Realteam Racing claims his first 24 Hours of Le Mans with a podium finish

This 89th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended with a podium for Realteam Racing, which finished in third place. For their first attempt at this classic race, Esteban Garcia's Swiss team drove a solid race and left Le Mans with a successful result.

The biggest endurance race in the world is clearly the most difficult in every aspect, and Realteam Racing proved they are ready for the challenge. The whole team has worked meticulously to get the pace right to be a serious contender for the victory in their class.

The 2021 Le Mans 24 Hours took place (again) at an unusual date due to the health conditions, however, the presence of a (limited) audience helped to provide a better atmosphere for all competitors.

With these restrictions, Le Mans meeting was reduced to a condensed week-long event, where Realteam Racing quickly showed a consistent pace at the top.

From the Test Day to the four free practice sessions, the team was at the top of the timesheets until it won the qualifying session and took pole position. Unfortunatley a tiny gap (0''031) left the trio of drivers out of the Hyperpole.

The start was given behind the Safety-Car because the conditions were tricky, the rain had appeared shortly before the waving of the French flag. Norman Nato took the wheel for the first stint of the race and the team managed to move up the standings to first place in the sixth hour of the race.

" We started the race in the rain, which can happen at Le Mans and is always difficult to manage, we know the risks of rain here. Despite this, Norman managed the start perfectly, which gave us confidence", said Esteban Garcia.

Leading the class on several occasions, Realteam Racing showed that the Swiss team could be counted on for a good result. But the drivers faced a lack of power, which made it difficult to defend their chances of retaining the lead.

"There is always that motorsport frustration, because we clearly ran the best race of the LMP2 Pro-Am. This mechanical problem with a lack of power with eight hours to go meant that we lacked performance and were unable to fight for victory." noted Loïc Duval.

Even though the team was once again in the lead on Sunday morning and until the 19th hour of the race, the trio of drivers maintained their concentration and continued their efforts to secure the best possible result.

This final third place and this podium is a reward for the work of the whole team, which leaves the Sarthe with a trophy in hand.

Esteban Garcia: "Le Mans is a unique experience and a great human adventure. We had a start in the rain and we did some good stints without making any mistakes. Personally, I drove at night, it was not easy, but I gave it my all. I thank my team-mates, Loïc and Norman, with whom it is always a pleasure to ride, they help me to progress. Of course it's also a very good moment shared with all the mechanics. We made a podium at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, which is no mean feat! We're still in contention for the title, in third place, and we're going to give it our all in the last two races."

Loïc Duval: "We had a great Le Mans, all together, with all the team members. Victory was possible, but we could also have given up, it's Le Mans! Congratulations to the whole team, the engineers, Norman and Esteban, we can be satisfied with our race."

Norman Nato : "We had a good week at Le Mans, but it's a bit frustrating what happened because we clearly had the pace for victory. This technical problem didn't allow us to keep our first position, it's a shame because the points were doubled here.  We are still focused on our goal and we will aim for victory in the final in Bahrain.”