Pla: our opponents can go faster

Do you think that the Balance of Performance is favorable to you?

Corvettes and Aston Martin should be able to go much faster, especially the C7Rs. We didn't want to hide our game in order to prepare for the race. I don't know the situation at Porsche. I'm not focusing on the Balance of Performance, my job is to do the most with what I'm given, but I'm sure all the manufacturers will be on board. It's a shame that the subject is so parasitic on the category which nevertheless offers a beautiful spectacle.

Is traffic management complicated in GT?

We don't have too much trouble managing the LMP1s. It's more difficult with the LMP2s who have roughly the same top speed as us and who are sometimes a little aggressive when braking to gain the advantage.

Were you able to test the Ford GT on a wet track?

I've never driven the Ford GT in the rain before, apart from three laps at Silverstone. We left Billy Johnson on the track as long as possible, we have to give him time to learn, and we wanted to keep the sets of tires because they can always be used depending on the conditions. The Porsches will remain very formidable in the rain due to the architecture of the 911 RSR.

How is your collaboration with Stefan Mücke going?

We have the same settings preferences, I get along very well with him. All our changes are positive for each other. We will perhaps try to set a new time this evening if conditions permit. Him or me, it doesn't matter. Everyone has room to improve. My best lap was ruined by a slow zone. They were triggered too often and caused confusion during testing. I hope we don't have too many in the race. The situation can be dicey with the performance gap between the cars.

The No. 66 Ford GT of Pla-Johnson-Mücke currently occupies fifth place in GTE Pro after the first qualifying session. The second session will begin at 19 p.m. and will be followed live with our live text.