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WEC - What The Drivers Said.....Race

07.05.17

2017 WEC 6 hours of Spa-Francorchamps - Driver quotes after Race

FIA, Motorsport, WEC, World Endurance Championship, WEC 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps

Sebastien Buemi – 1st

No8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“Today we were not the fastest for sure. I think car #7 would have deserved it much more because we made so much time with the Full Course Yellow. At the start of the race I felt it was not too bad and I was quite good in the traffic but I didn’t really have the pace and basically we haven’t had it since Thursday, but without having the pace we still managed to win.

“On the other hand last year we were leading by one lap and had an engine failure. We were on the right tyres to start with but I was just not quick enough and Mike (Conway) was really fast. At the end of the race we were on the wrong tyres basically and every drop of rain was making my life more difficult and we couldn’t get the tyres to work so that made it hard in the last few laps.”

Anthony Davidson – 1st

No8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“We certainly did have the luck today and if anyone says you make your own luck in this world, and in particular in racing, then you can look at this race because we clearly had it all today. With those Full Course Yellows coming in twice gave us basically a minute advantage overall. They should have had the win today.”

Kazuki Nakajima – 1st

No8 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“It was a difficult race as my two teammates said. I have quite mixed feelings actually because we were quite lucky but at the end of the day it was a great result for the team and it is good to know we have some good luck with us this year. To head to Le Mans with this result is good for the team. It was tough to watch the TV at the end as it was really close between Sebastien and Kamui.”

Mike Conway – 2nd

No7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“The car has been good all weekend and the team have done a great job. We have been fast and really dialled in to this place. The first part of the race we were quick and managed to build a nice lead but we got screwed really by the two Full Course Yellows. It was unfortunate but we were trying as hard as we could to claw it all back. We got pretty close but that is racing sometimes unfortunately. It is a great team result though to get a 1-2.”

Kamui Kobayashi – 2nd

No7 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“Obviously we tried everything and it was a good effort from the team to score points.

“Our car was really fast today; we just lost the race due to bad luck. At the end I caught up with Sébastien but in the last laps it’s not fair to attack when we are running one-two so I just followed him. It’s nice for the team to score maximum points from the race, especially in one of our home races; it was a good effort from everyone.”

Brendon Hartley – 3rd

No2 Porsche LMP1 Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“The Toyota’s were definitely quick at the beginning and with the hot temperatures the balance was quite a lot different to what we had on Thursday and Friday. But it was actually quite a strong end to the stint and I passed Andre just before the pit stop.

“We were quite close to the #8 Toyota but the #7 was very hard to keep hold of today and congratulations to them (Toyota).”

“The team did a really good job and we got another podium but just not the step that we didn’t really want but we should have some good confidence on going to Le Mans.”

Earl Bamber – 3rd

No2 Porsche LMP1 Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“We had good pace following the number eight and we were following them but we got a slower puncture and could feel it moving at the rear so we had to stop. After that we had a good stint and they were behind us and from there we got a bit lucky as we got in to the window for the Full Course Yellows which helped us get back up there through the ranks to get another podium.

“Generally the car was good, not quick enough for the win but there was a top job from Timo and Brendon so we are now looking forward to going back to Le Mans. The car is feeling good on the low-downforce so we are looking forward.”

Timo Bernhard – 3rd

No2 Porsche LMP1 Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“The puncture threw us back a bit and we should have been a bit closer. It is important to gather these points before Le Mans as last year after Le Mans we had just 3.5 points and we are in a better position now but two podiums is ok and we have good information for Le Mans where I am sure the fans will see a very, very close fight and it is one I am looking forward to.”

Roman Rusinov – LMP2 Winner

No26 G-Drive Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

“It wasn’t my aim to take the start but I took the start and then I saw (Romain) Dumas behind me, so I pushed really hard like I was doing qualifying laps.  But this was a mistake because my last ten laps in my second stint were just impossible and I was ten seconds from the pace. 

“Then we changed our stategy with Alex (Lynn) doing a super job and then Pierre (Thiriet) did a great job as well, we could manage the tyres and the car was good.  Thanks to the team, our mechanics did an incredible job today, and to my two teammates.”

Alex Lynn - LMP2 Winner

No26 G-Drive Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

“I was quite worked up when I got into the car for the last stint as I was expecting to have a big battle with Bruno Senna because Pierre held off Nico Prost for a long, long time.  I knew it was going to come down to a matter of seconds, track position was extremely important at that point. 

“But by the time I was half way through my stint the gap was over a minute and I just had to triple stint the right hand tyres.  It was a big task as the tyres degraded a lot but we did it.  A big thanks to the team as well, they have worked really hard to put everything together since Silverstone and here we are on the top step, so I am really happy.”

Pierre Thiriet - LMP2 Winner

No26 G-Drive Racing Oreca 07-Gibson

“It was an amazing race and the battle with Nico (Prost) was so good, I enjoyed it a lot.  It was a good fight and fair, just like we want to go racing.  Roman and Alex did a great job and I just had to do my part.  I had a good pace, I just had to try and not to destroy the tyres.”

Davide Rigon – LMGTE Pro Winner

No71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE

“I hope we wont have to wait another year for a win and we continue at the next race.  To be honest it was an incredible job by all the team.  Sam especially was managing the tyres very well in the rain, he never made a mistake.  I’m very proud of the team and we were prepared for a good result. So I ma very happy today.”

Sam Bird – LMGTE Pro Winner

No71 AF Corse Ferrari 488 GTE

“It was an intense battle with Alessandro, but it’s racing.  The fans want to come and see exciting battles and that’s what they saw today.  It was pretty cool but it was a really tough race.  We’ve never seen tyres do what they did today in the race, so we were a little bit in the unknown and when I was told I had to double stint at the end I was a little bit worried how the tyres would be, but we managed it really well. 

“Our engineers have given us a mega car this weekend.  Everybody at AF Corse and Ferrari have worked so hard after Silverstone to put us back on the pace and we did that, so I’m really happy.”

Pedro Lamy – LMGTE Am Winner

No98 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage

“It’s a great result but it looked easier than it was because we didn’t have the fastest car on track.  I had a good stint but we got a penalty so we lost that.  But then Paul made the difference against all the other bronze drivers, which made our life much easier.  Mathias did a great stint too. Today looked easy but we expect a big fight until the end of the season.”

Paul Dalla Lana – LMGTE Am Winner

No98 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage

“It is a privilege to race here at Spa and I’d forgotten that this is our third win here.  We consider this to be one of the greatest tracks in the world, so to come here on a sunny Saturday and be able to fight and enjoy is a special thing.  In addition to winning just being here is a great experience and I am so happy. 

“Our race was a little tougher than it looked and I had to push in my stints.  We got a little bit lucky with the traffic with the prototypes passing you, so to survive that and come out with the win is great.  To head to Le Mans leading the championship is nice and now we are excited for the next one.”

Mathias Lauda – LMGTE Am Winner

No98 Aston Martin Racing Aston Martin Vantage

“In the first stint I had to push really hard, the gap wasn’t going down and we had a lot of pressure from behind from the Porsche, which was a bit better than our car and really fast.  But we stayed cool, Paul and Pedro did a great job.  The last part of the race was a bit easier because we had a bigger gap, the team did really good pitstops, so everything worked perfectly today but it was still a tough race.”