Le Mans 2021: A Captivating Race with Mixed Feelings

The 100th-anniversary running of the Le Mans 24 Hours was a captivating affair, serving up one of the best races in years. The race was a fairy tale for Ferrari, which won outright for the first time since 1965. However, it was also an event that left many with mixed feelings.

The race was hugely competitive and entertaining, with top contenders battling with an intensity similar to a touring car race. Rain showers caused chaos, and a string of accidents and incidents added to the excitement. The race-long battle for victory between the Ferrari 499P of James Calado, Antonio Giovinazzi, and Alessandro Pier Guidi and the lead Toyota was not settled until Ryo Hirakawa locked up the brakes of the GR010 Hybrid he shared with Sebastien Buemi and Brendon Hartley and slid into the barrier at Arnage with 90 minutes left.

While it was great to see Ferrari win, it was hard not to feel for Toyota, which did so much to support Le Mans in recent years when no other manufacturer would. Toyota has been spoiling for the fight it finally got, and what a fight it was. When Hirakawa slipped up after more than 22 hours of racing, the top two machines were split by less than 20 seconds. There was strength in depth too, with Cadillac, Peugeot, and Porsche contenders all showing impressive speed.

In all senses, it was a huge success, and more manufacturers are due next year. However, there is one lingering question that cannot be ignored: how ‘real’ was the race?

Balance of Performance (BoP) Rules

There have been some grumblings about the Balance of Performance (BoP) rules that are now employed in the top Hypercar division to try to ensure parity between the cars. Notably, the Toyota was slapped with extra weight in the build-up to the race. Did that make the difference?

From a purist perspective, it doesn’t sit easily. It feels like the teams doing the best job should be rewarded, not penalized. But then again, those are the rules. The teams all signed up to them – and the influx of manufacturers to Le Mans this year was, in part, because the BoP rules should ensure that they can be competitive.

Safety Car Rules

Another point of contention were complicated new safety car rules, imported from American sports car racing, which served to bunch the field and keep things tighter than they otherwise would have been. That also seemed at odds with the reputation of Le Mans as a pure sporting contest.

Mixed Feelings

Which all leaves many feeling conflicted. This year’s Le Mans was a great race, which was decided on track by manufacturers absolutely pushing each other to the max. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of BoP, teams knew where they stood at the start of the race. And victory at Le Mans is rarely about being the fastest anyway.

Still, was it a pure sporting contest, in the way Le Mans has traditionally been? It is not entirely clear. Does that matter, given how entertaining it was? That is also debatable.

Conclusion

Le Mans 2021 was a captivating race that left many with mixed feelings. While Ferrari’s victory was a fairy tale, there were concerns about the Balance of Performance (BoP) rules and complicated new safety car rules. Despite these concerns, the race was hugely competitive and entertaining, with top contenders battling with an intensity similar to a touring car race. Regardless of the rights and wrongs of BoP, teams knew where they stood at the start of the race. Victory at Le Mans is rarely about being the fastest anyway.