Kamui Kobayashi's rude gesture at 200mph: 'My highlight of Le Mans!'

Turning to Fuoco, Kobayashi said: “You have to explain how I overtook you in the night — you know, I overtook you going to Indianapolis [corner] in the middle of the night.”

He went on: “You know, I overtook him and I did this in the window,” as he held two fingers up to a laughing Fuoco.

“He knew, he saw me,” added Kobayashi, almost in disbelief. “We looked at each other because when I do this [holding his two fingers up again] he put his face [nodding] – ‘Yes’.

“After the race, he asked, ‘It was you?’

“Over 320km/h (200mph) to go into Indianapolis in the night is very impressive. It was my highlight of the ’24 Le Mans.”

Kobayashi told Motor Sport that he didn’t make a habit of insulting the many drivers he passes in racing, but he does have fun in other ways,

“Sometimes I joke with my engineer,” he said.