What the drivers said post-race at Sebring

Kazuki Nakajima – No.8 Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota TS 050 HYBRID - 1st

“I think from the outside it is easy to say it looked quite stable but actually it was very tricky in the car. In my first stint I had a lot of traffic so it was tough but then I jumped in the car at the end and I knew what I had to do. I was quite happy in the dry conditions but I was not happy at all in the end with the rainy conditions. It was amazingly low grip and it was like sliding on ice, and I couldn’t even go flat on the start/finish straight and to be honest I am just thankful we could finish, so victory is a bonus.”

Jose-Maria Lopez – No.7 Toyota Gazoo Racing, Toyota TS 050 HYBRID - 2nd 

“From my side I wasn’t really there with traffic today and I was struggling a bit. I was trying to catch Seb [Buemi] and I mis-judged a little bit the manoeuvre and I was a little bit unlucky with the car [No.90 TF Sport Aston Martin Vantage] which also crossed the line but these things happen sometimes, so we learn from it and look forward. Fortunately we could continue and finish the race.”

Gianmaria Bruni – No.91 Porsche GT Team, Porsche 911 RSR - 1st LMGTE Pro

“It was a very hard race from the start but we had a good car and the preparation we had for this race was unbelievable from the team. We worked very hard with the tyre life on the test days. The race went our way from mid-race on. We were consistent, we were not the fastest but we did a good overtake on Ford and BMW and this was the key moment for us. Richard pulled away from the No.67 Ford at one point and we knew that the BMW had to do a splash at the end and it all worked well for us. I am very happy to get my first win for Porsche.”

Will Stevens – No.37 Jackie Chan DC Racing, ORECA-Gibson - 1st LMP2

“It is great for us as it is our first weekend together. It wasn’t a plain sailing week for us but to come away with a win is great for us and the team also. We couldn’t have wished for a better start and as we were strong in the race it is very satisfying. We knew that if we could get the lead at the start we could pull away and control the race. The end of the race was pretty tricky, especially on inters which was very difficult but we managed it, so it was a great race for us.”

Matt Campbell – No.77 Dempsey Proton Racing, Porsche 911 RSR - 1st LMGTE Am

“Especially around Sebring where the track is so difficult and bumpy, when it rains it makes it a little more nerve-racking. We weren’t sure how the last stint would go because we only had ten seconds to the Ferrari but we were able to creep away and obviously then the Safety Car came out. It is a fantastic result in what was a very tough race. The competition in the class was really tough and tight so to get the win like we have today is great.”