Tell us about your first 24 Hours of Le Mans. “It was in 1983 with the #8 Porsche 956 for Joest Racing. I shared the wheel with Klaus Ludwig and Bob Wollek and it was a really memorable experience. I was amazed by the speed. At that time, there was no chicane on the Mulsanne Straight.”

What is your best memory of the race? “I’d have to say my 1997 win with Joest Racing. That said, I remember every outing at Le Mans and I’ve always enjoyed racing there. It’s an iconic race, like the Indy 500 [in which he has competed four times]. It’s a such tough race.”

And the worst? “I experienced rain during the race several times at Le Mans. In poor conditions, it’s very difficult to drive well. There were years when I could have won the 24 Hours but it wasn’t to be.”

Which teammate has made the biggest impression on you? “Bob Wollek was my very first teammate. He was fantastic with me. I was really young at the time but he took me under his wing and taught me so much about the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Then there was Michele [Alboreto] and Tom [Kristensen]. We made a great team and we won Le Mans! I’ve always had great teammates, I’ve never had a problem with any of them.”

How is the 24 Hours of Le Mans seen in your country? “I think that my 1997 win helped raise the race’s profile in my country. But motorsport fans across the world are familiar with the 24 Hours of Le Mans.” 

Tell us about the colours and design of your helmet. “My helmet is inspired by the nickname I was given in motorsport – Little Leaf! It’s my nickname in Swedish. My father was “The Leaf” when he used to race, so I naturally became “Little Leaf”. In fact, I grew up in a little village called “Leaf”! So I used green leaf as a symbol on my helmet. When I was racing in the United States, people told me that green leaves were a symbol of bad luck. Us drivers are superstitious [laughs] so I had them painted blue because that had no hidden meaning [laughs]! There is also some sky blue and yellow on my helmet, in a nod to the Swedish flag.”