Marc, this is a very different start to your season?
“I am obviously very pleased to be still part of the Audi team. Any driver would, of course, prefer to be racing but initially that wasn’t part of the plan.
“This opportunity though is very welcome
“I’ve never driven an LMP2 car and will get my first opportunity at the WEC Prologue. It has all been arranged with Audi and I’m delighted to help with this new relationship with Jota.
“I have heard very good things about the team and whilst it was initially a surprise to be asked to do it, I almost immediately said yes and then spoke to my good friend Nicolas Minassian and the response I got about the team, the cars and the competitiveness of the racing was all positive
“He told me that I would like it for sure and I can obviously see that there are advantages for me to be sharper and more up to speed in case I am needed by Audi not just in racing, but in testing too. The sharper I am, the more useful I can be.
“My reserve role means that, in any case I was committed to be at Spa and Le Mans so it was time I already had allocated – To actually be racing is a major plus!
“I have been told very good things about the team, very professional, very friendly they have already won at Spa and I hope I can bring my winning form at Spa and at Le Mans, to their team too.
“This does mark a step forward for Audi in driver preparation, particularly for those who are not in a full season drive I believe it will be good for Audi, and, of course, for Jota too. We have seen this approach in Formula One where several teams have a kind of junior team.
“Of course the main idea is for preparation for Filipe (Albuquerque) and they just happen now to have a seat available for the two races. I think it’s a great thing for Filipe, super useful, but it does help me too. It really is a win win.”
Have you driven the new R18 yet?
“Not yet no, I test the Jota car first and then test the Audi a week or so afterwards.
“It all fits in well with my obligations for Ferrari in F1, in fact it would be impossible for me to do more than Spa and Le Mans.
And what exactly is your role for Ferrari in 2014”
“I am again officially titled as Test Driver but of course there is very little actual testing now. It does though mean that I attend every Grand Prix and it means too that any event that has Kimi and Fernando involved with driving and interacting with the engineers I do too.
“In Malaysia for instance there’s a promotional event with a 458 that I will drive, that enables Fernando and Kimi to concentrate on the racing side.
“I also do all of the F1 Corsa Clienti events (for buyers of historic Ferrari F1 cars), that is nine events around the world, plus F1 exhibitions. Any event involving the Formula One team beyond a Grand Prix I do, Australia in April, South Africa and Asia last month. It keeps me very busy!”
Might there be an opportunity with Ferrari in sportscars moving forward?
“Le Mans is a very important race for them. It showed again last year at the end of year lunch when they showed a video that featured their past successes there and the current 458.
“de Montezumelo does like Le Mans, and in the future I think that’s possible but for the moment all of the focus is on Formula One.
“It is good that they are saying nice thing about Le Mans and that the technology is starting to get much closer with the new F1 engines not so different now to the Le Mans engines. The regulations from the FIA and ACO look attractive to the factories and that is now paying off.”
