Estre: They keep throwing things at us, but we’re stronger now

In the 6 Hours of Fuji earlier this month, the #6 trio became the first Hypercar crew to triumph more than once this year, with a commanding performance extending their 2024 podium tally to five from seven races – and no finish lower than sixth. It was not, however, completely plain sailing, with Estre encountering a couple of late scares that threatened to derail the German manufacturer’s victory charge.

Heading into the final hour, the 2018-19 WEC LMGTE Pro champion was beginning to stretch his legs when Ryō Hirakawa in the #8 Toyota emerged from the pits on fresh tyres and attempted to unlap himself from the leader, with the pair coming together at the first corner and the Japanese driver subsequently being handed a drive-through penalty for the contact.

Having survived that incident, Estre’s foot then slipped on the brake pedal with barely half-an-hour left on the clock, sending him deep into Turn One, but again, he was thankfully able to resume unscathed. He proceeded to pull away from the #15 BMW M Team WRT entry, taking the chequered flag more than 16 seconds clear to cement his milestone tenth WEC win – his second both in the headlining Hypercar category and at Fuji.

“It was a scary moment [with the Toyota],” acknowledged the 35-year-old Lyon native, who is targeting his second WEC crown this season in his sophomore campaign at endurance racing’s highest level. “The #8 came out of the pits almost a lap down and he definitely did not try to let me by. He was blocking everywhere and after I had got past, he then re-passed me, which resulted in some contact.

“Then a bit later there was some kind of leak coming out of the car’s air-conditioning – I think there must have been a lot of condensed water in it. It got onto the pedal and when I went to brake for Turn One, I didn’t have the grip I wanted under my foot and I slipped! I was happy that I hadn’t flat-spotted the tyres, but I still had to try to dry my foot...

“Towards the end of the race, I just tried to manage the gap. They keep throwing stuff at us, but I think we are stronger this year, so they keep throwing, but somehow they don’t succeed.

“We went to Fuji confident that we would have a good car again, and it was obviously great to win – even if we hadn’t been expecting to. Thanks to the others’ misfortunes, we now have a good margin in the championship. This team is doing a fantastic job operationally and in terms of strategy – better than any other team out there – and I’m very proud to be a part of that.”

Indeed, the #6 crew’s outstanding consistency – allied to a retirement for the #7 Toyota in Japan and a lowly ninth-place finish for the #50 Ferrari – means the Porsche triumvirate will enter the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain (31 October - 2 November) needing just eighth position to seal the deal.

“Victory at Fuji had been taken away from me a few times back in the Audi days, so it was always a big wish,” reflected Lotterer, who has joined former team-mate and compatriot Timo Bernhard on 12 overall wins in the series.

“Laurens [Vanthoor] set the foundation, and then I took over. The car felt great, so we could keep a really good rhythm. I just had a bit of action with the #50 Ferrari, which was defending quite hard, so I had to take a risk to pass but after that, things went smoothly.

“The great thing about this team is that we manage to do the best with whatever gets thrown at us, as everyone is so well-prepared for all scenarios that they can pick the right one. We’ve seen this throughout the season, even when we have had to fight from the back – and that just shows our strength.”