The 8 Hours of Bahrain will bring to a close the LMP1 era. What will you remember about the class?

"I recall that after the creation of the class in the wake of the LMP900s, certain teams were skeptical. From 2004 until the appearance of the diesel engines, Audi was dominating and Pescarolo Sport was trying to follow. The level began getting better in 2007 when Peugeot joined the class with the 908. Later, the hybrid prototypes helped the 24 Hours of Le Mans and FIA World Endurance Championship to spearhead technological advancements for road cars."

If you had to choose one adjective to describe an LMP1 prototype, which one would it be?

"I would first use the world technology and the phrase constant evolution because the LMP1s did nothing but improve. What's crazy is that early on with the hybrid LMP1s, Audi, Porsche and Toyota made different technical choices and yet we were very close in performance level and times. The balance of performance was extremely well done and the regulations were too by the FIA and ACO in terms of comprehension. The hybrid LMP1s were just as much cars for systemists and engineers as for drivers."

You have probably driven more various LMP1s than any other driver. Which one left the strongest impression on you and why?

"I've driven private LMP1s like the Nasamax, the Pescarolo, the Acura in the U.S. and the Rebellion this year. As for official cars, I've driven the Audi R15, the R15 Plus TDi, the R18 Ultra then there were the Porsche years with the 919 Hybrid. I won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Porsche and the Audi R15 Plus TDi. The one I liked the most was the R18 Ultra. It was the easiest to drive. It was well-balanced in terms of grip and power. It was the easiest to understand. The Rebellion R13 I drove this year at the 24 Hours of Le Mans was also very successful."

Did driving these cars require new technical skills on the part of drivers or a new way of driving?

"Both. The Porsche 919 Hybrid was an engineer's car. It required a style of driving that had to keep evolving. With the hybrid LMP1s, drivers needed to re-evalute their approach to driving. You had to use energy wisely and at the right time. I remember Brendon Hartley was very comfortable with the 919 Hybrid in traffic. He used energy better than any of us. We also needed a slew of engineers for the cars to function well or very well. It was true and magnificent technological advancement for endurance racing."

The Hypercar class will hit the track in 2021. Does that mean new opportunities for you?

"What I hope for endurance racing and the 24 Hours of Le Mans is many cars and constructors on the starting grids. The regulations must change to lower costs. I think my experience level will help. I've driven several LMP1s and hope to have the chance to take the wheel of a Hypercar to see the difference. I want to continue driving prototypes for many more years as long as I'm doing well. Also, experience at the 24 Hours of Le Mans is extremely important. The most important thing is to have fun when you're doing something, that's my motto."