WEC - What the Drivers said after the race

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Timo Bernhard

No2 Porsche LMP Team - Porsche 919 Hybrid

“We knew it was going to be hot because it was starting in daytime so we knew it was to be a little different because of that.  We thought in qualifying that they (Toyota) would be much closer to us and maybe a chance to beat us but actually it was the other way around and the first few laps were a big surprise to see the different strategies from the first stint. It was an interesting race and it was a really close fight and we had to be smart.”

Andre Lotterer

No1 Porsche LMP Team – Porsche 919 Hybrid

“It was exciting and no one really drove conservatively today, everyone was pushing hard and it was fun and it was nice to see that we could battle the Toyota’s.  I had a fun fight with (Jose-Maria) Lopez. In these cars you can override the boost and we did this and had a good battle. Less so with Kamui (Kobayashi), I think he just tried something that didn’t work out there.”

Sebastien Buemi

No8 Toyota Gazoo Racing – Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“To be honest after qualifying I wasn’t expecting to be in a fight with Porsche because we seemed far away. On the old tyres in the middle of the race I had a really good stint. We had to be aggressive in traffic to stay in the fight and I pushed as hard as I could. In the end we were just missing a little bit of pace to beat them.”

Nicolas Lapierre

No36 Signatech Alpine Matmut – Oreca 07-Gibson

“The pace of the car today was amazing. We could really push and open a gap to the opponents and we had a good strategy from the beginning of the race. Obviously the Safety Car hurt us quite a lot but in the end we didn’t panic as we knew we had the pace.  We had a bit of drama at the end when we had to change the rear box (bodywork) but they did great and we are all very happy and proud of the team.”

James Calado

No51 AF Corse - Ferrari 488 GTE

“It was a great race and we came here with no real expectations. We realised that after qualifying that we had a good strategy in mind and we delivered in the race.  The battle with the sister car was intense all race and then we had the Porsche to fight with. The team did a brilliant job, especially when we got the puncture at the end and Alessandro had to really push. It was heart-stopping for a moment but we came through so we are absolutely delighted.”

Alessandro Pier Guidi

No51 AF Corse - Ferrari 488 GTE

“We did a nice job. It was not easy for everyone because of the conditions but we did good preparation work.  I knew that the tyre had gone down as I could see from  the read out. I had to decide if I drive safe or do I take some risk and go for the win. I decided to take the risk and go flat out. We deserved to win and we did a great strategy. In the end it worked and it paid off but it was a really small margin. Then I push and create a small gap.”

Pedro Lamy

No98 Aston Martin Racing – Aston Martin Vantage

“After Free Practice and qualifying we thought we had a margin but today the track felt different and I think the increased heat didn’t help us a lot.  We lost a lot of time but the team did a great job by changing the splitter.”

Paul Dalla Lana

No98 Aston Martin Racing – Astn Martin Vantage

“In the end they came and apologised (Keita Sawa). It was enough to break our diffuser off and it also put our power steering out, so it was highly unenjoyable!  It was good to get in the car in the second stint and really push and build the gap which ultimately got us there.”

World Endurance ChampionshipWEC6 Hours of Circuit of the AmericasWEC

SEASON 2017SportCircuit1SportWorld Endurance ChampionshipCircuitWECSEASON 2017WEC6 Hours of Circuit of the Americas01Sunday, September 17, 2017 - 7:16amSunday, September 17, 2017 - 7:16am

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