Porsche expects close competition

The Porsche 919 Hybrid n’ont pas rencontré de soucis majeurs lors de la Journée Test des 24 Hours of Le Mans contested on June 5. The German LMP1s completed a total of 173 laps, or 2357 km, demonstrating good reliability. This parameter will be all the more important as the Stuttgart manufacturer will only field two cars in the double round of the Sarthe race contested on the 18th and 19th of the same month.

“Given the times, we can clearly expect an exciting race”, assures Fritz Enzinger, LMP1 vice-president of Porsche. “The first four cars are grouped in 1”2 on a 13,6 km circuit, which underlines what we have been highlighting since the start of the season. The competition has tightened and this is particularly the case at Le Mans. »

Mark Webber placed the #1 in second place, nine tenths behind the performance achieved by Lucas di Grassi in the #18 Audi R8 with a lap completed in 3'21''375.

“Tyre evaluation was at the top of the priority list: seeing how long a set of tires could last at race pace”, explains the former pilot Red Bull Racing. “It was a good thing the weather didn't deteriorate. Our tests went well. »

Sister car #2 set the pace for the first, with Neel Jani placing the second 919 Hybrid less than a tenth behind the first.

“It was disappointing to end this session early. I would have liked to see what might be possible with a new set of tires.", regrets the Swiss who saw his attempt canceled following the red flag following the exit of Ozz Negri Jr in the No. 2 Ligier JS P49 of Michael Shank Racing.

Discover the analysis of the Test Day of the 84th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans carried out by our special correspondents in issue 2066 of AUTOhebdo, available now in digital version on all platforms, and on newsstands from Wednesday.