Martin Brundle has always remained firmly attached to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This morning (Friday), he listened enthusiastically to the challenge announced at the Aston Martin press conference.

“The new rules are a great solution, as shown by the commitment made by Aston Martin and Toyota, while other firms like McLaren are thinking about joining them,” the former Formula One star said. “Aren’t they just the type of machines we want to see at Le Mans? It’ll bring back elegant racing cars... and what about that V12 sound! Today’s LMP1s are too alike, it needed something drastic. I’m also thrilled that Aston Martin have decided to continue their GT programme too.” 

For someone who spent most of his life trying to beat the clock, surprisingly the decision to restrict lap times to 3:30 at the Le Mans circuit does not disappoint him in the slightest. A necessary evil in his view. “We can’t go on for ever asking racetracks to adapt,” he said. “If you don’t limit it in some way, where will it end? 3 minutes? 2:50? I don’t think it matters that much. If you’ve got ten cars doing 3:30 laps for 24 hours and the result is a fantastic race, who is going to be bothered that it’s a bit slower? Supercars with super drivers and super racing – that’s what counts!”