Jenson Button was put back into the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team Jota car for the final stint of the race. The 2009 F1 World Champion then was able to finish his Pro racing career by seeing the checkered flag, albeit well down the order in the final standings.
Jenson was sporting a commemorative helmet for his final race meeting, matching the design produced by his late lamented dad John during his early karting career.
Also understood to be departing after 25 years with the team is ‘Jota Employee Number One’ Bob Friend. Recently married, Bob is understood to be taking a sabbatical at least from motorsport – All at DSC wish him well
And a founder member of the WEC organisation team, four time Le Mans winner Yannick Dalmas will be stepping back from the FIA WEC after the season finale too, Yannick who has served as both Safety Car Driver, and Race Stewards Driver Advisor, drove the leading car on the formation laps after taking the applause of the whole pit lane as he took to the track. He was given the opportunity to wave the chequered flag welcoming home race winners Toyota Gazoo Racing.
Dani Juncadella was fined 5000 Euro with 4000 “suspended until the end of the 2025 FIA WEC season” for “Rude, disrespectful behaviour towards another driver” after ‘flipping the bird’ to The Bend Team WRT driver Augusto Farfus after a late race tussle between the #33 Corvette and #31 BMW.
The pair were battling for position in LMGT3 almost at the end of the 9th hour and made contact multiple times over the course of two laps late in the race.
After finally making his way by Farfus, the Spanish driver made the offending gesture out of the driver’s side window of the Corvette, providing Farfus with a somewhat deja vu moment following multiple incidents between the Brazilian Driver’s Paul Miller Racing BMW and Tommy Milner’s Pratt Miller Corvette at the 2025 Rolex 24 at Daytona, Milner providing Farfus with a not dissimilar gesture.
As for Juncadella, with no further offensive gestures offered either to Farfus or indeed any other competitor in the following 65 minutes, the 4000 Euro suspended fine expired.
The #15 BMW M Team WRT squad received a post-race 5,000 Euro fine after race stewards found the team guilty of an unsafe release, the rear right wheel bolt being determined not to have been properly tightened. That led to a final hour Virtual Safety Car to allow recovery of the car, which suffered a lurid moment at Turn three in the hands of a somewhat helpless Dries Vanthoor.
