Last year the crew of the WRT team, for which Robert Kubica competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, literally led the LMP2 class to the last lap, but fate intervened and the car stopped on track due to technical problems just a few minutes into the race. few kilometers from the finish.
This year, the Polish driver will start again in the legendary marathon, but already as part of Prema, for which this will be the first experience to participate in Le Mans, and now Robert is trying to help his new team as much as possible.
“This is a big event for our young team as it is their first Le Mans,” said Kubica. – We have to take advantage of this opportunity because the race is unique and requires a respectful attitude both behind the wheel of the car and outside the cockpit. I want everything to run as smoothly as possible…
For Lorenzo Colombo, my team-mate, this will be the first experience, but last year I was also new to Le Mans. We should try to gradually gain confidence and avoid all kinds of problems.
There will be some surprises, but when this happens, you need to be able to handle them and keep the loss of time to a minimum. The line that should not be crossed is very thin, especially in the LMP2 class. In fact, this is a sprint race that lasts 24 hours and even the smallest nuances can affect the result. I went through it last year when we missed the last lap win, and it was a difficult experience.
The most important thing is to stay within your comfort zone, because it makes no sense and can be costly. Still, I liked last year’s race. Then I discovered that in Le Mans you have to apply exactly this approach: you have to overcome the circles as quickly as possible, but not leave your comfort zone. This is a unique and very important feature of Le Mans.
We train to be in excellent physical condition, but it is important to be able to rest. You have to force yourself to sleep at least a little, although it is difficult. You need to be able to switch off as quickly as possible when you are not driving, and psychologically this was one of the biggest problems.
In terms of physical activity, frankly, everything is not that difficult as there are many straights on this track, although it can be very hot in the car, it all depends on the weather. But psychologically this race is exhausting and in my opinion this is the most important moment. The longer you’re behind the wheel, the harder it gets for you, and when you get out of the cockpit, it’s important not to waste mental strength in vain.
Kubica also spoke about how he manages to combine endurance racing performance with the duties of Alfa Romeo’s reserve driver in Formula 1: “To be honest, even with the LMP2 category, it’s not easy, but endurance racing is so interesting now that it’s hard to to refuse it.
Ask me if I want to upgrade to a higher class Hypercars – if I answer no, then it’s not true. But it will be very difficult to reconcile this with my role at Alfa Romeo.
I’m sure a lot of people in Formula 1 look at endurance racing, but F1 is also on the rise. Still, I think it’s generally good for drivers to have the opportunity to compete in other categories of motorsport.”
As the day of testing ends in Le Mans, less than an hour before the end of the races, the team’s Oreca 07 sports prototype is piloted by Robert and his crew is on the 10th line of protocol.
Source: F1 News
I’m Todderic Kirkman, a journalist and author for athletistic. I specialize in covering all news related to sports, ranging from basketball to football and everything in between. With over 10 years of experience in the industry, I have become an invaluable asset to my team. My ambition is to bring the most up-to-date information on sports topics around the world.
