Tell us about your first 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver: “It was in 2006 with the Russian Age team. I shared an Aston Martin with David Brabham and Nelson Piquet Junior. I remember having to process tons of data between Test Day and the actual race. I must admit that I was lucky to have a teammate like David Brabham that year as he helped me so much. I was his shadow for ten days (laughs) and studied his every move, to get information and see how he went about things. It was really a special edition for me. As it was my first, I tried to make the most of every single moment of the race: the opening hours, the sunset, the night and the daybreak. All that adds up to so many things you have to manage.”

What is your best memory of the race? “Before I raced in 2006, I had already been to Le Mans but on the Alain Prost circuit, for the European Karting Championship. I’ll always remember – it was in 1991 (Garcia was 11 years old at the time). The first night I slept in Le Mans, we had dinner at the restaurant at the first chicane on the Mulsanne Straight. We drove down the straight and parked in front of the restaurant. That will stay in my memory. I never thought at the time that I’d be driving past it one day at 300 kph. Now my best memory of Le Mans as a driver is the first time I made the podium and also my first GT1 win in 2008 (in the works Aston Martin DBR9 with David Brabham and Darren Turner). It was incredible to see all the fans below the podium. I was racing for a British marque too so there were lots of supporters. Even if it wasn’t the Spanish national anthem that was played, it still sent a shiver down my spine.”

And the worst? “I’d say last year when we had to pull out following Jan Magnussen’s accident in qualifying on the Wednesday. We were so disappointed not to race but the worst moment for me was the Saturday morning. I got to the pits at 9.00, the warm-up had just started and I saw the garage door closed…”

Which teammate has made the biggest impression on you? “I have driven with and against some excellent drivers. However, I’d have to say David (Brabham). With him, I understood what the phrase ‘experienced driver’ really meant. I was lucky to have him as a mentor. I’m now starting to feel that I’m just as experienced as he is.”

How important is the 24 Hours of Le Mans in Spain? “Everyone in Spain knows Le Mans. It’s true that, over there, motorcycling is extremely popular, as is Formula One with drivers such as Fernando Alonso. But I had heard of the 24 Hours of Le Mans when I was a child and my grandparents knew it too. It’s an enormous event – a bit like the soccer World Cup.” 

Tell us about the colours and design of your helmet: “On the side, there are the letters A and G intermingled. The white, black and red colours were chosen rather randomly. I always thought they went well together. There is a green leaf on the top of my helmet. It’s the symbol of my motorsport club when I was younger, in 1988. I was starting out in karting at the time. My father stuck this logo on the top of my helmet and it has stayed there ever since. Even when I started getting sponsors and advertising deals, I never wanted to take it off. A while ago, I added a little star in honour of María de Villota. It means a lot to me. It’s a long story, but when she had her accident in Formula One (she was a test driver for the Marussia Team), I promised her that I’d keep this star on my helmet until the day she raced again. She sadly died but I kept this symbol.”