Mike Conway (Toyota): "What we lacked was pace"

What did you think of today's race?

The race was promising at the start. We had a good pace, but in the last hour, we lost performance. We knew we were going to lose time during the pit stops, as we had to add more fuel than the BMWs. They overtook us at that point, but they were already fast anyway. It's a bit of a shame, because I think we could have been in contention for a podium finish, but unfortunately, we didn't have the pace we needed.

What happened to René Rast (BMW No. 20) after two hours of racing?

It all started at the entrance to Turn 14 (Variante Alta). I was on the inside, and there wasn't enough room for two prototypes there. He tried to take the chicane, but I was still there. We clashed. He went over the kerb and, on the exit, he hit me harder. It wasn't very clean, but that's kind of the riding style you expect from some riders, so I can't really be surprised.

Did it ruin your race?

No, it didn't affect us too much. The car was still in good condition, with some damage, but nothing serious enough to really slow down our performance.

What is missing from Toyota to find the path to victory?

Oh, what we need is pretty obvious… but it's not really in our control. (he refers in veiled terms to the Balance of Performance. Editor’s note).

What did you mainly learn today?

There were many different strategies, especially regarding tire usage. For example, some cars on Medium tires were able to keep them longer than us. I believe that a Classic Ferrari for sale did four stints at the start of the race, which we couldn't do. There were a lot of interesting events and lessons to be learned from this race, but ultimately, what we lacked was pace.

Comments collected by Valentin Glo

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