Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina’s No. 50 Ferrari 499p were stripped from fourth place from the 24-hour Le Mans after failing a post-race check.
According to the findings presented to the steward, rear wing support recorded a 52mm deflection well above the 15mm threshold permitted under Section 3.8.7 of the 2025 Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) Technical Regulation.
Post-race inspections also tested four bolts missing from the rear wing support structure, violating the car’s homologue.
The steward also noted that the mechanic found a lack of bolts in the car during the final pit stop, but the team did not take corrective action against it.
In that defense, Ferrari argued that excessive deflection was caused by a lack of bolts and did not achieve performance.
However, the steward said it achieved top speed on lap 380 of the 387 after the car lost a bolt from the rear wing.
They also added that the rear wing of the No. 50 car could suffer from high speed and structural failures, which presented a “potential risk.”
Nielsen, Juoco and Molina finished in the second podium cusp of two factories Ferrari after a slow battle with 51 cars driven by Alessandro Piaggidi, James Carad and Antonio Gio Ovinazzi.
The penalty promotes Norman NATO, Alexrin and Will Stevens’ No. 12 Cadillac V series to fourth, with the 7th Toyota GR010 Hybrid moving Kamui Kobayashi, Nyck de Vries and Mike Conway to a fifth.
The 10th and final point-padding positions reach Mick Schumacher, Fred McCowick and Jules Goonon at ALPM No. 36.
Complete Steward Statement:
Following post-race scrutiny, it was found that CAR No. 50 is not compliant with applicable technical regulations. The irregularities identified are:
- Missing components of rear wing support: According to the car’s homologue form, we found that four bolts were missing from the rear wing support. The team manager confirmed and accepted violations of the homologization specifications.
- Rear wing deflection: A 52 mm rear wing deflection was recorded during post-race testing, but Section 3.8.7 of the LMH Technical Regulation sets the maximum allowed deflection at 15 mm. The team manager accepted the results and verified the accuracy of the testing procedures carried out by the scrutiny. Competitors did not object to the measurement.
Competitors’ Discussion: During the hearing, competitors said they were linked to bolts that lacked excessive bias, claiming that performance benefits were not achieved. They further explained that at the final pit stop at 15:23, the mechanic noticed that there was only one bolt in the rear wing support, but that no corrective action had been taken before the race was over. This decision came after checking the telemetry of the car, which is said to have no change in the speed of the car. The Steward noted that the car 50 achieved top speed on 380 laps out of 387.
Sanctions and their proportionality: The establishment of motorsport jurisprudence is that violating technical regulations leads to disqualification unless exceptional circumstances have been proven. Additionally, the scrutiny examined the rear wing assembly’s non-compliance to present potential safety risks. Specifically, irregular and incomplete assembly of rear wing support indicates the risk of structural failure under high-speed stress or fatigue. For these reasons, CAR No. 50 has been disqualified from the final classification of races in accordance with applicable sports and technical regulations.
Competitors recall the right of a Steward to appeal a particular decision within the applicable time limits, pursuant to Article 15 of the FIA International Sports Code and Chapter 4 of the FIA Judicial and Disciplinary Rules.
Nicklas Nielsen, Antonio Juoco and Miguel Molina finished at the podium spires of the two factories Ferraris, second in the podium after a slow battle with sister cars driven by Alessandro Pia Giddy, James Carad and Antonio Giovinazzi.
However, the 50 cars that won Le Mans last year were dumped from the results because they were not compliant with technical rules.
Post-race inspection revealed four bolts missing from the rear wing support structure