Nicklas Nielsen admitted they were “a bit lucky” to have come out on top in Sunday’s 6 Hours of Circuit of The Americas following late-race misfortune for the leading Toyota TR010 Hybrid.
Nielsen, along with his Ferrari AF Corse teammates Antonio Fuoco and Miguel Molina, secured their FIA World Endurance Championship win—their first since last year’s season-opening Qatar 1812km—in a race that also saw the No. 50 Ferrari 499P gain a mid-race advantage.
An unorthodox strategy to shorten the Ferrari’s stint in the second hour briefly put Molina at the head, a tactic designed to chip away at Toyota’s manufacturer points.
“What we did next was mainly to shield ourselves from Toyota,” he explained. “That moment did compromise part of our race, but we also had to consider the championship, particularly the Constructors’ Championship, and our objective was to remain ahead of Toyota.”
“Meanwhile, we enjoyed clear air to push hard, which kept us in a favorable position, yet the plan carried risk—eight to ten laps exposed to a safety car and other factors where a lot can slip away.”
However, a mid-race Virtual Safety Car that morphed into a full safety car reset the competing strategies across the 17-car Hypercar grid, restoring parity for the No. 50 Ferrari.
“From the outset, our only option was to push,” Nielsen commented. “We knew contending with Toyota would be tough.”
“I managed a few slightly quicker lap times, but he soon matched them.”
However, Nyck de Vries’ No. 7 Toyota suffered a hydraulic issue while leading with twelve minutes remaining, handing the victory to the Dane.
“They encountered a problem, so we were somewhat fortunate,” Nielsen admitted. “But it’s been a long time coming, and I think everyone did a fantastic job today.”
“The race was far from easy. I’m genuinely happy for all of us and proud of the team. It didn’t look like it would be our day, but it ultimately was.”
Complicating matters further, Charles Milesi, then in second place with the Alpine A424 No. 35, was closing in during the final laps, though he faced a five-second post-race penalty for an unsafe pit release.
“My engineer told me with three laps to go,” Nielsen recalled. “I managed to pass him in traffic, opened a gap, and tried to manage it.”
“When I saw him start to close again, I eased off a touch to protect the tires.”
“As he drew closer once more, I began to push. It felt a little like a boomerang coming back at him.”
“And once I learned there was an investigation and likely a five-second penalty, it became a bit easier.”
“But I wasn’t going to allow him to pass and take second place at the finish. I aimed to cross the line first.”
