24h Le Mans
Kamui Kobayashi (#7 Toyota GR010 Hybrid), Dries Vanthoor (#72 Porsche 911 RSR-19), António Félix da Costa (#28 ORECA 07-Gibson) and Julien Andlauer (#72 Porsche 911 RSR-19) share their reactions to scoring the Hyperpole at the 89th 24 Hours of Le Mans.
I am very happy to be here, in Hypercar, at a fantastic circuit, in pole position. It is such a team effort being the fastest on the track and to have such a great car for the race. We have done excellent work so far. Now on to the 24-hour race! Honestly, having the quickest lap always affects you. As a driver, we have been doing tests since the winter, of course, and we've watched the car evolve and improve. We came well-prepared. We thought we were slower and I am very happy with this time. We really didn't think we were so fast (laughs, Ed.).
I gave my all and tried to go as fast as possible. It is kind of crazy to fight with official teams like Corvette, Ferrari and Porsche. It may be surprising that we are ahead of the official Porsches, but I think it reflects that competition client services work well. I don't think I could have gone any quicker. Now we're in a good position for the start of the race, but anything can happen. I think it will be very interesting!
It's a great feeling, especially without much traffic and little fuel. As a driver, it's what we dream of. The first stint was not the best, but I was able to come back stronger during the second with fresh tires. The car was perfect this evening. I love racing at night, but I still wasn't super confident as I'd only done a few laps in these conditions this week. After the red flag, I was a bit worried, but I decided to go for it and it paid off. I just try to be present and do my best. Le Mans has a great future ahead of it, very exciting for drivers. But, we're focused on this running of the 24 Hours above all.
The team prepared well for this Hyperpole over the last two days. My first lap was already good, then as I went into the last section, the red flag was deployed. I only had one set of tires left, so I couldn't make a mistake. I found a happy medium between risk and caution. The Hyperpole reshuffles the cards and I appreciate the format. Today we confirmed we were the fastest in our class. It proves the work our team has done is high caliber.
