Gallery: the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 2023 edition

Potential motorsport understatement of the year goes to Alessandro Pier Guidi, one part of a triumvirate that piloted the #51 Ferrari 499P at this year’s Le Mans 24hrs. "The car was new and the race crazy: the weather was mad, with many slow zones and safety cars. But in the end, Le Mans is always like this. You have to try to stay out of trouble or at least to minimise the mistakes.

“I think we did quite well."

Quite well. Just taking part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans would qualify as doing ‘quite well’. Winning in a team that hasn’t taken part in the top class at the world’s most famous endurance race for half a century? Quite extraordinary.

For all of Ferrari’s numbers came up. For the 100th anniversary of this truly special race – 58 years since their last victory and fifty years since they even took part – more than 350,000 people watched car #51 cross the finish line just over a minute up the road ahead of chief rival Toyota. After 24hrs of flat-out, no-quarters-given racing – and a last-minute hiccup that nearly flipped the script – the Scuderia scored their tenth outright win.

Heartbreak for Toyota of course, but for neutrals this centenary event was a special affair. Not least because it was so broadly contested: five different teams all held the lead at various stages, a fitting tribute to one of motorsport's fiercest races. Relive the race via these pics, and then head this way for a full race report.

Photography: Katie Potts and Joe Holding