“I’m having fun with Lamborghini”… What happens to Pierre-Louis Chovet?

He is a boy who is faithful to himself, who never really changes, and who maintains an overflowing enthusiasm in all circumstances, especially when it comes to talking about motorsport. AUTOhebdo readers know him mainly for his 5th place in F4 France in 2018, a little more for his 5th place in FREC in 2020, but above all for having magnificently represented the tricolors in winter 2021, by winning the Emirates the honorary title of vice-champion of F3 Asia, having been absolutely alone at Pinnacle Motorsport, against a Prema armada articulated around Guanyu-Zhou in order to offer the Chinese the superlicense points that he so badly needed to rise in F1.

His move to F3 the same year with Jenzer Motorsport, a modest Swiss team which still allowed Yuki tsunoda to stand out in 2019, unfortunately will not last long. The fault lies with its main investor who withdrew via a unilateral decision that same year after two small meetings. Although he has since driven again in FRECA or in the new Eurocup 3 championship for a few stints, Pierre-Louis is no longer a competitive driver. car full time. Aware of the almost impossible financial challenge that a linear accession in the FIA ​​single-seater pyramid represents, the 22-year-old made the far-sighted choice to move towards GT/Endurance. With success.

The title did not go far for Chovet

Following in particular his successful winter campaign in Asia against Prema, the boss of the Italian team René Rosin recognized the Frenchman's talent and did not hesitate to put him in contact with Lamborghini. As a result, in 2022, Chovet made his debut in Lamborghini Supertrofeo, for three events. From his first round at Paul-Ricard, not far from his home in Avignon, PL achieved a good performance in qualifying. Giorgio Sanna, the boss of the competition, did not hesitate to secure him by signing him for the Junior Team of the Italian team. This is how he found himself in 2023 in GT Open, for a first real season in GT, in the official car no. 63 alongside the German Maximilian Paul.

 

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“The start of the year was a little complicated, we couldn't start it as we had planned, because the first two rounds were difficult. We arrived with the Evo 2, and it was difficult to develop at that time. Which meant that we got into the top 10, at best, by going all out. We tried a lot of things… and then from Hungary onwards, we started to win. And we won four in a row! I set the track record at Paul Ricard and Monza. 6 pole positions in total and 4 victories. The problem is that we fell too far behind at the start of the championship. Spa was a 3 hour race worth double points. There was a small error there on the part of the championship with the Safety Car, which dropped us to 9th place when we would probably have finished on the podium otherwise. We're not going to remake the world, it happens, but it cost us around twenty points and potentially the title. We finished 4th in the end! Which is not bad considering the 45 points behind accumulated at the start of the year! »

Freelancing in GT World Challenge

Pierre-Louis also discovered the particularities of a championship that was not always very kind to race winners. “When you win a race, you take a 10-second handicap in the pits in the next one. It hurts ! It had to be integrated. And since I don't like being a grocer, we preferred to win rather than finish 3rd, even if it meant taking penalties! After the first two rounds, Lamborghini preferred to go for victories rather than going for the title at all costs. » An interesting first season, in which he had to adapt to the joys of sharing a racing car, which is anything but obvious for a boy who has known almost exclusively the very selfish worlds of karting and the single-seater.

 

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“By sharing the car, the dynamic is different, he tells us. We share everything: advice on driving but also set-up. I got along well straight away with Maximilian Paul. He won a race in DTM This year. The big advantage is that he already had experience in GT3, with two years at Audi, and one year at Lamborghini. In terms of pure speed, I was faster from the start of the year, but in terms of tuning the car, he was better than me, with more technical references, especially on the Lamborghini. In this respect, we have pulled ourselves up a lot. In qualifying, I was generally 3 or 4/10ths faster, this kept him under pressure to try to get closer, and in race pace, I progressed thanks to him, particularly on tire management because that I was too aggressive at the start of the year. When you come from single-seaters, it’s often like that! (laughs) »

Hypercar objective!

Next year, PL will continue the adventure within the Lamborghini fold. “I can’t say anything yet because it’s not completely decided. But it will be in GT3 with Lamborghini, in a championship to be defined. This year, a place became available in GT World, at global level. They invited me to Barcelona with Beretta and Pulcini at Iron Lynx. It was very interesting to join a big team like that. From my first, I took pole in the Gold Cup. I even beat the champion Marciello by a tenth in this qualifier. In 2024, perhaps there will be a single-seater in parallel, at least in testing, and perhaps even a program of a few races in agreement with Lambo. » From FRECA again? “Maybe even FIA F3.” he slips. To be confirmed, because nothing is done at all!

 

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In any case, he assures that he has no regrets about his single-seater years. “The budgets are so extravagant... I still had the hard blow of my investor who unilaterally ended our contract. I have no regrets despite everything because thanks to them I was able to compete in an F3 European championship, become vice-champion of F3 Asia with 7 victories, 6 poles and 14 podiums against a driver who is not ridiculous in F1. I gained experience with high-level people, because it is the best possible school. I have made a lot of progress in using tires in particular. So no regrets to have. »

Pierre-Louis Chovet has never been the type of person to look back anyway. What interests him is the future, which he imagines to be huge and for which he intends to fight body and soul. “My goal is the Hypercar. As you may know, Lamborghini is coming in 2024 in IMSA and WEC, in collaboration with Prema. This is my long-term goal. I have things planned for 2024 already normally, hoping that it will happen. The idea is to go and win Le Mans and the world championship. That's my goal. It's that simple. I hope to have a great opportunity with them. I want to prove my worth to them. I would very much like this to happen by 2025 or 2026.” We wish you all the harm, Pierre-Louis!

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