Leading figures of the formula one world have said they will not be mesmerised by one of the world’s most famous motor races this weekend.
A plethora of names made famous on formula one tracks are this year in contention for the Le Mans 24-hour crown.
But McLaren team boss Ron Dennis insists that the endurance race is no match for F1 in his eyes.
“No comparison,” he told the International Herald Tribune.
“You have to have phenomenal reliability, but also the drivers play such a key role, primarily in not falling off.
“It’s rarely a race that’s raced from beginning to end. You don’t race for 24 hours, you compete for 24 hours and it requires a different strategy,” Dennis, whose Woking based outfit developed a car that won Le Mans in 1995, added.
“There’s no race,” he continued. “They all suddenly realise that survival is the important thing. It is counter to the spirit of formula one; you very rarely slow down in formula one.”
Honda team principal Ross Brawn has also been involved in Le Mans, with the winning Jaguar car of 1990, before returning to F1 with enormous success.
“It was not the sort of challenge that I like,” he concurs.
“It’s a very structured race over 24 hours, you’re pacing yourself. It’s quite a different event.”
Canadian grand prix winner Robert Kubica is a renowned fan of rallying, but he admits that he has never even watched Le Mans on TV.
“Speed is secondary,” he said, referring to the fact that the focus at Le Mans is on consistency and reliability.
“I’m the kind of person who likes to push. At Le Mans, you have to push less. It’s a kind of different sport,” the BMW-Sauber driver added.
Bookmark to:
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Gee, I like it alot. Stayed up all night last night to watch.
I would too Don, if only one of our myopic NZ TV channels could be bothered to cover it.
…in fact, maybe F-1 has «evolved» in being «only» a series
of sprint races, equal in time, type of circuits, predictable
conclusions, monitored by tyre wrenches and fuel pump
operators…oh!, let’s not forget these «keypunch operators»
over the wall, absolutely essential to us viewers as we all
witnessed…?
…now, for a few years in the fifties, ain’t Indy 500
winners would not get points in the world championship…???
…I always dreamt to see a F-1 car trying to keep pace for
more than 10 laps on the mythic oval at full speed…?
…would you not enter a much different car for this event,
a definite yes, being a wise suggestion from me…!!!
…let us now bring these gladiators to the full Nurb for
once or an invitation on the restored Brookland, Monza or
Monthlery banked rings… a few fancy test days on one of
major NASCAR ovals…?
…or just a four hour race for a change, or a roulette
sort of raffle to decide upon race duration the day before
the race…no no I do not suggest racing on the roof of the
FIAT building…but let us hope for less asceptic racing and
maybe, next year Robert will watch «24 Heures» in quest of
hints or even looking for a ride…after his many world
titles…of course…???
PS:…we were millions watching Don…!!!