How does it feel to win the FIA Endurance Trophy for LM P2 Drivers?
To be honest, it hadn’t really sunk in but when you come to this sort of event (the official 24 Hours of Le Mans film première, on 25 November in Le Mans), when you see all the photos, when everyone congratulates you and sends messages, you see the buzz on social media, then the penny drops. It’s a bit like winning Le Mans, which I was lucky enough to experience in GT. It tends to be later, when you return to your everyday life, that you realise just how great an experience it all is.

How would you sum up your season?
On the whole, the year flew by even though there were times when we were not doing so well and of course they dragged (smiles). Given the lead we’d built up in 2014, we thought we’d be more in control this year but it didn’t work out like that. We had our work cut out. We were fine in the first two races of the season, winning the opener at Silverstone. Then things got tougher at Le Mans where we struggled to finish third. Our car was not as suited to Le Mans as the Oreca 05. We thought we’d come back strongly at the Nürburgring and again it wasn’t the case. So we went back to the drawing board with the engineers and put in extra effort to compete with some excellent rivals. The technical crew and the drivers worked harder and more effectively and we began to see the results out on the track with three wins in five races. We kept going and were rewarded with the FIA Endurance Trophy.

It’s almost six months since the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Looking back, do you see your third place as a disappointment or do you feel that a podium at Le Mans is still a great result?
Both really. When we realised that our race speed wasn’t good enough, we gave more stints to Sam Bird who was the fastest of the three of us. He put in something like eleven hours of racing, which is an extraordinary physical performance. We did everything we could to achieve the best possible result so, yes, we were disappointed because we still weren’t able to compete; I admit that’s not easy to swallow. You wonder where you’ll finish when you’re struggling for speed. You know that it’s going to be a long race and double points are at stake too. But it’s still great to be on the podium because it is Le Mans after all. I’d got used to it during my first three races here (winning the GT1 class in 2010 and the LM GTE Am class in 2011 and 2012). Then in 2013, when I was forced to retire with the Morgan, I realised that it was a lot harder than it seemed when the car wasn’t up to scratch. So when you manage to cross the finish line with the added bonus of being on the podium, you have to be happy with that. It’s a fantastic experience too when you have thousands of people cheering you. At the end of the day, satisfaction wins over the disappointment.

What can you tell us of your plans for 2016?
G-Drive Racing will no longer be working with OAK Racing, as they have been replaced by Extreme Speed Motorsports. Without giving anything away, the two lineups have already been decided on and I’m not among them. The decision wasn’t taken by Philippe (Dumas, OAK Racing Team Principal) or Jacques (Nicolet, OAK Racing owner) . ESM have opted for a Silver-class driver instead of me. He’s not as fast, but has greater backing. The racing aspect is important, but the financial side carries a lot of weight. I have been in touch with the teams I feel are the most competitive and have some irons in the fire – four in particular – for either the World Endurance Championship or the European Le Mans Series in 2016, including Le Mans in each case. Most of the teams I've been talking to have been doing battle with us this year and they are interested in my profile. Now it all depends on the pro drivers and how much money they can bring in. Team managers have to strike a compromise between the drivers’ speed and their financial backing. The ball’s in their court.

What did you think of the official 24 Hours of Le Mans film you have just watched? How does it compare to your experience?
The film is a great chance for the public and the fans to see exactly what we go through. There are lots of onboard cameras and it’s great, even for me. I don’t often get the chance to see much of LM P1, as we are so focused on our own race. The film shows just how fast those cars go, not so much in the corners, but when they’re accelerating out – it’s quite impressive. You also get to see what happened in the various classes and, to be honest, I learned a few things! It’s an excellent way to give people an insight into our world.

David Bristol / ACO – Translated from French by David Goward

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, 24 HOURS OF LE MANS, TUESDAY 9 JUNE 2015, AUTOGRAPH SESSION. Julien Canal has every intention of being on the Le Mans grid for the seventh time in 2016.