António Félix da Costa: “Lots of things to learn about the car”

António, what are your feelings here in Spa?

I am happy to be part of this project. When I left BMW and the DTM in 2014 and got into endurance racing, I wasn't very enthusiastic. I already found the DTM races too long, how on earth was I going to last a 24 hour race? But when I tried it the first time, it sparked something in me. Now I love this type of racing. I was lucky to have extraordinary teammates and to evolve quickly and go from GT to Hypercar to LM P2 in six or seven years. As for sensations, there are still a lot of unknowns. I don't really know how the tires behave, I only drove in the wet yesterday (Friday). There is a lot to learn about the car. It is very complex with its hybrid system. We have a list of things we want to test during the race to try to get some information.

Did you have a lot to learn before you got in the car for the first time?

When I arrived on Thursday, we were in the truck until 1 a.m. and WIll (Stevens) was amazing. He explained everything to me. They had been driving during the day and he told me what had happened to them, what light had appeared, what to do if such a thing happened. I studied a lot and I was lucky to be able to count on the team to help me. There's still a lot going on that we don't know about, radio communication will be intense today with the team, but we'll make it work.

You missed Thursday and two Free Practice sessions because you were at the simulator Formula E de Porsche. Is it more difficult to approach such a weekend later than the others?

This doesn't make things easier, but I wouldn't say difficult. I know the engineers and mechanics very well, they respect what I do and this part of the work. Honestly, no one is angry or upset and they gave me almost the entire session yesterday, so it's all good.

This will be your third race in a third different car (LM P2, Formula E, Hypercar) in as many weekends, how are you adapting?

I close my eyes and I go! (Laughs) I love it. Over the last ten years I have driven even more different cars, from reserve to Formula 1, DTM, Brazilian stock car, GT3. I like to think it helps me adapt quickly. It's an awesome challenge.

Do you have support from Porsche to help you with operations?

Of course we have their support. It's such a new car that they're still discovering it themselves. We can produce additional data and other things. It’s a relationship that will grow and improve. We will have joint tests with the factory cars before Le Mans and I think we can really take a step forward.

Was it important to participate in the first two races of the season in the LM P2 category for team cohesion?

Absolutely, we've changed the structure of the team a little bit, the way we operate. It was a good thing to test it. No one had raced from Bahrain to Sebring, which is four and a half months, so it was perfect for warming up.

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