You’ve had a fruitful start to the season with a win at Silverstone and second at Imola in the European Le Mans Series…
It was good. To come back after a year of doing nothing [after a disagreement with his F1 team, ed.] and win the race felt really good. It was a team effort. I think we were well prepared. The car was running really well and we had a big lead. So it’s nice to have a result like that in the bag.

This is your first season in endurance. How do you feel in the car?
I feel strong. At the beginning it takes a while to understand. The car is heavier, the driving style is different and the tyres are different to what you’re used to. It takes one or two days to adapt, especially when you come from a single-seater to an LM P2. Suddenly, you’re not doing a whole day on your own, you share the car with your teammates. The change was tough at first, but now I really feel part of the team.

As far as driving pleasure is concerned, how does the Gibson 015S compare to the other cars you have driven?
It’s different but it’s good fun. The driving style is not the same and you can really push it to the limits. You can push hard in the corners. I enjoy it, I enjoy endurance racing.

Le Mans 24 Hours is coming up soon (18-19 June). How did you prepare for the race?
I have a good friend, Nico Hülkenberg, who won the race last year so when I called him this winter, I asked him how to go about it.  He said 'Go for it. You know you have to race at night as well as during the day. Take care of your team and the car and make sure you bring it home. Don’t make any mistakes. After that, you’ll see where you are. In the meantime, enjoy it!'

The car won LM P2 in 2014. What are your hopes for this year?
We aim to win. That’s my target for this year. Last year they finished second and the year before, they won. It’s very important to get another good result and I think we could win this race. And if we could win the championship too, that would be great.

You have a background in Formula One. How does the endurance world differ?
It’s quite different. It’s much more open and relaxed and there are more relations with other teams, even factory teams. I like that friendliness, I think that’s what sport is all about. Formula One is nice but it’s very exclusive. Here I chat to other drivers that I’ve known for years and I really enjoy that.

PHOTO: SPA (BELGIUM), SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, 6 HOURS OF SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS WEC, SATURDAY 7 MAY 2016, AUTOGRAPH SESSION. Former F1 driver Giedo Van Der Garde is one of many rookies at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year.