Le Mans 24h: Drama as #7 Toyota loses lead with an hour to go
Kazuki Nakajima took the lead of the 2019 Le Mans 24 Hours for the #8 Toyota TS050 Hybrid crew inside the final hour after the long-time leading #7 Toyota slowed.
Photo by: Joe Portlock / Motorsport Images
Onboard footage showed that Lopez was stuck in third gear, with his steering wheel telling him he had a puncture, going down the Mulsanne straight, having been over two minutes clear of the #8 Toyota the lap prior.
Lopez brought the Toyota into the pits at the end of the lap, after limping for the majority of the eight-mile circuit, and handed the lead to Nakajima.
Lopez had already served what was likely to be the penultimate stop for the Toyota near the close of the hour, stopping ahead of the #8 in what has been the conventional strategy for the manufacturer.
Since his pitstop, the car is back up to speed and lapping competitively, but is now a minute behind.
Nakajima will take the #8 Toyota to the flag after taking over from two-time Formula 1 champion Fernando Alonso following the completion of his final stint.
Be part of Motorsport community
Join the conversationShare Or Save This Story
The one thing W Series needs in 2020 to continue its rise
Eaton "got it wrong" with initial W Series criticism
Hamilton still revisits texts from "great pillar" Lauda
Latvala: Neuville, Evans tied for WRC Croatia lead "something special"
Streets of Long Beach receive changes ahead of the IMSA, IndyCar doubleheader
The Chinese Grand Prix's Chaotic Return and Cloudy Future
Kirkwood: “More durable” tires hindering passing on street circuits in 2024
The Le Mans oddities that have added to the race's legend
The Peugeot rookies who conquered Le Mans but missed out on F1
Why the stars have aligned to bring Aston Martin back to the top class at Le Mans
Inside Toyota’s alternative path to the future of motorsport
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
Top Comments