Mark Webber – no1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“After Brendon did a brilliant opening stint, obviously it was a pretty tight race with the Audis. I managed to pass Lucas, he caught up with some traffic with a spinning car. He had to go the long way around, I took the short way.

“I got in front and then at that point the No.8 was pretty strong and I had to be very concentrated to keep him out as long as we did. It worked out well and I had to keep our pace alive. He got me on the in lap but they I still followed him on the pit entry so we didn’t lose much.

“It was a really interesting race. The conditions were playing a part and I think we were lucky it didn’t get sunny because the Audis were strong when it got hot.  It didn’t rain heavy enough because they have been a little quicker in the wet. We thoroughly deserved the win today on the No.1 car. Andre drove awesomely in the No.7 but it was a hard race with very tricky conditions.

“Brendon was on fire, Timo had a tricky stint at the end and I am bloody rapt.”

Brendon Hartley – no1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“Our car was a dream to drive today. We got the set up perfect. We knew it was going to be cold at the end and the car came alive. There was a lot of talk about the track being very tight in the last sector but I think everyone dealt with it very well.  Everyone in the GT or LMP showed a lot of respect and I really didn’t think it was as big an issue as what people thought it was going to be.

“I enjoyed the track a lot and I am very happy to be standing on the middle step again with Timo and Mark. We all said before the race that we knew it was going to be tight and whoever executed the best would stand on the top step and today that was us.  We did a perfect race. In the middle Audi maybe had the right tyre on. It was a risky call for them to be on the slick intermediate.  I’m very happy to be here – it was an awesome day.”

Timo Bernhard – no1 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“The way it worked out at the end it was definitely not planned. We were in cruising mode but because we had a big lead but it shows how tricky it is. The race is never over until the flag and it was sportscars at its finest today.  It was very close fight and I can just echo from Brendon and Mark said. The interaction between the classes went very well today. It was a tight circuit but it worked out very well.  In the end the rain was shifting for the last 20 minutes and sector three was a bit wetter than the lap before and I made a small mistake.  Luckily I got the car going again and I didn’t hit anything. 

“Mark and Brendon did an awesome job today. How we prepared for the whole weekend was very good for Porsche with driving at this altitude with a new track.  How the three of us worked together was awesome so I am very honoured to work with these two pros.  With the pitstop issue it was just some confusion. We got a penalty for it but then we got going again, that’s motorsport.”

Marcel Fässler - no7 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18

 “I look back on the race with mixed emotions. On the one hand, our pace was good enough for victory in Mexico. On the other hand, various defects repeatedly caused us to lose ground.André’s performance in rain on intermediate tyres was top class.”

André Lotterer - no7 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18

“Mexico was an eventful race – unfortunately! The start was good. Then the tires clearly degraded and we opted to pit early. That cost us a lot of time because the other teams were able to stop later in a full-course yellow period. But in the rain, we suddenly clearly advanced again. I was getting closer and closer to the leading Porsche when an issue with our electronic brake system occurred. Second place doesn’t feel so good knowing that victory would basically have been possible.”

Stéphane Sarrazin – no6 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

 “I was really frustrated about my crash on Thursday because it’s not like me. But the mechanics did such a great job working all night to prepare the car. We all give our best and sometimes we start an event with difficulties but we finish in a positive way. When I was in the car I was thinking about the mechanics, which motivated me to push even harder. I felt so good in the car and with Mike and Kamui, as well our engineers, we have a great package. It’s amazing to be on the podium and to be second in the championship.”   

Mike Conway – no6 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“It’s fantastic to get a podium here. At the beginning it was looking difficult but my stint was going well until I unfortunately got the drive through penalty. After that the pace was good and we could double stint the tyres which was an advantage. Stéphane did a brilliant job; as the track got drier he just got quicker. It looked like we had a chance for second which would have been amazing but the rain came a bit too late. All credit to the mechanics for getting the car over the finish line; it’s been a big team effort.”

Kamui Kobayashi – no6 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“We didn’t expect this. The week had been difficult for us but to achieve a podium finish is just great for everyone. The mechanics had a really hard week so I think they deserve this, along with the whole team. It was fun to stand on the podium and see their reaction. After qualifying no-one would predict we would be pushing for second place so I’m really happy with our race.”

Romain Dumas – no2 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“I did the third stint in our car and managed to make up a few seconds. However, some of that was lost again at the pit stop because we stopped with both cars at the same time and, therefore, I had to be pushed back. Again in the final stint of the race I did my best and managed to catch up. But in the end for us more than 12 points weren’t possible today.”

Neel Jani – no2 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“Unfortunately we have outbraked ourselves today. Because of weather forecasts not becoming reality, we were on the wrong tyres for the conditions more than once. Today we could have gained more than 12 points in the drivers’ championship because our strongest rival dropped back. It is a missed chance. Nevertheless, I’m happy for the sister car and for Porsche’s points in the manufacturers’ championship.”

Marc Lieb – no2 Porsche Team Porsche 919 Hybrid

“Having started second, finishing fourth is not what we had hoped for. The start wasn’t easy. The Audis played very well together and I was surprised by Brendon. On my first stint especially I had difficult situations in traffic. Later in the race, when we had drizzle and rain, the track conditions were tricky. Several times our tyre choice wasn’t right. For us there was more within reach today and, therefore, we feel a bit disappointed.”

Lucas di Grassi ­– no8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18

“Following pole position, the race started in a very promising way. I was initially leading, but then some technical issues occurred.With a basically strong car we’d have liked to clinch a good result. That would have been important for the championship. This way, however, the weekend was a missed opportunity.”

Loïc Duval – no8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18

“Today, unfortunately, the worst situation you can imagine occurred for our championship: we didn’t score any points in the drivers’ classification in the race. In the beginning, we had great battles withPorsche. The tire choice during the rain was great too, but then the setbacks came. Now we need to make the best of the remaining races.”   

Oliver Jarvis – no8 Audi Sport Team Joest Audi R18

“We were doing really well when I noticed that the car was feeling strange. My engineer warned me saying that I should brake carefully. Unfortunately, I had no chance to react and slid into a tire barrier. The end result is a shame for us and all the team members who did such a good job, because the strategy was perfect as well. We could have made a step forward in the championship today but, unfortunately, we didn’t manage to do that.”

Sébastien Buemi – no5 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“Congratulations to car #6 on the podium and on being second in the World Championship, which is impressive. I am very disappointed in our race because I had a competitive first stint. We showed that we had good pace and I could follow closely the Audi and the Porsche. It’s nice for the team to have a podium but now we focus on Austin.”

Kazuki Nakajima – no5 Toyota Gazoo Racing Toyota TS050 Hybrid

 “It was a difficult day for us but a good result for car #6 to get a podium for the team. I am happy for them and pleased to see how competitive the car was. It was an exciting race to watch but I would prefer to be racing; it’s a pity that we couldn’t finish because we had strong pace at the beginning.” 

Darren Turner – no97 Aston Martin Racing Vantage V8

“The last hour and half was really stressful and the pace of the competition was really strong. We had a bit of a buffer at that stage but the team was telling me how many laps I had left to go and what the gap was so I could work out what pace I could go at in order to have a gap at the end. I worked out that we would be alright and I could throttle back a bit and not take any risks and it all worked out perfectly.”

“It’s a great feeling to be leading the championship and hopefully I can keep that momentum until the end of the year. It was a fantastic result for everyone in the team and especially for Dunlop to get their first win in GTE Pro with us. This helps hugely with the manufacturer’s championship points too and I think we can go forward for the rest of the flyaway rounds with the confidence that we’re in good shape to take on the title fight”.