Nelson Piquet Jr made his LMP1 debut for Rebellion Racing at the Six Hours of Silverstone a fortnight ago. The Brazilian driver admitted that with just one race now until the 24 Hours of Le Mans, he is in for a steep learning curve.
After qualifying at Silverstone Piquet Jr told WEC-Magazin that a gear box issue was to blame for a poor showing, forcing his #12 Rebellion to start from 31st on the 33 strong grid. However the race was a much more promising affair. After Piquet branded the race “a big test session” on Saturday afternoon, both Rebellions stood out as the big movers in the race.
Nelson Piquet Jr, along with his teammates Nico Prost and Nick Heidfeld finished second overall in the LMP1 privateer class, making it a Rebellion 1-2, and a surprising fourth overall after Saturday’s dramas.
Heading into the second 6 hour race of the year at Spa next weekend, Piquet Jr admitted, “I’m still learning about the tyre and still learning about the car”. As well as understanding the car, he also mentioned how his driving style may need be tweaked when in LMP1, saying and he needs to understand “a little bit about the traffic, like how aggressive you need to be.”
The Rebellion driver also touched on how at Spa they need to work on how the team set he car up to make it good for himself and the other drivers. With Le Mans just over a month away, it is crucial the team get it right at Spa, as it will be the last time they will run in a WEC race before the endurance classic at Le Mans in June.
Interview & Image 2 – James Clarke (WEC-Magazin)
Image 1 – Walter Schruff/Ton Kerdijk (WEC-Magazin)