Sam, you drove a Ferrari for AF Corse in 2014 at the 6 Hours of Silverstone and the 24 Hours of Le Mans and now you are driving for Ferrari full time. Is it a dream come true?

As a young boy, I grew up wanting to be a racing driver. Ask any young boy what manufacturer they would love to drive for and most will say Ferrari. I’m extremely proud to represent this brand now. I believe that the 488 is going to be an extremely competitive car. We have four competitive drivers, and in AF Corse, we have an extremely competitive team. Combined with the backing of Ferrari, I believe we can be very strong this year.

Last year, you raced in LM P2 but before that, endurance racing was unknown to you. Was the LM P2 experience useful?

Any experience in endurance racing is a good experience. Obviously last year, it was great to win a world championship [in LM P2 with G-Drive Racing]. I go to Ferrari as a reigning champion and I would dearly love to hold that title for another year. It will be difficult because there are many other strong GT teams.

 The LM GTE Pro line-up looks formidable indeed.

Which opponent do you fear the most: Aston Martin, Corvette, Ford, Porsche…?

Right now, I’m focussing on learning and improving myself, in the car, in GT racing. But as a team, of course, we know that competition is coming from everywhere, not any one opponent. I think of all these brands bring stronger cars than they had last year. It’s going to be a competitive year for all concerned.

What about your learning curve? Where would you say you are?

I’m getting up to speed. I’ve already got Le Mans under my belt. I’ve driven a GT around Le Mans before so I know I can do that. So I’m not particularly concerned. I’m just excited to get to Le Mans. It’s the big one, when everybody shows their true form.

You and fellow Ferrari driver James Calado are both British. Do you think you add something special to the team?

I don’t know whether we have anything special. But we’re part of the team because they believe in us. We all get on extremely well. The atmosphere in the team is fantastic among the drivers and also with the mechanics and the engineers. So I don’t know if I bring anything particular, but the fun, friendly atmosphere is definitely very special, very professional. All in all, it’s a great place to work.

Geoffroy Barre — Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: Sam Bird feels ready for Le Mans and his experience makes him a favourite to do well at the 24 Hours this coming June.