The former Toyota F1 test driver Franck Montagny is well placed to know what to expect of the Japanese manufacturer, which will make its return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans next year.

After seven Grand Prix starts in 2006 with Super Aguri, Franck Montagny held the position of third drivernat Toyota the following year. The Peugeot driver knows the local Toyota Motorsport GmbH which is were the F1 cars were manufactured and will also be home to the new LM P1 prototypes.

Franck Montagny, Peugeot Sport Driver: "The Endurance World Championship promises to be huge! Each of the three manufacturers involved will want to show that its technology is the best and we, drivers, will help develop new solutions. This reminds me of the time I was driving as test driver for Renault F1 Team. Each week, technicians had an enormous workload to make progress.

A few years later I held the same position at Toyota. Although a prototype GT-One sat at the entrance to the workshops at Cologne, people did not speak of the 24 Hours of Le Mans ... There was even a small sensitivty due to previous failures. The team has never won in F1, but it nevertheless remains formidable. It has advantages, the former F1 fans, and most people of the 'F1' era are still there. Today, they certainly work more calmly than back in the day. As a driver , It may be a little but if I were them, I would try to poach a couple of drivers at Audi and Peugeot to save time in development! "

Julien Hergault

Photo : BRASELTON (GEORGIA, USA), ROAD ATLANTA, PETIT LE MANS, 28 SEPT 2011. Franck Montagny, winner of Petit Le Mans.