Jakobsen unlikely to test with Peugeot
Malthe Jakobsen, despite being named as a fourth driver in both Peugeot 9X8s for Test Day, looks unlikely to take to the wheel of either 9X8.
The move to add the 20-year-old to the Test Day entry is understood to have initially happened to accommodate the potential for difficulties in some of the team’s full-season drivers having a clash with the planned Jakarta round of Formula E bit with the cancellation of that meeting the need no longer applies.
The team’s #47 LMP2 Pro-Am effort meanwhile for Matt Bell, Naveen Rao and Frederick Vesti, sees a new livery for the ORECA replacing Cool Racing’s usual blue and silver, with black and red, the car featuring prominent backing from DataBricks.
Robin No Mates at BMW
The full team shot at BMW Team WRT showcased the four cars entered by the Belgian Superteam. It also featured the new liveries for the #20 Hypercar and the pair of LMGT3 M4 GT3s and shed light on the fact that Robin Frijns has no mates!
(In reality, both Sheldon van der Linde and Rene Rast are on DTM duty this weekend.)
Matra branding removed from IDEC ORECA
The #28 IDEC Sport ORECA retains the Matra tribute colours for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but is lacking a little something on the 50th anniversary of the brand’s last Le Mans win.
That’s because of a dispute between the owners of the Matra brand who have combined with IDEC Sport for the 2024 season in the ELMS and a historic brand owner who, DSC understands, pointed out somewhat late in the day that the current ownership of the brand specifically excludes putting the word ‘Matra’ on a race car without payment of a (licensing) fee.
The solution – the colours stay – the name is removed!
Rossi targeting podium
WRT’s pair of M4 LMGT3s were present today in their new colour schemes.
After a disastrous outing at Spa – where both cars retired as victims of multi-car incidents not of their making – the team is looking to secure a strong result at Le Mans and regain ground in the title battle.
For MotoGP legend Valentino Rossi, who shares the #46 M4 with Ahmad Al Harthy and Maxime Martin in the WEC, a podium is the target for his Le Mans 24 Hours debut.
It wouldn’t be his first trip to the podium on the full Circuit de la Sarthe though, as last year he scored a famous victory with WRT in the Road to Le Mans support races.
“I’m very excited because the atmosphere is so special,” he told the media pack. “Last year’s drive was very important, so for me, this year is not the first time (on the Circuit de la Sarthe) and last year I really enjoyed it.
“It’s difficult to (have expectations) because the class is different from track to track. This season we have been quite competitive though so hope to fight for the podium, we hope to be fast and after we will see.”
TF hoping to make gains after successful Silverstone test
TF Sport’s new Corvettes generated plenty of buzz when they passed through Le Pesage today.
Tom Ferrier, the TF Sport team owner, is hoping that the team will be in the mix during the race after a successful recent test at Silverstone.
“Speed-wise we are getting there,” he said. “At Silverstone, we completed engine development stuff which everyone was positive about. It concerned torque controls and software. We hope it will make a big difference.”
Alpine focusing on reliable run
For Alpine, it’s almost a year to the day since it launched the A424 in public at the circuit on the eve of the centenary race. Reflecting on the journey the Signatech team that operates the programme has been on, boss Phillipe Sinault was keen to tell DSC that he feels a huge amount of pride in bringing Alpine’s new challenger to the Hypercar field for this race.
As for expectations, they are modest at this stage. “Getting to the finish with both cars is the number one priority, it has to be, then we will see where we are, it’s crucial to the project,” he said. “We have to focus on reliability.
“The Sunday test will be crucial to evaluate the car, as it will be the first time we will run the car with a low downforce profile.”
Habsburg ready to race
One of the storylines within Alpine’s effort to follow this week is the performance of the returning Ferdinand Habsburg. The Austrian is back in the line-up after missing Imola and Spa due to injury.
Reserve driver Jules Gounon, who filled in for Habsburg, is listed for the Test Day on Sunday but according to team boss Phillipe Sinault, he will not drive.
“Ferdi is here because he is ready, no doubt,” he said to DSC. “It’s our responsibility and his responsibility to make sure he is ok. We have made a common decision that he is ready and we are focused on getting him laps here.”
Drugovich energised by Cadillac call-up
Towards the end of the day, it was Cadillac’s turn to pass through the tunnel, the pair of Ganassi V-Series.Rs and the single example from Action Express. They generated, as expected, plenty of attention from the fans.
While Alex Palou (who is a guest driver in the #2 WEC Ganassi-run entry alongside Earl Bamber and Alex Lynn) was unable to take part in today’s festivities due to his IndyCar commitments this weekend, newly-minted reserve driver Tristan Vautier was on site, as was Action Express’ new third driver Felipe Drugovich.
Aston Martin F1 reserve Drugovich, who has been honing his prototype racing skills this year in the ELMS with Vector Sport, heads into Le Mans with a test at Laguna Seca under his belt with Cadillac.
At the Californian circuit, his performance was evaluated after a 25-30 lap run in the car. His performance must have been impressive, as it secured him the drive.
“There were not many laps because it was really a test for Pipo (Derani) and Jack (Aitken), but I think I did well in my two outings. I was good enough to fill in for this race. It wasn’t good enough to get fully up to speed, but it was enough to show what I could do.”
