Giovinazzi - who drove for DRAGON / PENSKE AUTOSPORT in Season 8 and raced in Formula 1 for Alfa Romeo - competed alongside Jaguar Panasonic Racing points-scorer Calado and Pier Guidi in the #51 499P hypercar and steered to victory in the centenary running of the event.
They came out on top in a close-run battle with Formula E champion Sebastien Buemi, former GEOX Dragon racer Brendon Hartley and Ryo Hirakawa in the #8 Toyota. A mistake by the latter as the race reached its climax proved costly, and the #51 needed no second invitation to take advantage and make the top step.
'I must confess I cried!'
"When you are a kid and you are a racing driver, you have a few races that you watch all the time," an emotional Giovinazzi told the media post-race. "It's the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Indianapolis and then, [as an Italian] racing at Monza, so it was one of my dreams. Today the dream came true.
"I haven't been on the podium since Spa 2016, in the then GP2. I haven't won a race since 2016. So to get back on the podium, especially here at Le Mans, was great.
"I must confess I cried, because in my life I have made so many sacrifices. After so many years full of disappointments, but in the end I always believed in my talent. What Ferrari has done here today... Last year in July we had this car on the track for the first time, now we have won Le Mans, so as a team we should be proud," Giovinazzi said.
“For me and Alessandro it’s an even more special feeling,” added Giovinazzi in conversation with formula1.com.
“It was by no means a given that we’d make it, but the entire team and my teammates did a great job, and here we are today. Thanks to Ferrari, who made all this happen. We are back to winning ways after 50 years, and we should be very proud.”
Eight for JEV, 11th for Andre and 13th for DAC in Hypercar, Frijns third in LMP2
The FIA World Endurance Championship grid is flooded with Formula E talent past and present. Double champ and DS PENSKE driver Jean-Eric Vergne lines up for the factory Peugeot team and was part of the trio that brought the #93 car home in eighth spot - just behind Formula E points-finisher Esteban Gutierrez, once of TECHEETAH.
Formula E race winner Alex Lynn came home third in class and overall to take silverware in the Cadillac Racing Hypercar effort.
Former Mahindra and BMW i Andretti Motorsport driver Alexander Sims helped the #311 car to 10th in class and 17th overall, along with Rookie Test driver and FIA Formula 2 star Jack Aitken.
Andre Lotterer is a multiple Le Mans winner and one of the most successful sportscar champions of all time. The Avalanche Andretti driver came home 11th in class and 22nd overall in the #6 Porsche Penske Motorsport car.
A shunt saw early leaders, Antonio Felix da Costa's Hertz Team Jota tumble down the order - bad luck for the Season 6 title-winner and current TAG Heuer Porsche driver.
ABT CUPRA's Nico Mueller raced alongside another Formula E and Dragon connection in Loic Duval. The two, with Gustavo Menezes came home 12th in class and 26th overall in the 94 Peugeot.
Former Venturi driver Mike Conway, past Andretti man Kamui Kobayashi and DS Virgin, GEOX Dragon driver Jose Maria Lopez failed to finish in the #7 Toyota. Felipe Nasr, ANOTHER Dragon racer of old also failed to finish in the '75 Porsche Penske car.
Robin Frijns (ABT CUPRA) brought the Team WRT #31 car home in third in the LMP2 class and 14th overall alongside his teammates Sean Gelael and Ferdinand Habsburg.