How has the beginning of the season gone for you?

"It was a little complicated at Silverstone with difficult track conditions as it was wet. Yet it had started well since I had clocked the fourth time during qualifying. It's true thereafter it was harder in the race because I hit the wall. Lesson learned. We came back stronger at Imola even though that wasn't easy either. I qualified in ninth place but 1.2 seconds behind. It's encouraging because last year we were fourth but 1.8 seconds behind. The circuit is narrow, there is a lot of traffic and the storm at the end of the race froze the positions. We could have expected better I think in those weather conditions."

What do you think about the No. 28 Morgan LM P2 Nissan?

"I know it well, I have a great deal of fun with it. It's essentially a good car. Sure, it's not the most powerful but in terms of reliability, I think we'll do well."

You will be competing in your third 24 Hours of Le Mans this year. What do you remember about your other two experiences?

"I only have good, happy memories. There are no words to describe this race. From the Sunday of Scrutineering to the Sunday after the race, there is a lot going on. I was lucky enough to take the start at my second participation and that was exceptional. The team has really gelled as we saw during our woes in 2015 when shortly after the start we were far behind with electrical problems. In the end, we made it to the finish both times."

What are you goals for the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

"My goal is to get the car as high as possible in the qualifying order despite the level and the new cars. With the Le Mans kit the cars will be using, I think things will level out a bit. The caliber of drivers in LM P2 is very good with former LM P1 drivers and others coming from GP2 or GP3. So I'll try to put the car as high as possible. Then, for the race, we will try to make it to the finish at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, and we'll see where we end up."

You participated in Test Day on Sunday. What is your assessment? 

"Test Day for us was mixed. Inés and Rémy started doing their 10 mandatory laps. Then we had difficulties with the set-up of the car because track conditions weren't very obvious. At the end of the day, we had good settings but I didn't manage to bring it all together. We got everything done, that's the main thing. We didn't have any real problems. The potential is there, we will continue to work toward Wednesday's free practice."

Will you remain with Pegasus Racing for the rest of the season?

"Yes, I will be competing in the European Le Mans Series all season. It's a good solution to avoid being forgotten because I didn't have much of a budget this year. Julien (Schell, team manager, editor's note) was able to trust me and find sponsors so I could race. I am very grateful to him."

How is your future looking?

"I hope to be able to stay in endurance, I landed in this discipline when I was very young. My goal is to continue to grow. I would like to compete in the Rookies Test at Bahrain at the end of the season then join a team aiming for the top spots with a good driver line-up to tackle the championship. My first hope will be to continue in LM P2 but I'm not closing any doors. If I'm offered GT, that's ok, I am open to anything."

David Bristol / ACO - Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, SUNDAY JUNE 5 2016, TEST DAY. Young driver Léo Roussel (20 years old) will compete in his third 24 Hours of Le Mans.