The first appearance for Aston Martin in Le Mans with his new Hypercar has been more successful than expected. Even in the team, you are surprised. This is not only because you are 15th place in the starting line -up with the #009.
“We didn’t necessarily expect the leap into the hyperpole,” said the 34-year-old Danish pilot after the session. Ian James, team leader of The Heart of Racing (Thor), Aston Martin’s team, was similarly surprised by Motorsport-Total.com: “I would never have thought that possible.”
However, both emphasized that the placement was justified. Sörensen is convinced that the result would have been achieved without external support: “To be honest, I am convinced that we would have made it without the disqualification of the Porsche #6 – if I had had a free track in the crucial round with the second tire set.”
Traffic disabilities cost time
Traffic on the route significantly influenced qualification times. Sörensen describes the critical moment: “At that time I was really in the flow. Until then I was four tenth faster.” In the fourth curve, it was stopped by several slower vehicles, which cost him valuable time. James confirmed: “Marco was stopped a few times when we were two or three tenths faster on the last corner. The speed of the car had definitely earned the hyperpole.”
Le Mans as a technical challenge
The Circuit de la Sarthe places special requirements for the driver and material. “Le Mans is a fantastic route in this regard – you can win an incredible amount of lap time, simply by thinking and driving differently,” explains Sörensen. The long straight, hard brake zones and lane grooves require different driving than on other race tracks.
For Sörensen, the qualification marked an important progress: “On Wednesday it was the first time in this car, where I really thought: Okay, now I trust the car. It was the first time when I felt the climax of the tires properly.”
Development deficit to established teams
The Aston Martin team is in the Hypercar class in the first year, while the competition has gained experience in the third year. “It is more than I expected that we are already so close,” said James. Sörensen admits: “The other teams have made progress in so many areas over the years while we are still learning.”
Since the beginning of the season, Aston Martin has focused on the further development of electronics. “The greatest progress was definitely in this area. Engine control, traction control, electronic brakes – our focus was on that,” said James. The strengths of the Aston Martin lie in fast curves, general driving behavior and on smooth route surfaces.
At the Long Runs, Aston Martin showed competitive times. James reported a 3:27 round of Sörensen, who could keep up with the Pace of the established competition.
Already after the first appearance in Qatar, the team around Ian James was satisfied with his own performance. “We were very strong there, it was a good start,” emphasizes James. But the euphoria then got a small damper: “Then IMola came, that was a small setback.” When asked whether the team expected it or whether the route characteristics were decisive, James explains: “Yes, we knew that imola would be difficult for us, simply because the route is so uneven and tight.”
His eyes are also aimed at the upcoming races in Le Mans. “We look forward to Brazil and the rest of the season. Especially Fuji, that’s a very smooth distance, that should be our car.” At the same time, James remains realistic: “But we also know that there are routes that are less accommodating to us.”
Support from IMSA program
The parallel IMSA program in North America accelerates development. “We work as a team that engineers discuss after every event,” James describes the collaboration. The exchange of technical data and set-ups between the two programs has promoted the entire project.
Goals for the 24-hour race
Both reserved expectations formulated for the race on Saturday. “First of all, I want a clean race without technical problems. If we can do it, a lot has been won,” emphasizes Sörensen. James adds: “If we bring both cars to the finish, that would be a huge success for the program.”
The race strategy relies on strengths in the later phase of each stint. “When the tank gets empty, we will probably come closer than when we are fully fueled,” explains Sörensen. Despite the qualification success, the team remains realistic. “We won’t be the fastest car either – definitely not,” admits Sörensen. “We are lagging behind the other manufacturers for two years. They have collected all the data while we are still in the process.”