World Endurance Championship FIA 2024
Imola, Italy
April 17-21, 2024
Photo: Nick Dungan / Drew Gibson Photography
Porsche didn’t have the necessary speed in dry conditions to compete for victory in the 6 Hours of Imola, according to Kevin Estre. “Although we had the ability to fight for victory on a wet track, we simply didn’t have the pace on a completely dry surface,” explained Estre. “They were faster than us and used fewer tires. Therefore, in dry conditions, we couldn’t keep up. However, given the challenging circumstances, I believe we did the best we could and made better decisions than most of our competitors.”
Estre, driving the Porsche #6 963, finished in second place, just 7 seconds behind race winner Kamui Kobayashi in the Toyota GR010 #7. At one point during the final stages, Estre was only tenths of a second behind Kobayashi before slowing down. When asked about the competition, Estre commented: “Both Ferrari and Toyota had their strengths and weaknesses. I believe Ferrari made significant mistakes in their strategy, otherwise they could be ahead of us in terms of pace. Toyota, on the other hand, had the advantage of speed in wet conditions. However, when it came to driving on a wet track with slicks, I believe we had a slight edge over them.”
Estre also praised his team’s strategy, stating: “I believe we made better decisions regarding fuel economy in the final stage. Although in the end, Toyota showed they had enough fuel, I believe we did an excellent job today in terms of strategy.” Porsche had Estre pit two laps before Kobayashi, giving him an energy advantage for the final sprint. Despite Estre’s efforts, Kobayashi managed to stay ahead.
“It was challenging because we had to save fuel on a wet track, where it’s always difficult to warm up the tires. However, we knew that if we didn’t save fuel, we wouldn’t have enough to finish the race,” explained Estre. “The yellow flag period helped both us and Toyota, although it probably benefited them more. It’s hard to fight for the win on a wet track while also having to save fuel, but Kobayashi faced the same challenge.”
Additionally, Estre received a five-second penalty for overtaking under a safety car during the race, a gap he would have to build to secure the victory over Kobayashi. “Yes, we had to overtake and create a five-second gap, which would have been difficult, but possible, I believe, if I had overtaken earlier, since we had the advantage in terms of pace during that stage,” admitted Estre. “However, I couldn’t make the pass. Kobayashi was fast enough and didn’t make mistakes.”
© 2024
