Aston Martin Vantage V8 came top of the class last year and Mathias Lauda’s debut in endurance this season has been nothing short of remarkable. Alongside teammates Pedro Lamy of Portugal and Canadian driver Paul dalla Lana, he may well put his name in the Le Mans record books.

Mathias Lauda (n°98 Aston Martin Vantage V8, Aston Martin Racing, LM GTE AM): “I was a big fan of the WEC even before I joined it, and I also wanted to be involved in a world championship. This is the best place to be because there are not so many alternatives in Europe. Each year there are more and more brains involved. The #98 finished second in the category in the 2014 World Endurance Championship, and Aston Martin’s goal is to be first with this car this year. Paul and Pedro are really fast, Aston Martin is a very good and professional team. It was surprising to score two wins in a row but everyone worked really hard for this, nobody made any mistake on the tracks and in the pits as well and we were very consistent. There are six rounds left including Le Mans, the biggest of the year. It was perfect to complete a couple of laps in the simulator to get a good vision of the circuit before coming to the Test Day, which was difficult because of the rain. There was not enough rain for the rain tyres. The track was drying, but not enough to use slicks. I would have liked to have more laps, but I had enough to get a good feeling on the track. I cannot wait to be on Wednesday to get even more laps. My name makes no difference to me. All I want is to do a good job with the whole team, and also to come back to Le Mans for many years to come.”

Jean-Philippe Doret / ACO|- Translated from French by Emma Paulay

Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), PLACE DE LA REPUBLIQUE, LE MANS 24 HOURS, MONDAY 8 JUNE 2015, SCRUTINEERING. At 34, Mathias Lauda will be a rookie at the 24 Hours of Le Mans.