Last June, you were back on the 24 Hours of Le Mans podium. How did you feel?

It was incredible to be back on the Le Mans podium. I feel that particular race really chooses you, so to achieve that in the first year back with Cadillac after a 21-year absence and the first year of the Cadillac V-Series.R Hypercar was incredibly satisfying. And, for me, because I was there at the beginning of the project in 2021 with the simulations, the first driver to drive the rollout, it was especially gratifying and exciting. To be part of that whole development and then to be on the podium, I think, was a big achievement for everyone involved in the project. Also, to lead our first laps at Le Mans was really special. A lot of history was made and it makes us even hungrier to go back there and try to get the top spot. I think from where we started this year, we can be really proud.

What tactic did you adopt during the race?

We knew the car was going to be reliable, but we needed to avoid mistakes. At every race prior, we had the chance to be on the podium if we performed well. Honestly, I think the team, the drivers, everyone at Cadillac, I think we ran a good race at Le Mans – not perfect but overall, a good race -- and we got the result we deserved.

You actually led the field for a few laps. What was going through your mind at that time?

It all gets lost on a driver who is busy with so many things in the car each lap, and then the weather comes into play, too. So, I was only really told about leading the first laps for Cadillac at Le Mans after the stint. It’s a great achievement for a young programme.

You have a reliable car, but where does it need to improve to be in with a chance of winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

We learned a lot this year about many aspects of the car. Being the first year of the Hypercar programme and all that has gone into it, we keep learning with each session. I’ve said all year that if we expect to beat someone like Ferrari and Toyota in our first year, it would be a really big challenge. From where we started, it has been a big achievement, but we know where we can improve, and we’ll work on that for next season and be even stronger and have better opportunities of achieving our ultimate goal.

What will your strategy be in 2024 to step up from outsider to serious challenger?

I think this one year of experience in the series will be a big help for us. We know the tracks now, we know what our weaknesses are, we know what compounds suit us and all those kinds of things. It just takes a year of knowledge. If you have a look at the core group; Toyota, being the strongest on the grid, has been doing it since 2012. Continuity with the team, crew, drivers and engineers cannot be underestimated.

If you receive three invites for the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year, in what way will that be an advantage?

It’s always a massive advantage to have more cars on the grid – from sharing data to working on different setups and strategies in the free practice sessions. A lot can happen in a 24-hour race; it’s not very often you go through a 24-hour race clean. And it means we have at least one other car in place if one falls back because of a Safety Car or if there is an issue. To be at the front, you need everything to go perfectly, so that goes back to the first question – Le Mans chooses you. Some years, you can’t put a foot wrong and other years, you can’t put a foot right! That’s the beauty of Le Mans and why we come back year after year searching for perfection.

You won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche in 2015 and 2017. How do you view your current team and Cadillac Racing’s Hypercar project?

It’s been really exciting, and they are a great bunch of people who are dedicated and focused on winning. And I’ve really enjoyed it because where we started with a clean slate and the car getting on track for the first time in July 2022 – that seems a long time ago but it’s a relatively short amount of time in the development of such a complex racecar – we’ve been building and working together. Where we finished at Le Mans and where we’re getting to now, we’re just starting to get the ball rolling. We have so much more that we can achieve, and I think we’re on the right path to doing it.