One of the key talking points af this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours was the LMP2 battle, which, unfortunately, left those in the stands and watching at home with a sour taste in their mouths. The winning G-Drive Racing ORECA was disqualified the day after the race for an irregularity with the team’s fuel rig handed it an advantage throughout the race, promoting the Signatech Alpine Matmut team to the top step of the podium.
But, despite the understandable shock and euphoria of being named surprise winners, the newly-crowned crew of Nicolas Lapierre, Pierre Thiriet and Andre Negrao experienced on the Monday after the 24 Hours, it wasn’t the same as being there, and having the honour of standing atop the podium at the Circuit de la Sarthe, in front of the hundreds of thousands of fans, who annually storm the circuit after the conclusion of the race.
“It’s cruel, at Le Mans the best experience is to stand at the top of the podium,” Lapierre told DSC when asked about how he and the team feel since being named winners. “But it’s part of it. The TDS, G-Drive cars are always on the limit of the rules, they’ve been disqualified a few times now. We know they’re playing with it. Sometimes it works for them, sometimes it doesn’t.”
The result, remarkably, is still provisional, the appeal from G-Drive Racing hasn’t been decided on, meaning even the three new winners will have to wait a little longer to be fully confirmed winners.
“We are still waiting for the appeal, we will see what the outcome is,” he continued. “It’s always the same. They have really strong pace, good pit stops, good strategy, but the fact that they are always on the limit is a bit tiring for us, because in a way, even when they win we are never sure that they are legal.”
In addition to the suspicion Lapierre says the team always have, what the Frenchman says is more disappointing is that G-Drive’s crew didn’t need the advantage they gained in the pits, as the trio of drivers and the team behind them were good enough to win the race outright anyway.
“After the first few hours of the race, we knew that we couldn’t catch them on pure pace,” he explained. “We pushed, but whatever we did we ended up in the same position. They were just cruising, and they have a really strong line-up. The car is fast, Vergne is super fast. They had everything they needed to win anyway, they didn’t need the advantage, but this is why it makes it more sad for them.”
Looking forward though, he’s positive about the remaining races in the FIA WEC ‘Super Season’, Lapierre feels that the Sigantech Alpine team, who now lead the LMP2 championship after a second place finish at Spa and a win at Le Mans, can gun for the title.
“We are very happy. It’s never easy when you come from a Silver to a Gold, like Andre has. There’s a bit more pressure in the second year, but he’s extremely strong, he makes no mistakes and is a great open-minded teammates. Pierre is new to the team, he’s French though, and he knows the tracks, so he fits in. He’s a strong Silver.
“It’s looking good for the championship now, especially now we have the points for winning at Le Mans. The team is well prepared, they are experienced. We just have to take calm and consider that it’s a long season in terms of months. Someone like Pierre may not drive for months between races, so it’s hard to keep a rhythm. Everyone is in the same boat though.
“For me, I’m busy, for the rest of the team, it’s going to be hard.”
