What’s on this week
German made Le Mans debut in 2015, becoming first active F1 driver to win since Johnny Herbert in 1991
Fernando Alonso will be trying to add his name to the Le Mans 24 Hours winners list this weekend, but one of his Formula 1 rivals is already on it.
Alonso tried to get into the third Porsche 919 Hybrid at Le Mans in 2015, but that deal fell through. Instead, then-force India driver and current Renault ace Nico Hulkenberg joined Nick Tandy and Earl Bamber. Unlike Alonso, Hulkenberg was able to make his Le Mans debut in quite a low-key way and it ended with a surprise victory.
“There was not that much expectation for us,” says the 30-year old. “We were the third car they brought in for Le Mans, so we were just very free, we didn’t expect too much. We took it seriously, but we were just enjoying ourselves and having fun.”
They qualified third in a Porsche 1-2-3, but got stronger as the race developed, building a decisive gap during the night. “How things turned out, it came to us, but we also made it come to us,” asserts Hulkenberg. “We won it on merit, we won it on pace. That project with
Porsche was a very cool experience that I wouldn’t want to miss.
“I’d never been before. I knew it was going to be big – it’s a legendary race – so I expected it to be what it was. To see it first-hand – how the emotions go up and down, how the race evolves, the night driving – was amazing.”
Although the level of performance in WEC is high, Hulkenberg believes top F1 drivers should be able to make a successful transition: “At the end of the day, here are the best drivers in the world and we can be quick in any car. Of course, we need some time to adapt to any car. In the first few tests I was well off the pace, but I had to understand and learn how to get the lap time because it’s a completely different driving style. But eventually we will get our head around it and we will be on the pace.”
Whereas Hulkenberg only contested the Spa round prior to Le Mans and the 24 Hours itself, Alonso is planning to do the whole World Endurance Championship. Given that there are 21 races on the F1 calendar, Hulkenberg believes that will
“WE TOOK IT SERIOUSLY, BUT WE WERE JUST ENJOYING OURSELVES, HAVING FUN”
be a strain, but that Alonso’s experience will help him through.
“For Fernando, it’s a busy year – he’s put himself up in front of a big challenge because it’s a lot of driving, travelling, digesting F1 stuff and analysing that but also LMP at the same time,” he says. “But he’s so experienced in F1, he knows everything.”