and culminating with a scenic cavalcade. Of course, we were there to add some PistonHeads magic with over 50 cars representing the UK enthusiast.
We were also welcomed by some very (very) hot weather with a whopping 40 degrees clocked on the dashboard outside temperature gauge. Still, on went the sun lotion and out came the PistonHeads Le Mans merchandise - which is available all year round at the PH Shop if you didn’t get yours in time.
As the heat lingered into the evening, our pub quiz tradition made its return (this year MC’d by our own Ben Lowden) at the PistonHeads 1st Tickets campsite. This time with an AI-driven quiz, which was… mostly right. Laughter, trivia questions, and cold drinks set off the weekend in perfect fashion.
Saturday
Race day dawned hot, pushing the mercury past 30°C - tough on drivers, tyres, and fans alike. Thanks to our new campsite, a short walk from the Porsche Curves, getting trackside was easy, and dramatic passes were up close and personal.
Ahead of the 4pm race start, in the manufacturers’ village, Peugeot unveiled the all-new e-208 GTi, paying homage to its ’80s legacy. Shortly before the circuit became flooded with race cars, a parade of thirty classic 205 GTIs accompanied the electric newcomer around the 13.6km Sarthe circuit, an emotive homecoming before the race.
On the grid itself, and making its first appearance in the Hypercar class was the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH - sporting numbers #007 and #009, obviously. The #009 car, piloted by Alex Riberas, Marco Sørensen, and Roman De Angelis, qualified near the Hyperpole top 15, promising strong performance. Although the Valkyrie didn’t challenge for the podium, its debut validated Aston Martin’s long-run Hypercar commitment and set the stage for the future. It sounded bloody awesome, too.
Sunday
Sunday’s final hours focused on grit and survival as the sun blazed down. Just when it couldn’t get more dramatic, a marauding rabbit sprinted across the Mulsanne Straight and collided with the #31 BMW M4, causing serious front-end damage and sending the car into the pits. A prime example of Le Mans unpredictability.
The #83 Ferrari 499P from AF Corse, driven by Robert Kubica, Yifei Ye, and Phil Hanson, powered through all 387 laps to claim overall victory, sealing Ferrari’s third successive Le Mans win. Kubica's final stint lasted over three hours in brutal heat, culminating in an emotional victory. Despite qualifying issues, the #6 Porsche Penske lineup (Estre/Vanthoor/Campbell) surged to finish just 14 seconds behind second place, demonstrating a masterclass in pace and pit work. Meanwhile, the sister #50 Ferrari was disqualified post-race following a rear-wing infringement, elevating Porsche further in the standings.
In the support classes, Inter Europol Competition claimed LMP2 honours with consistency and pace, while the #92 Manthey EMA Porsche won the inaugural LMGT3 class, proof that GT3 racing has firmly planted roots at Le Mans. No less importantly, back at the campsite, stories were shared, gear was packed, and friendships were renewed. A massive thanks to everyone who made it unforgettable.
Still itching for more? Don’t miss Le Mans Classic 2025 - where period paddocks meet fierce, timeless racing. Click here for more details and to book one of our limited spaces available.
Any of five teams looked like contenders at different parts of the race. It's a golden era for Sportscar racing.
Such a shame his rallying accident ruined his F1 prospects.
Such a shame his rallying accident ruined his F1 prospects.
His horrific rally crash in 2011 curtailed a career that would have seen him at Ferrari as team-mate to Fernando Alonso in 2012, and for a long time looked to have ended it.
But after countless operations, he finally returned to F1 in 2019, with Williams.
To make it back to the top level of the sport was a triumph of resolve and determination, but there was no fairytale.
Kubica's arm is severely compromised. His right hand has only partial movement and the arm extremely limited functionality.
Although he can grasp a steering wheel with his right hand, it is doing little more than resting on the rim. In F1, he needed both gear-change paddles on the left-hand side of the wheel because he could not even use his right fingers to operate one.
He was effectively driving one-handed so it was hardly a surprise that he was not on the pace of team-mate George Russell, who was having his rookie season.
Kubica's return to F1 effectively came to an end with the 2019 season, notwithstanding a brief cameo for Alfa Romeo in 2021, the sport recognising that he was no longer the driver he was, even if he never quite acknowledged that publicly.
Since then, he has found success in other categories, and the Le Mans victory is a remarkable story of redemption, not least through details such as the fact that he drove 166 of the 387 laps completed by his car, for which he was one of three drivers.
He is modest and self-effacing, so will downplay his achievement. But that should not stop it being recognised for what it is - a testament to the strength of character of an extraordinary man.
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