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The
At the Prologue, Toyota set the overall best lap time. Neel Jani (CH) recorded the fastest lap for a
At the wheel of the number 2
Fritz Enzinger, Vice President LMP1: „Thanks to a great team effort, we look back not only on a pretty tough week but also on a very successful one. In Paul Ricard, we have concluded one of the best endurance tests ever. This was followed by the car unveiling in Monza which resulted in very positive feedback for the car’s new livery. The two test days at the Prologue were excellent and given the close competition spectators can look forward to a thrilling world championship.“
Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: “We had split the Prologue into two test phases. On Saturday we focussed on the car’s set-up and managed to improve it. The rain in the evening was an asset because we could practice quick turnarounds in changing conditions. On Sunday we did race simulations with both cars to investigate tyre wear and exercise race-specific routines like pit stops. To meet Toyota for the first time with us and them driving low downforce aero configurations like you’d have in Le Mans was obviously very interesting for both of us. Testing doesn’t allow for proper judgement, but certainly we will see very close competition in every type of track condition. For us as a team it is very important to feel absolutely ready now for the season’s curtain raiser on April 16 in Silverstone.”
Drivers car number 1:
Neel Jani (33, Switzerland): “Practically we have been simulating a race weekend here and this worked out very well, especially as we had to deal with various track conditions. I enjoyed having the Prologue here in Monza. The circuit has a great tradition and special atmosphere and we had lots of fun with the many fans joining us. Another beneficial aspect is that this track doesn’t forgive any mistakes. This gives you an extra thrill.”
André Lotterer (35, Germany): “For me the Prologue was my first public appearance as a
Nick Tandy (32, Great Britain): „It is good to have the Prologue as a pre-race preparation. We do lots of testing but you never feel real pressure there. Here in Monza we worked like it was a race weekend. It is good to get into this feeling before the season.”
Drivers car number 2
Earl Bamber (26, New Zealand): „The guys at
Timo Bernhard (36, Germany): “It was a very positive Prologue for me. We had been well prepared and now we are ready to race in Silverstone. A few boxes are still on the list to be ticked off, especially regarding improvements for Le Mans. I think all of us really enjoyed these days in Monza very much: a super surrounding, lots of real motor sports and sports car enthusiasts who created a great hype during the autograph session as well – overall, this was a fantastic kick-off event for the new WEC season. Brendon and I know each other like a married couple anyway, and Earl fits in just perfectly. Ready to rumble!“
Brendon Hartley (27, New Zealand): „We felt very ready when we came here. We wish we were lining up for a race rather than for a test because Monza is a great track with a good atmosphere and a lot of fans even on a test day. I hope in the future we can race here. In all conditions it was very close with the Toyotas, so it’s clearly going to be a tough and close fought championship. Also it was good to get used to traffic again as at the previous tests we felt very lonely.”
All reports on the previous season can be found in our archive.