2023-06-07 10:15:06
Ferrari is advancing “session following session” for the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and despite great promises, the prancing horse drivers remain convinced that Toyota still has the advantage.
Ferrari made a strong impression on Test Day at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, but the Italian team continues to keep its feet on the ground and temper expectations. Despite the mixed feeling that reigned at Toyota last Sunday, it is believed in the prancing horse clan that the defending champions are still in control.
“Trials are still trials”insists Antonio Giovinazziassociated to Alessandro Pier Guidi et James Silent on the 499P #51. “I think Toyota is still ahead of us, and maybe Porsche and Cadillac are closer to us. We are here, we are ready to fight, there is an opportunity, anything can happen, but I think Toyota is still ahead of us.”
Describing “a positive Test Day”, the former Formula 1 driver believes that Ferrari’s approach must continue to take shape step by step. All with a status necessarily apart, while the manufacturer is making a comeback in the battle for the general for the first time in half a century.
“We obviously feel a form of pressure, because we are Ferrari”he admits. “We know where we are in performance compared to the others. You have to think session following session. I think it’s the best approach you can have. Toyota has experience, they know how to win and be fast , and I think for us it’s regarding keeping the pressure on Toyota, and maybe something can happen. We’ll see if it works, we mustn’t make mistakes because here it can cost more than ‘elsewhere.”
“It’s just a matter of experience, they have a lot more than us, especially at Le Mans. We have a fast car, we showed it in qualifying and we got three podiums, but experience is key. , especially at Le Mans, it’s something you can’t buy in one race. You have to drive, not make mistakes, progress.”
Toyota remains the big favorite in the eyes of the Ferrari clan.
The Ferrari 499P is swift, and already makes its top speed speak for itself in the long, fast sections of the Le Mans circuit. On the other hand, its weakness in terms of tire management was confirmed at the start of the season, and this is a major area of work.
“It’s not our strongest point, we saw it at Sebring and Portimao, so we focused a lot on that and we made progress at Spa in terms of tire degradation and economy.”confirms Antonio Giovinazzi. “I think that’s less of an issue at Le Mans, where it’s a less aggressive circuit for the tyres, which might be a good thing for us. It would be a mistake to think too much regarding the strategy, because 24 hours is a long time, there is the new safety car, things that can happen, so we have to take it step by step to be better at the level of degradation and all that we can do.”
The general feeling is the same within crew #51, where Anthony Fire, Miguel Molina et Nicklas Nielsen. The Dane, asked regarding the favorite of the event, does not hesitate.
“It would be wrong not to say Toyota”he replies. “Yesterday they said they didn’t look like favourites, but I think we have to wait for the race to see. They have a lot of experience, not only from the Hypercar era but also LMP1. They continue to be among the favorites for the win, no doubt, but we will do everything we can to fight until the end.”
With Benjamin Vinel
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