Your first participation dates back to 2003. What do you remember about it?
Anthony Davidson: "My first experience at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in hospital (he was driving Veloqx Prodrive Racing's Ferrari 550 Maranello along with Kelvin Burt and Darren Turner. The car was forced to retire following an incident at night, editor's note). I was not really ready for this type of race. It was a surprise to learn the degree to which this race is hard. I was new to endurance and did not understand how things worked. I had come to have fun but you cannot take on this type of race in that mindset. Le Mans is a huge challenge that one must respect."

You raced in Formula 1 a long while and then returned to Le Mans in 2009 in a Lola Aston Martin (with Darren Turner and Jos Verstappen, editor's note).
"Just prior to the Aston Martin, I had another taste of endurance with the Peugeot 908 during testing. I then fell in love with the LM P1s and I knew right away it's what I wanted to do with my career after F1. So I  signed with Aston Martin. At the 2009 24 Hours of Le Mans, we had the best car after the diesel Peugeot and Audi cars. We could have finished fourth but we had a gearbox problem. We finished outside the top 10 (13th overall, 11th in LM P1, editor's note). I loved that experience, the ambiance, the team and the car."

Is the way it feels to drive very different than in Formula 1 or is it quite similar?
"The two types of cars are sort of similar. They have a lot of downforce and power. Of course, in an LMP, you have a roof over your head but it's still pretty comparable to a Formula 1 car. The races, on the other hand, are very different. In endurance, one must manage traffic, drive at night and in any conditions. Don't forget Le Mans amounts to 16 Grand Prix in a row. There is so much more to do as a driver in endurance than in Formula 1. Anything can happen at any moment."

Then you had a period with a Peugeot 908 from 2010 to 2011...
"Yes, it was a fantastic time. The regulations in 2010 were great: no fuel restrictions, a lot of power, a lot of downforce but also a lot of aerodynamic drag. The Peugeot 908 was a really good car to drive. We clocked times of 3:18 or 3:19 a lap at the Le Mans circuit, that was really going fast. I won my first race for Peugeot at the 2010 12 Hours of Sebring and its my favourite memory with that constructor. Unfortunately, it ended too soon but Toyota was there and so I was able to write a new chapter with them."

The rest of the Anthony Davidson interview will be published next week...

David Bristol / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: Jean Pierre Espitalier (ACO) - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, FREE PRACTICE, WEDNESDAY JUNE 8 2011. Anthony Davidson's second participation with Peugeot at the 24 Hours of Le Mans ended in a fourth place finish.