Watching the official 24 Hours of Le Mans film, you were able to relive the last moments before the finish of the 2016 edition. At the time, what were you thinking when you were told on the radio to "Push, push!"?

"I said to myself, this is just incredible. We had some troubles, especially at the beginning of the race, with difficult to remove wheels during pit stops. We also lost a lot of time due to the Full Course Yellow, but we made it back to the lead pack. Then, we had a flat tire and at the time I thought we wouldn't make it, it was just too much. In the end, we had some luck, which made that victory special. I would have never thought I'd win under those circumstances, with a car breaking down in the final lap. Toyota truly had a great deal of bad luck, but I'll take the win (smiles, Ed.)! With a race such as the 24 Hours of Le Mans, you have to take it when you can."

How do you rate that win in terms of your record?

"[The 24 Hours of Le Mans is] my most special win, especially given what happened in the last lap. It was a fierce battle between the two Toyotas and our Porsche. Up until the last minute, we didn't know who was going to walk away with the victory. In the final 15 minutes, we told ourselves we wouldn't win this time. Then events transpired as we all know. This year 2016 was particularly special and incredible because we won the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Porsche was awarded the World Endurance Manufacturers Champion title and Romain, Marc and I are the World Endurance Drivers Champions."

So your 2016 was quite incredible to you?

"Yes, of course. We could have hoped to win all the rounds but that's impossible and would have been boring (laughs, Ed.). We achieved the two most important things of the year: win Le Mans and the two world titles. Given the level of the competition, it adds even more to what we accomplished."

How do you explain that after the 24 Hours of Le Mans you had a complicated second half of the season, with no wins?

"To be honest, we had a bit of luck on our side at the first three races (Silverstone, Spa-Francorchamps and Le Mans, Ed.). Then, misfortune struck starting at the Nürburgring with contact. In Mexico, we could have claimed a podium finish, but a competitor struck us, just like in Bahrain (with KCMG's #78 Porsche 911 RSR, Ed.). Those problems slowed us down, but we managed to finish the race each time. Sure, the end of the season was frustrating for us, meanwhile we tried not to focus too much on our troubles and earn the most points possible. That is what allowed us to win the title."

The Porsche 919 Hybrid has been competing since 2014. In which area(s) is it still possible to improve the car?

"I think in all areas! This year we could tell that Toyota was very fast in the straights, we should already start working on that in terms of the aerodynamics and engine. Regarding the chassis, our competitors are not bad either, they have aero that is more optimized than ours, they were close to us the second half of the season. Those are two things we need to look at."

In 2017, you will be losing a top competitor with Audi leaving...

"I've known all the Audi Sport drivers a long time. When we arrived on the scene with Porsche back in 2014, Audi was the one to beat! It's a shame to see them leave, but that's motorsports. One manufacturer leaves, another arrives. I just hope another will show up to go up against Toyota and Porsche."