McNish: “More difficult than in the past”

Allan McNish knows well Le Mans. Samedi, le « lutin écossais » va en effet prendre part à sa 12e classique mancelle. Accompagné de ses fidèles acolytes Dindo Capello et Tom Kristensen pour la 6e année consécutive, l?ancien pensionnaire de l?équipe Toyota en Formula 1 hopes to achieve a third victory in the Sarthe on Sunday at 15 p.m., a second with Audi. But he knows that the task promises to be difficult.

“This time Le Mans is going to be even more difficult than in the past for various reasons, underlines the driver of the No. 18 Audi R3 TDI. During the test day in April, the top 5 were grouped together in less than a second, on a lap which is 13,6 km! I think the rhythm of Peugeot and Audis in qualifying and in the race will be very close. This means that our pit stops will have to be safe and precise, and that we will have to opt for a good strategy. Lap times will be crucial, but it will also be necessary to manage fuel consumption and tire wear. Since November, we have completed test sessions during which we focused on the time and reliability. During the test day, we finished first and third, and finished our first race, at Spa, on the third step of the podium. We have finalized our preparation, and are now fully focused on the race. »

A race in which he should probably start, as is customary on “his” Audi.

Discover in your AUTOhebdo magazine, on newsstands tomorrow, around fifteen pages on the 24 Hours of Le Mans including exclusive interviews with Philippe Sinault and Anthony Davidson as well as Henri Pescarolo's column.