What are Toyota's chances at the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year? In 2014, the Japanese marque scored the pole but couldn't capitalize on it in the race because of mechanical problems. In 2015, the TS 040 Hybrids failed to keep up with the Audis and Porsches, clearly at a disadvantage in terms of pure speed. But for this 2016 edition, the new TS 050 Hybrids seem back in the game. "We realized during the race at Spa-Francorchamps that we have the power, so anything is possible. But in my opinion, Porsche is the obvious favourite. Audi is fast, as we saw at Test Day. It foreshadows a tight race," admits Stéphane Sarrazin. This year, all the manufacturers officially entered in LM P1 (Audi, Porsche and Toyota) are on equal footing: two cars for each team. "The fact everyone has two cars is definitely better for us. Competition-wise, it may be a shame for the entertainment value, but for us facing Audi and Porsche, two cars less is significant (last year, the two German marques entered three chassis, editor's note)."

Asked about preparing for the race, Sarrazin explains the attention is, and will be, on defining the settings that are a compromise between driving comfort and performance. "Within the team, we share solutions to improve the balance of the car. Our focus is on finding the right settings for all three of us to be happy with the car. We need a car to be able to attack the fast curves, and in which we are confident going to the outside in the fast areas when need be. With the limited amount of fuel, the hybrid's power boost which is limited, we have to compromise, and put the cursors at the right levels. I ask myself what is better: to lose 3 to 4 km/h in the straights and be more comfortable in the Porsche curves or Indianapolis corner (with more aerodynamic downforce on the car, editor's note) which we enter at 300 km/h, or the reverse. It's up to us to find the right balance between power, comfort-level in the car and performance in traffic. We are still in the process of tweaking the settings."

Should we expect stunning lap times during the week of the race? The French driver doesn't risk a prediction, but you understand by the smile on his face the TS 050 Hybrid is up for it. "The more power there is, the more I like it! It reminds me of good years, with Peugeot. The car pushes heavily, and the four-wheel drive, it's extraordinary. I really enjoy being behind the wheel, and I think we can hold our own against the competition."

Sarrazin will go after pole position on Wednesday, after feeling frustrated by losing the opportunity to improve his best time during the final minutes of Test Day (a red flag was caused by an incident for another car, ending the session prematurely). "I was doing a fast lap, with new tyres. The red flag came out at the entrance to the Ford chicanes. It sucked! But the rule is clear, when there is a red flag, you cannot reaccelerate above 80 km/h. I hesitated, I said to myself I'm going to do it, but no."

Translation by Nikki Ehrhardt / ACO

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