What the Drivers Said....

Brendon Hartley

No2 Porsche LMP1 Team - Porsche 919 Hybrid

The car was competitive straight out of the box and Toyota looks a lot closer to us than in Mexico so it looks like it will be a pretty tough fight come Saturday.

“Mexico was very light on tyres and we were surprised but it will be a big difference here and the tyre management and degradation levels here will be a big topic in the race but we have a few compounds to play with.”

Mike Conway

No7 Toyota Gazoo Racing - Toyota TS050 Hybrid

“Coming here we weren’t really sure how we would be after Mexico and what we have seen in first practice is that Porsche still look pretty strong. But we definitely look like we are closer over one lap but on the average and throughout the stint is what we are going to be looking at.

“We would obviously like a closer fight (than Mexico) because the races are much more enjoyable when they are. We’ll see where we are at.”

Gustavo Menezes

No36 Signatech Alpine Matmut - Alpine A470-Gibson

“Last year was fantastic here where we won. We will never forget the great season that we had.

“This year it has been a tougher year as obviously the LMP2 class has been consistently growing and getting more competitive. Our performance over the last two races weekends has definitely stepped up and hopefully here we can make another step, this is the direction we are heading towards.”

David Heinemeier-Hansson

No13 Vaillante Rebellion - Oreca 07-Gibson

“Everything is super close in LMP2 right now and the front of the grid right back to say sixth is only a few tenths in qualifying. I don’t think this class has ever had this much competition as it has now.

“This is a great race to feel the difference with the new LMP2 cars as we have just come away from Mexico where we had about 150bhp less than we have here (due to the altitude) and the difference feels immediate. It’s just a really special time to be in LMP2 just now.”

Andy Priaulx

No67 Ford Chip Ganassi Racing Team UK – Ford GT

“It has been fantastic this year. You know, Le Mans this year was probably the hardest race I have ever done. It has been an interesting season and I think we have performed better than we have last season although we haven’t had the same levels of performance obviously.

“We are coming to the tracks now knowing the circuits and we have seemed to have bonded more as a team and it has been a perfect season to date and we are still fighting and fighting. The (points)gap is reducing by the race and now we just have to try and extend it.”

Paul Dalla Lana

no98 Aston Martin Racing - Aston Martin Vantage

“COTA is a unique track and has a little bit of everything and it is a real challenge for a driver. Getting the track right for a driver is very rewarding and it is always a super challenge.

“It feels a little like a home race and it’s the only one where I don’t have to go through a time change. As a Canadian though coming to Texas there is some acclimatisation as we are not used to 97% humidity and these big temperatures!”