Nico Hulkenberg said he had not anticipated winning at Le Mans on his first attempt after taking an impressive victory with Porsche on Sunday.
Hulkenberg was driving the No.19 Porsche alongside Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber, which took lead before nightfall and held it for the remainder of the event.
Porsche returned to the LMP1 class last year, taking on the might of Audi, which has won every other Le Mans 24 Hours this decade, and Toyota, which is the reigning WEC champion. The victory is Porsche's 17th at the famous event, cementing its position as the most successful manufacturer ahead of Audi on 13.
"I'm incredibly proud, we wrote history today," Hulkenberg told Eurosport. "Porsche is back at Le Mans with a big win at its second attempt on its return. A big congratulations to Porsche and everyone involved."
Asked if he expected to win on his debut at Le Mans, the Force India driver added: "No, absolutely not. We couldn't expect such a thing and the Audis were very competitive, but at the end I think we were without trouble.
"The car was very reliable and we didn't do many mistakes, just kept kept rolling and driving on the road - that is what brings us here now [to victory]."