Force India Formula 1 driver Nico Hulkenberg secured a sensational Le Mans 24 Hours victory on Sunday, piloting the #19 Porsche 919 to victory alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber.
It’s the German’s first ever Le Mans after Force India agreed to let him divide his time between F1 and the endurance race.
He and his team-mates took the lead during the night when rivals in the #17 Porsche, piloted by former-F1 driver Mark Webber, Brendon Hartley and Timo Bernhard, were handed a drive through penalty for overtaking under yellow flags.
Meanwhile Audi’s #7 and #9 cars were hit by suspected hybrid problems, forcing them to make unscheduled stops in the closing hours of the race.
The victory is Porsche’s 17th and in the process set a new record for covering 395 laps over the 24 hours.
Hulkenberg is the first full-time F1 driver to win at Le Mans since 1991, when Mazda’s winning car featured Johnny Herbert, who drove for Lotus at the time, and Bertrand Gachot of Jordan, in its line-up.
