2024 FIA World Endurance Championship
Imola, Italy
April 17th – 21st 2024
Photo: Nick Dungan / Drew Gibson Photography
Porsche lacked the necessary speed in dry conditions to contend for victory in the 6 Hours of Imola, according to Kevin Estre. “While we had the ability to fight for the win on a damp track, we simply didn’t have the pace on a fully dry surface,” Estre explained. “They were faster than us and used fewer tires. So, in dry conditions, we were unable to keep up. However, given the challenging circumstances, I believe we made the most of it and made better decisions than most of our competitors.”
Estre, driving the #6 Porsche 963, finished in second place, just 7 seconds behind race winner Kamui Kobayashi in the #7 Toyota GR010. At one point during the closing stages, Estre was only tenths of a second behind Kobayashi before easing off. When asked about the competition, Estre commented, “Both Ferrari and Toyota had their strengths and weaknesses. I believe Ferrari made significant errors in their strategy, otherwise they could have been ahead of us in terms of pace. Toyota, on the other hand, had the speed advantage in wet conditions. However, when it came to driving on a damp track with slicks, I believe we had a slight edge over them.”
Estre also praised his team’s strategy, stating, “I think we made better decisions regarding fuel-saving in the final stint. Although in the end, Toyota demonstrated that they had enough fuel, I believe we did an excellent job today in terms of strategy.” Porsche pitted Estre two laps earlier than Kobayashi, giving him an energy advantage for the final push. Despite Estre’s efforts, Kobayashi managed to stay ahead.
“It was challenging because we had to save fuel on a damp track, where it’s always difficult to bring the tires up to temperature. However, we knew that if we didn’t save fuel, we wouldn’t have enough to finish the race,” Estre explained. “The full course yellow helped both us and Toyota, although it probably benefited them more. It’s tough to fight for victory on a damp track while also having to save fuel, but Kobayashi faced the same challenge.”
Additionally, Estre received a five-second penalty for overtaking under a safety car earlier in the race, a gap he would have had to build in order to secure victory over Kobayashi. “Yes, we had to pass and create a five-second gap, which would have been difficult but possible, I believe, if I had passed earlier, as we had the advantage in terms of pace during that stint,” Estre admitted. “However, I wasn’t able to make the pass. Kobayashi was fast enough and didn’t make any mistakes.”