Tell us about your first 24 Hours of Le Mans as a driver:

I competed in the 24 Hours for the first time in 2012 and it was very impressive. Basically it was my very first time at Le Mans. I was very impressed by the Drivers' Parade on Friday, with a very warm welcome from the fans. The whole week was tough because I was so excited. The ceremony before the race start with all the anthems was something I had never experienced before.

What is your best memory of the race?

Probably it is the pole position in 2014. At that time I was still looking forward to the race so I did not really care about qualifying and pole but today I think it is my best memory. I think that only the race win could be better!

And the worst?

It was also in 2014. I retired when leading the race. I felt very sorry for the team because we had a car to win and we did a good race.

Has a teammate inspired you in any way?

I am very happy to share the wheel with Sébastien and Anthony. They are fast and reliable, they are the ideal team mates because there are still many things I can learn from them.

Maybe the line-up the Japanese fans would love to see is maybe myself, Kamui [Kobayashi] and another driver from Japan, or perhaps someone like André Lotterer, who has been racing in Japan for quite a long time... That kind of all-Japanese squad would be awesome.

Does the design and colour of your helmet mean anything in particular?

Basically the design of my helmet mostly comes from my father's, for example the name of Nakajima painted on the back. I also use the red and white colours of the Japanese flag. I also rely very much on my painter to get a good design.

Is endurance racing popular in Japan?

The 24 Hours of Le Mans are very popular in Japan, with TV broadcasts. After my pole position in 2014 I saw many stories on the Net and a lot of reactions of my friends and fans. I realised that the 24 Hours are a big thing in my country.

I think that the best way to make the 24 Hours even bigger in Japan is for us to win the race.

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 5 JUNE 2015, TEST DAY. Kazuki Nakajima (right) keeps an eye on the development of the #5 Toyota TS050 HYBRID. Briton Anthony Davidson (pictured in front of Nakajima) is one of his teammates.