Why Ferrari's Le Mans glory proved an outlier as Toyota dominated the WEC

Toyota remained the team to beat as the new golden era of sportscar racing properly got going, but it was Ferrari that won at Le Mans. Balance of Performance invariably played a part, but that wasn't the only different element in play at La Sarthe on the one occasion in 2023 Toyota was toppled. Here's how the World Endurance Championship title battle played out

Published Nov 23, 2023, 5:06 PM

Humility. That was a word oft on the lips of the newcomers to the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class as the much-vaunted golden era of sportscar racing began in earnest. They would stay humble, insisted Ferrari, Porsche et al as they took on Toyota, the acknowledged king of the series. Prescient words they were, because the Japanese manufacturer swept all before it, winning six out of seven rounds. The one exception, however, was the race that truly mattered.

Ferrari’s victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours was the story of the season. It wasn’t just that the most prestigious sportscar marque of them all triumphed in the centenary running of the French enduro on its comeback with a factory prototype after 50 years, nor that it was a thrilling race worthy of the occasion. Le Mans was a hinge in the narrative of the season.

Author Gary Watkins

Gary Watkins has, for reasons best known to himself, devoted all his working life to covering sportscar racing. This season is his 32nd as a motorsport journalist, during which time he has reported on major long-distance events on four continents and approaching 75 24-hour races. He reckons a degree in political philosophy makes him well qualified for covering the sometimes Machiavellian world of international sportscars.

Gary, who also writes for Autoweek, Motor Sport, Autocourse, RACER and others, lives in Surbiton but spends more time on the road than at home for most of the year.