While Hulkenberg has had ample time to acclimatise to racing in the night, nothing can simulate the kinds of closing speeds and the phosphorescent glare drivers experience at Le Mans.
“The trickiest part about the night is the lights. Whenever you have to overtake people and you have the lights in your mirrors it can actually be quite disturbing” admits Hulkenberg. “There’s a lot of reflecting (light) from the mirrors so it’s sometimes difficult to judge the distance. Fortunately I’m in a quicker car so I’m usually overtaking!
Heading into the qualifying, the number 19 Porsche was compromised with running time, but Nico believes this played little havoc in term of preparation from his side of the garage.
“We had some issues on our car which is why we started quali a little bit later. Obviously then you don’t have the clean lap that everybody has at the beginning” Nico confides. “Obviously we were a bit compromised there, but otherwise it was okay. This race is not about qualifying, that’s just a very small part”.
The big picture of Le Mans of course cannot be quantified in statistics. It is a race like no other, that even the usually stoic Hulkenberg concedes took him a little by surprise.
“It’s special and unique. I’ve worked in the Formula One environment for the last few years and (here) things are a lot more open with fans and people around. They hunt you down for a photograph and you have to fight your way through”, he laughs. “But that’s okay, because the magical feeling in the atmosphere builds as you get closer and closer to the race.
A nearby journalist abruptly lightens proceedings by directing an awkwardly phrased question to Nico; asking if he ever aspired to driving at Le Mans when he was (ahem…) younger.
“I still am (young)!” jibes Nico. “When I was karting I was pretty much focussed on Formula One. The awareness and interest of sports car racing and endurance racing has only really been raised in the last few years”.
But certainly being the man to break (or rather return to) the tradition of having current Formula One drivers compete at Le Mans must instil a certain degree of satisfaction – even for a driver less prone to wearing his heart on his sleeve.
“Yes. It’s special and hasn’t been done for a long time. Actually (Sebastien) Bourdais did it in 2009, but before him there was a huge gap” Nico correctly points out. “But I feel it gives me something and I’m also proud to do this. To manage both (categories) is obviously a big challenge for me, but it’s a unique opportunity to be racing at Le Mans with Porsche”.
Managing both schedules didn’t appear to bother Hulkenberg when we first posed the question to him in March, but Hulkenberg now admits the juggling act between Formula One and his WEC races at Spa and Le Mans hasn’t exactly been a walk in the park despite winning the blue riband event on his first attempt.
“It is quite demanding. It’s a three week push (for Montreal, Le Mans and the Austria), but afterwards I have a break in July where things are a bit more quiet with the summer break in August” Nico explains. “It’s a busy time but I still get a couple of days off to recharge and be fresh in Austria.”
As it did a few years ago, the Montreal Grand Prix will clash with Le Mans next year. Does this affect Nico’s plans to defend his Le Mans crown?
“I wasn’t aware of that” says Nico unperturbed. “It’s probably too far away in the future. Calendars are very flexible though until they get confirmed so I won’t waste any energy thinking about that now”.
No energy wasted and nothing held back where it really matters. It’s a wonder Formula One hasn’t caught on yet.
Image: Porsche Motorsport