So often the stage for dramatic changes in fortune, this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours was, even by the usual standards, a positively operatic theatrical. After act after act of calamity, when the final curtain fell, the form book had been dismissed and the winning No2 Porsche of Timo Bernhard, Earl Bamber and Brendon Hartley had performed a comeback of remarkable proportions that reminded everyone that this race, more than any other, is not over until the clock has counted off the final seconds of motor racing’s longest day.

The win is Porsche’s third in a row at Le Mans, a hugely impressive achievement, given that they only returned to the top LMP1 racing in 2014 and their 19th at the 24-hour race – the most successful manufacturer at the race. But it was also an achievement for the individuals behind the wheel of the 919 Hybrid.