You are set to share a car with the most successful driver in the WEC, Gianmaria Bruni. Have the last two seasons in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) been good training?
Yeah, I guess so. Moving up with Gimmi is a very good thing for me. He’s a fantastic driver. He’s very talented. He’s very professional. In fact, probably the best teammate I’ve ever driven with. I’ve had two years to learn and I especially spent the first year learning everything about GT racing. Last year, I proved that I was fast, consistent and could work well with a team. So Gimmi and the whole team decided to put me in the #51 [AF Corse’s number one car], which is fantastic and ambitions have now raised. The level is raised. It’s much more work and I’m really happy to have the opportunity to continue and I’m looking forward to my first win. It’s been a long time. We had some bad luck last year but I think with Sam [Bird] on board, we’re very, very strong.

Are you hungry for victory? Is it your personal goal?
Of course. You take each race as it comes. Last year we didn’t get a win. We were close, but we didn’t. I think now, like I said, everything is stronger. We have a better package than last year. Once I get a first win, it should get easier. I think the priority is the championship for Ferrari, but from a personal view, a first win would be great. I’ve forgotten the last two seasons now and I’m concentrating on trying to win every single race this year. Obviously, it never runs 100% smoothly, but the car’s reliable, the car’s fast. Me and Gimmi are driving well. We have such a good chance!

Does Gianmaria Bruni give you lots of advice?
Yes. The first advice was that he wants me in the same seatbelts as him. So every day I get on my bike to lose weight. I’m 4–5 kilos lighter than last season. It’s important. He wants me fitter. He’s very experienced, a fantastic driver. Just to be as fast as Gimmi would be an achievement.

And what is your contribution to the partnership?
Youth! He’s getting old! (laughs). I just remind him of what it’s like to be young.

The new Ferrari 488 GTE looks very similar in appearance to the Ferrari 488 Italia. Have you had to adapt much?
Clearly, they look similar. But there are differences. It’s much quieter which is really nice. It’s an evolution really. We have a better aerodynamic package with turbo engine which took time to get right. But we think we’ve found a really good solution. It’s generally much quicker. It’s a fantastic car, especially on the corners. At the moment we’re losing a bit on the straights, but what we lose on the straights, we gain on the corners. It’s really enjoyable to drive. The gearbox is much better. Everything’s smoother, more modern, like the switches on the steering wheel. It’s just an extra bonus to have a new car.

Does the LM GTE Pro line-up scare you?
No. We’re focussing on our own car. I know Ford are spending money and pushing a lot to be quick at Le Mans, which is good. It makes it closer, it makes it harder for us and that’s what we want, competitive racing. We want it to be close. We don’t want big gaps like in Formula One. It makes it good for the crowd. I’m looking forward to a good battle throughout the year. We’ve got plenty of talent throughout GT racing this year and I think it’s going to be really exciting.

Geoffroy Barre — Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: James Calado concentrates hard before going out on track at the WEC Prologue at Circuit Paul Ricard this March.