Positive start to the Le Mans week
5 June 2022
After months of planning and preparation, we were on track today for the 90th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with eight hours of running with our two Oreca?s, putting into action the results of the briefing and simulator runs. With plenty of laps on the board, both sides of the garage are optimistic for a strong week ahead.
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Kuba Smiechowski: ?So far it feels quite good, we made a good step over the day, so we will see how it all compares with our teammates and rivals, but we feel good. The car is stable and well balanced and it?s been good to get so much track time to familiarise ourselves with the circuit.?
Alex Brundle: ?We hit the ground this morning with a good package, which is the main thing and we?ve been refining the car all day. It?s really the dream at Le Mans to roll out the car with performance and we understand why as well. The main aspect now is to keep up with the field, in terms of track evolution and performance gains and so far, we have been doing that.?
Esteban Gutierrez: ? ?We have started on the right foot, and we need to carry on in the same way through the official practice sessions and then qualifying. The car is showing good pace and considering it is a test day, we have been able to get used to the car and especially the track as this is a new event for me. We know there will be track evolution and we can plan for that with the balance of the car. Overall, it?s been good!?
Pietro Fittipaldi: ?It?s a new circuit for me, so it?s been great to get acquainted with it, getting used to the other cars, where the bumps are on the track, but even on the second run, I felt a lot more comfortable and was quickly into a good rhythm. We lost a little running time in the afternoon with the gearbox, but the pace was strong and yes, there are steps to make, but already we are maximising quite a lot, so looking forward to the rest of the week here at Le Mans.?
David Heinemeier Hanson: ?I?ve driven a lot of cars around here and it?s extremely rare for the car to hit the spot right out of the truck. We changed some gear ratios at lunchtime and then it took me a few moments to adjust my driving to the new braking points, but today we have taken a good step forward with the general setup of the car and it was great when I actually got three cleans laps to push with decent tyres to get within that perfect lap of 3:36 flat. For me, I felt that was as good as it would get with the current setup, so I think we?re in good shape.?
Fabio Scherer: ?We have learned a lot already, made some steps forwards, maybe a step back later in the day with some things that we need to analyse now, but we are in the window, the ballpark of the quick guys. We need to squeeze out small issues so that we can be strong when it matters for a strong performance.?
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Evolution at Le Mans 2021 ? 2022
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Morning session 2022 ??????????????????????? (2021)
1st ?????????????????? ?3m33s964????? (1st – 3m33s038)
#34????? 4th ?????????????????? 3m34s252??????
#43????? 10th ???????????????? 3m35s238?????? #34 ???? 10th ???? 3m35s412
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Track temp 23.50C Air temp 18.31C? (Track temp 43.30C Air temp 26.04C)
520 bhp?????????????????????????????????????????????? 540 bhp
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Afternoon session 2022????????????????????? (2021)
1st ?????????????????????????????????????????? (1st – 3m31s105)?????????
#34????? 23rd ???????????????? 3m35s377?????? #34 ???? 17th ???? 3.33.941
#43????? 16th????????????????? 3m34s281
Track temp 28.30C Air temp 21.50C? (Track temp 36.70C Air temp 24.46C)
520 bhp?????????????????????????????????????????????? 540 bhp