“Competition fiercer” Ferrari insist after 24 Hours of Le Mans Scrutineering

Scrutineering has been completed at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

The iconic endurance race takes place next weekend on June 14-15.

The administrative and technical inspection of the cars has finished at the de la République in Le Mans city centre.

The reigning champions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ferrari, have dominated the first three rounds of this year too.

The 499P is the car to beat in the coming week.

“We can win again, but it will be even more difficult this time, because the competition is even fiercer", says Antonio Giovinazzi.

His toughest competition might come from the #83 Ferrari privateer.

Robert Kubica, who teams with Yifei Ye and Philip Hanson, said: “It’s hard enough to finish the 24 Hours of Le Mans, let alone win it.

“I can’t wait for the start. Our car is even more competitive than last year.”

The Porsche 963 of Porsche Penske Motorsport won the 24 Hours of Daytona.

“Our difficult start to the season is nothing to worry about. Don’t rule us out for the 24 Hours of Le Mans”, says Mathieu Jaminet.

Michael Christensen said: “We have done what we can to get the best from the car and the team. We’ve updated the Hypercar’s mechanics and aerodynamics.”

Toyota Gazoo Racing team technical director David Floury said: “We aim for nothing less than victory.”

GR010 Hybrid driver Brendon Hartley admitted: “There are lots of question marks hanging over this year’s race.”

Mike Conway, who teams with Nyck de Vries and Kamui Kobayashi, insisted: “We’ve tried out different options on the car and we’re hoping to reap the results here.”

Valentino Rossi enters the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the second year. He is in the LMGT3 class.

"Last year it was weird, because we were quick, but the car crashed out and failed to see the chequered flag,” Rossi said.

“It was over too quickly for me. I was looking forward to racing at night and at dawn.

“This year we aim to be just as competitive and reach the finish in a good place.”