Gianmaria Bruni – My First Le Mans

Indeed, Bruni has a glittering record at the 24 Hour of Le Mans having won in 2008, 2012 and 2014 - all with Ferrari. While his last two wins in LMGTE Pro with Toni Vilander and Giancarlo Fisichella were memorable, it was his first ever venture to La Sarthe in 2008 where the memories come flooding back.

“2008 and my first Le Mans was special because it was [my] first win and the first in a long time for Ferrari too,” recalls Bruni, who will be partnered this year by Richard Lietz and Frederic Makowiecki in the No.91 Porsche 911 RSR.

“It was a good race and I remember everything as if it was yesterday. I have fantastic pictures with Mika [Salo] and Jamie [Melo] and the great team, Risi Competizione. The biggest challenge was the long straights and how to get used to sitting there waiting for the corners to come to you.”

When it comes to respecting the extraordinary La Sarthe track, Bruni is unequivocal in the lessons he has learned over the years.

“Always respect the track - if you don’t, it will give you something back and it will not be nice,” he warns. “It's a hard race and it's a difficult track. It’s very hard to do everything perfect in one lap. If you're able to do it, you feel good and you feel very proud.”

The track has changed over the last decade with more safety features, particularly around the Porsche Curves and Maison Blanches/Karting areas of the track. 

Bruni says that despite these subtle alterations, the emphasis is always on the competition, especially in LMGTE Pro.

“I think now it's more challenging because there are more manufacturers and the gap is close. In earlier times, it was more physical because we had the shifter, so it was harder in that way but there were only three manufacturers,” explains Bruni.

“2019 will be awesome, but it will be tough. At Porsche, we must be at the top of our game, and I think if we are we can then do back-to-back wins, but sometimes you just need that bit of luck.”