Disappointing but not surprising would sum up the Prancing Horse’s performance at the ninetieth running of the Le Mans 24 Hours. Things did not go well for the Maranello marque with a fifth and a sixth place for the AF Corse entered 458 GTs, crewed by Bruni-Fisichella-Malucelli and Kobayashi-Vilander-Beretta respectively in the Pro category. Hardly satisfactory and there was not much consolation to be had from the double podium finish for the team from Piacenza in the AM category, in which Casé-Perazzini-O’ Young finished second and and Cioci-Griffin-Gerber were third, with the last named driver being the oldest entered in the event at the age of 68 years and three months.
However, this sort of result in the main class was totally predictable. The “balance of performance,” the current handicap system put in place by the FIA and the ACO for the GT and Sports races, leaves little room for imagination.
Although the 2013 458 GT has undergone significant development compared to last year, it is still heavily penalised when compared to the best of the opposition, such as Porsche and Aston Martin. At Le Mans, in all track conditions, the Maranello cars were not competitive, lacking on every front: power, aerodynamic downforce and amount of fuel available for use.
Mistakes and unlucky incidents also played their part – one only has to find oneself in the second or third part of a group in a period when the race is neutralized, to lose a lap – but undoubtedly, the chances of fighting for the win were already gone before the start. The performance difference was very clear to see – both in outright terms and when looking at average lap times, so that only totally unpredictable events would have allowed the reigning champion car to fight for the double. Now it’s plausible to expect a change to the so called “BoP” prior to the second part of the World Endurance Championship, but as the saying goes, that’s a bit like shutting the stable door after the horse has bolted. The next race takes place in Sao Paolo, Brazil on 1st September.
Source : Ferrari