In a dramatic race that was only decided on the last lap, Lucas di Grassi (BR), Loïc Duval (F) and Oliver Jarvis (GB) clinched third place for Audi at the last moment. Marcel Fässler (CH), André Lotterer (D) and Benoît Tréluyer (F) finished in position four. With that, Audi, in its 18th participation since the brand’s Le Mans debut in 1999, achieved its 18th podium in succession including 13 overall victories.
“Unfortunately, neither of our two cars made it over the distance without issues,” said Head of Audi Motorsport Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich. “This weekend once more showed why Le Mans is regarded as the world’s toughest endurance race. I’m proud of our squad having managed to bring both cars home. But, obviously, this is not the result we were hoping for. Congratulations to Porsche on their second victory in succession. Following a tremendous race, Toyota, on making their 18th attempt, again just barely missed finally winning Le Mans – that speaks volumes about how incredibly difficult this race is.”
Due to heavy rainfalls, the field started behind the safety car for the first time in Le Mans history. Following the all-clear for the race, it took André Lotterer only a few laps to advance from grid position five to first place. However, the #7 Audi R18 lost its chance for victory as early as in the second hour when Lotterer, while leading the race, had to pit for a change of the turbocharger.