Pierre Fillon: “A special 24 Hours of Le Mans”

Why did we bring forward the departure of 24 Hours of Le Mans at 14:30 p.m.?

In September, it gets dark much earlier and we will not be in the pre-summer period and therefore pre-holidays. The spectators and their children will be working on Monday and therefore I think it is wise to allow them to return home on Sunday before dark. Furthermore, Roland-Garros begins the next day (we have since learned that the Tour de France is also scheduled to end on September 20. Editor’s note) and our big broadcasters in Europe and France – Eurosport and France TV – are both affected. So we wanted to avoid that overlapping. Finally, we wanted to have more hours of racing before dark on Saturday.

Will the administrative and technical checks, organized within the circuit itself, be open to the public?

Yes, and it will be free, as is the case in the city center. But it goes without saying that we will respect the government's instructions regarding welcoming the public. The purpose of relocating weighing is to make the task easier for our teams (technical commissioners. Editor's note) who will, moreover, not have seen the cars pass by beforehand, given that there is no Test Day. The idea of ​​doing everything in one week is also explained by our wish to avoid making excessive demands on our volunteers who will not necessarily be as available as in June.

Was it the absence of a Test Day that pushed you to organize more free practices?

Organizing the Test Day would have forced the teams to stay on site longer, with the expenses that this entails. These free practices will be useful for beginners who need to learn the circuit and for our teams responsible for developing the BoP (of the GTE. Editor’s note).

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Why did we increase the number of compulsory night laps to be completed for each driver during free practice from 5 to 8?

The night in September is significantly longer than in June. However, the visibility is not the same, you have to get used to the headlights and the tires react differently. The sunshine will not be the same either, and the risk of rain – or even fog – is greater. In short, competitors and tire manufacturers will face very different conditions.

You also brought forward the warm up to 8:15 a.m. Will the pre-race protocol be reviewed?

It will be redeveloped, but we will still have Road to Le Mans and the support race (Porsche Carrera Cup. Editor’s note) planned remains for the moment still relevant. We are a little disappointed because we would have liked to have more time for the morning entertainment and the grid walk, but we are facing exceptional circumstances. However, we will return, from 2021, to a departure at 16 p.m.

Are you afraid of packages for this 88th edition due to the predicted economic crisis?

It will be a special 24 Hours of Le Mans. The event will take place in a different economic and health context, hence a different organization. Our wish is obviously that everyone does well, both small and large teams, because motorsport still has a bright future ahead of it. We will do everything to make it so, perhaps with other ideas, because the advantage of these periods is that we have time to think. I hope that the gentlemen drivers will be able to carry out the planned program, but we are well aware that they have businesses and, like everyone else, that they will have to face the economic crisis. The same goes for partners. It’s a risk, that’s obvious. But we will do everything to help them. We plan to publish a new entry list in mid-July and the teams will have until August 18 to confirm their crews.

Is it a disappointment that Le Mans is no longer the WEC finale?

The idea of ​​finishing with the 24 Hours of Le Mans made sense. That said, I believe that today, neither the WEC nor the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be tainted by this change.