Last year you drove the Alpine A450B. This year, the Alpine A460 which is an offshoot of the Oreca 05. Do you feel better armed?

"Last year we had a fantastic team of mechanics, engineers and drivers, and this year that is once again the case. The A460 is a newer car and in terms of performance that helps us a lot. There is a real difference from last year. With the A450B you had to go after it to clock the right times. This year, it's easier to clock good times. Our competitors also have good cars. The race will be difficult and we will have to perform well and stay on the track."

You are highly anticipated by Alpine fans. Does that add to the pressure for you?

"We feel like we are really supported by the Alpine fans, but since 2013 I've gotten used to it. It's a positive pressure and quite enjoyable. It motivates the entire team. I prefer that over being in a team where the drivers are not necessarily supported."

Alpine has entered two cars in this 84th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Does that suggest two different racing strategies?

"I don't know yet. We're going to see after the free practice relative to the performance of the two cars. It's a discussion we'll have with the engineers. What is certain is that entering two cars doubles our chances for a good result. Before the start of the race, we are going to establish a strategy. And it may be modified in function of how the race is going."

For the free practice and qualifying sessions, it looks like there will changing weather conditions. Is that a pain in the neck for tweaking the car?

"We will have to take advantage of the brief dry conditions we'll have to try and achieve a good time and not start too far back on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. The free practice will also give us the opportunity to test the wear on the tyres. We'll have to juggle between needing to clock a good time and tweaking the car. Our goal will be to benefit from each moment we're driving on a dry track."

You are teammates with David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung, two Chinese drivers. How do you all communicate?

"Very well because they both speak English. David has double nationality American-Chinese and Ho-Pin was born in the Netherlands. Whether outside the circuit or in the pit, we get along very well. They have very well integrated into the team."

Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

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Photo: Nelson Panciatici, figurehead of the Alpine drivers at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.