It’s still mission unaccomplished for Penske Porsche at Le Mans

Laurens Vanthoor left this year's Le Mans 24 Hours with mixed emotions after his bid to win all three legs of the Triple Crown of endurance sports car racing in the same year came up just short in the end.

Vanthoor, Kevin Estre, and Matt Campbell finished second in their No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, having come back from 21st and last on the Hypercar grid.

Vanthoor was, in some respects, pleased to be able to execute a perfect race and take the fight to the three Ferrari 499Ps and their relentless pace. "I think it was a proper sprint against the Ferraris for us," he said. "It felt like almost every lap was flat out, and for me, coming into the race, I expected Ferrari to be the favorite.

"We tried everything to make their life as difficult as possible, and in the end, I think we can proudly say that we executed the perfect race. No mistakes, no contact, no off track, not a bad pit stop. Everything went super smooth, and that's maybe why we're sitting here in second place.

"But then the other hand it is also frustrating when you do a perfect race and you don't win, but yeah, this is what it is. The best team won," Vanthoor conceded.

While a podium result brought satisfaction, there was little celebration in the Penske Porsche camp. Fabrizio Boldoni/DPPI

Had Vanthoor finished one position better, he would have been the first driver in history to win the major endurance races at Daytona, Sebring and Le Mans in the same calendar year. He also would have equaled his Porsche Penske stablemate Nick Tandy's famous 24-hour "Tandy Slam" with additional 24-hour race wins at Spa and the Nurburgring on his resume.

Instead, he still searches for his first overall Le Mans win, as does team owner Roger Penske, while Porsche will have to try again for its record-extending 20th triumph.

"I don't think it was what just the last stints, it was the whole race for us. We tried to push them all the way," said Estre, who led the initial charge from the back of the grid towards the front, then overhauled the two red factory Ferraris late in the race when all seemed lost.

"We saw from hours two or three that we didn't have the pace, bit we never gave up. We did no mistakes and the car ran well, without any issue – no penalty, nothing. So we can be proud of what we achieved today."

At the very least, the second-place finish at Le Mans helps correct course on what has been a very difficult World Endurance Championship season for 2024 champions Estre and Vanthoor, in contrast to the roaring success of Porsche Penske in IMSA that includes the Daytona and Sebring wins.

"But obviously, it's not what we wanted. We came here to win – for us, for Penske, for Porsche – and we couldn't get it. It's twice in a row now; it feels a bit bitter," added the Frenchman.

"We finished fourth last year, this year was a bit closer, but still so far. So yeah, that's the way it is; I'm proud of what we achieved as a team, but there's definitely quite a lot of frustration and disappointment."