car, I feel fine, as there is no difference.
You’re now also racing in ELMS this season with Harry Tincknell and Simon Dolan. It’s a great combination for this season, with Marc Gene replacing you during Spa and Le Mans later in the year. How have you been getting on with the new Zytek, considering you’ve raced here a couple of times before?
Yes, I raced here in GP2 and in the Audi R8, which was the last time back in 2011. It is different in terms of having more power, as well as my head being exposed. I haven’t driven an open-cockpit car in quite a while, for six years actually, but the visibility is great.
The brand new strip on my visor with the “Vorsprung Durch Technik” got broken because of a stone hitting it. It is good to be able to see a lot more in the LMP2 car, and more than the R18. There were a lot of changes getting to the car, such as where the button is for starting the vehicle and switching it off, and it was intense for the first three laps this morning to get on the pace.
ELMS is a great development tool for you towards being a full-time member of the LMP1 squad at Audi in the future, but it is helping you get ready for that next step, isn’t it?
That’s what I’m aiming for. That is Audi’s aim, as we are looking to make the No. 3 car competitive and it is not a possibility to win, but to get it as fast as cars 1 and 2. They are using the cars for the full year, and with Marco and Olly having got P3 in Le Mans before.
The thinking behind me doing ELMS is to help me raise my pace to help the competitiveness, so as to put the other two cars under pressure. My goal is to step up to the World Endurance Championship like they both have.
It would be awesome to have a podium at Le Mans as well, but this year it is slightly harder, due to things being more competitive. Toyota has come back stronger than before, so actually you can end up in P7.
There are so many Le Mans winners and you can’t actually tell just who is going to be the best.
Then we have the matter of another ex-F1 guy in the form of Mark Webber, who said during the Pre-Event Press Conference that they do want to be competitive, especially as he went fastest in Free Practice 1, which shows that Porsche are there in terms of pace.
Just imagine this situation. You start the race at Le Mans, then you have to factor in having the two sister cars, then two Toyotas and Porsches to also contend with. It looks to be very interesting….
I just can’t wait to go there. I am just having so much fun already, especially when it comes to going past the GT cars, so I end up going around the outside on the marbles. I’m enjoying like hell now.
It must be great to go from a GTD car to an LMP and be thinking: “Oh great, I can overtake you now.”
I’m going to be enjoying it, especially when it comes to using the high beams all the time.