Interview with Aston Martin Racing's Maxime Martin
Belgium’s Maxime Martin will compete in his first FIA World Endurance Championship race for Aston Martin on home turf at Spa-Francorchamps this weekend.
The 32-year-old driver from Brussels was, until last season, a BMW works driver but now will race against his old team, Ferrari, Ford and Porsche in the super-competitive LMGTE Pro category for the coveted FIA World Endurance Championship GT title.
We asked Maxime Martin about the upcoming Super Season and his new challenge with Aston Martin Racing.
Q: How did this opportunity with Aston Martin come about?
Maxime Martin: “I started working with Aston Martin in 2011 at Le Mans with the Lola-Aston Martin and since then I have always been in contact with John Gaw (AMR Managing Director). After five years with BMW, I thought it was time for me to have a new challenge. With Aston Martin being so involved with racing, coming with a new car and a new project…the opportunity came and I just took it.”
Q: How does the new Aston Martin Vantage compare to what you have raced before?
MM: “I have driven a lot of cars but the new Vantage is special. From the first go I was impressed with the car, from what I have heard they have made a big step up with the old car, but the new car has a really nice feeling. Every time you change something you can feel it and you can drive it like you want to. It is quite important for a driver to have a car which has a good feeling. The car is super reliable since the beginning; we have done 20,000 km in testing without any major issues and for a new car this is really impressive.”
Q: In the WEC you are competing against four other major manufacturers. Do you welcome this competition?
MM; “It’s just amazing. GTE is now the place to be. We have five manufacturers for the full WEC season and six in Le Mans and seventeen cars in GTE Pro at Le Mans, we can’t dream better.
Q: Aston Martin go to Le Mans as reigning champions. Does that put any extra pressure on you for the big race?
MM: “We always have pressure. From day one, when you sign, you have pressure. It is part of the job; it is part of racing. Aston Martin want to do the same with the new car as they did with the old one, but we know the competition is big, we are not the only ones with a new car. BMW is coming also with a new car, Ferrari has a new update, so everybody is going to be there with competitive cars. It will be super hard but we go there for the win.
Q: The first race of the season is at Spa-Francorchamps and this is your first race for Aston Martin. What are your thoughts on the first WEC weekend in Belgium?
MM: “For many years the only race I did at Spa was the 24 Hours of Spa and this year I will have more races. Of course, the WEC’s 6-hour event, the first race of the season, and the first with the new car. There are a lot of expectations and, of course, I will have a lot of people coming to see me – family, friends, sponsors – and I am really looking forward to starting my WEC year with Aston Martin Racing at home.”
The Total 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps, round 1 of the 2018/19 FIA World Endurance Championship, will take place on Saturday 5 May.
