Robert Shwartzman, Robert Kubica, and Ye Yiefi delivered a masterclass in endurance racing, securing a remarkable win at the Lone Star Le Mans—a grueling six-hour battle at the Circuit of the Americas, part of the World Endurance Championship (WEC). The trio’s triumph marked the first victory for the privateer #83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P, beating the factory-backed #7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid driven by Kamui Kobayashi, Mike Conway, and Nyck de Vries by a mere 1.78 seconds—the second-closest finish in WEC history.

From the start, it was clear this race would be no walk in the park. Kubica took the early lead after AF Corse orchestrated a strategic switch between the Pole’s car and the pole-sitting #51 Ferrari of Antonio Giovinazzi. With the positions swapped, Shwartzman, Kubica, and Ye pushed hard, extending their lead over the pack. But as the race wore on, the #7 Toyota came alive, with Nyck de Vries capitalizing on cooler track temperatures to reel in Ye during his stint.

The Toyota team played a blinder with a clever undercut strategy that saw de Vries snatch the lead despite having more usable energy left in the tank. A lightning-quick pit stop and Kobayashi’s blistering out-lap sealed the deal, pushing the #7 Toyota ahead after Ye pitted and handed the reins to Shwartzman.

Kobayashi looked set to drive off into the Texan sunset, but it all unraveled when he failed to lift for a local yellow flag while a stranded #94 Peugeot was recovered on the back straight. The stewards slapped him with a drive-through penalty, flipping the script and handing Shwartzman a 10-second lead.

With Kobayashi’s raw pace and a late full-course yellow, it seemed he might still snatch victory from the jaws of defeat, but a few uncharacteristic errors left Shwartzman holding on to the top step of the podium. Behind them, the #50 factory Ferrari of Miguel Molina, Antonio Fuoco, and Nicklas Nielsen managed third—26 seconds adrift—after a rocky day that saw their sister car retire early due to driveline issues following a botched overtake on Stoffel Vandoorne’s Peugeot.

Fourth went to the #2 Cadillac V-Series.R of Alex Lynn and Earl Bamber. Despite early scuffles dropping them down the order, they clawed their way back to secure their best finish of the season—an encouraging result for Cadillac’s sole WEC entry. Meanwhile, the #35 Alpine A424, piloted by Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Paul-Loup Chatin, completed a gutsy recovery drive to fifth after an early clash with the Cadillac sent them tumbling down the order.

Porsche’s factory team struggled for pace, with Kevin Estre’s #6 finishing sixth ahead of Michael Christensen’s #5. Both cars were outclassed by Toyota, Ferrari, Cadillac, and Alpine, but salvaged crucial championship points. Dries Vanthoor brought the #15 BMW WRT M Hybrid V8 home in eighth, followed by the #36 Alpine of Mick Schumacher. Rounding out the top ten was the #38 JOTA Porsche 963, with Jenson Button taking the final spot in a chaotic, drama-filled race at COTA.

It was a day of high drama, relentless strategy calls, and some of the finest endurance driving you’ll see. Shwartzman’s calm under fire was key, and this win is sure to resonate as a standout moment in the WEC season.