6 Hours of Bahrain – Gabriel Aubry: “Coming back to the WEC full time”

Gabriel, you find yourself here in Bahrain with Richard Mille because Tatiana Calderón is held up by the Super Formula finale at Suzuka. How did it go ?

My relationship with the Richard Mille Racing Team starts from the one I have with Alpine and Signatech, which also runs the RMRT. Being a reserve pilot Alpine, that's where the link comes from. I am under contract with Signatech and was supposed to come this weekend, but only on Saturday, in order to be there for the 8 hour race. It was stipulated in my contract that I be there, but not to ride. I was warned very late.

Isn't it too complicated to adapt at the last minute?

With Covid, we have become accustomed to adapting quickly. I landed this Thursday morning at 9 a.m. after leaving Paris at 21:50 p.m., I had been notified the day before. We thought it would be impossible for me to be in the paddock because of my test (new arrivals to the country must take a PCR test at the airport upon arrival. Editor's note), but the result came faster than foreseen. This was done in a 24-hour time slot.

How is acclimation to the team going?

It's very easy, because I'm with them from the beginning of the year via Alpine. What's even funnier is that the Richard Mille engineer was my first engineer in F4 when I started in 2014. There are other mechanics I know from the same era and with whom I I did LM P2 tests with Signatech-Alpine here. From the outside it's new via the RMRT, but I've been part of the team for a long time.

What is your organization and what is your role personally this weekend?

I didn't ride in Free Practice 1, because we didn't know if I could be in the paddock today (Thursday). So it was better to start working with the girls (Sophia Floersch and Beistke Visser. Ed.) who are used to it. I really have a replacement role and I only come to help. This weekend, my objective is to assist the team as much as possible with what I know of LM P2. I've been doing it for four years and whatever knowledge I can bring to the table, I'll do it. This weekend it's not about me, it's about the car. I bring what I can and what the team needs.

Is the ambition to find a fixed seat for the seasons to come?

I have a fixed seat in IMSA with Tower Motorsport in LM P2, I do a lot of freelancing from left to right. Between IMSA, the WEC and l'ELMS, it will be my thirteenth start of the year this weekend. Ultimately, I obviously want to build with a team and see it over several years. It is the most comfortable and the most interesting. I would like to secure a program in 2022, why not return to the WEC full time, while remaining in the United States, because I like it and it is interesting in terms of the experience gained.

Another new team this season, are you there with all your different engineers?

Alpine (reserve), Richard Mille, Panis Racing (Barcelona), PR1 Motorsport (Spa and Le Mans), Era Motorsport (Paul-Ricard)… With IMSA, I have six this season! But the paddock is small. It’s often the same people who are filming. For example, the engineer I have at IMSA worked on this car before. We all know each other a little bit. Being with a lot of French people helps me integrate easily too.

Is it a good thing to do more freelance work for your pilot development?

Compared to other professional drivers I try to compare myself to, I'm still young. I'm only 23 years old and it's difficult at that age to bang on the table and say that I want to play with Sébastien Bourdais et Loïc duval, I don't have the same experience. All these jobs give me this experience and allow me to keep pace with the other drivers, but also to keep my head in the paddock. It is the most important. Added together, they are all important to me.