Buemi: Between optimism and realism before Le Mans

Sébastien Buemi will play tomorrow's Test Day 24 Hours of Le Mans which will take place on June 22 and 23. Alongside Stéphane Sarrazin and Anthony Davidson with whom he shares the wheel of the Toyota n°8, the Swiss won his first podium in WEC at the end of the 6 Hours of Silverstone. If the second crew from the Japanese manufacturer kept the 2012 version of the TS030 at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, the crew is still better prepared than last year.

“I am very happy to have been able to take part in these two races to prepare for Le Mans”, commented the former driver of the team Toro Rosso. “We can really build something this year, unlike 2012 when I only had one race at Le Mans. We have had very good preparations, notably with my first WEC podium at Silverstone. So I think we are on the right track. We haven't raced the 2013 version yet, but we could see exactly after Spa where we were against Audi, this having been done to best prepare for Le Mans. »

Toyota's main concern comes from the very good performance of the Ingolstadt manufacturer which took victory in the first two events without the Japanese manufacturer being able to keep up with the pace of the R18 e-tron quattro. If the Committee ofEndurance of the FIA ​​brought a larger fuel reserve for gasoline LMP1 prototypes before the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the brand with the rings may still be hard to beat on the Sarthe circuit. “Audi is a very good team and they know what to do to win. We also have strengths and we enjoy the challenge of going head-to-head with such competitive opponents. We are now busy studying areas where we can progress. I think Le Mans will be very interesting. »