Maximus Mayer was a race winner in his Michelin Le Mans Cup debut season last year, taking the win in the Saturday race at Le Mans alongside Christophe Cresp for MV2S Racing.
For his second MLMC season the 19-year-old Spanish driver has switched to Danish team High Class Racing, sharing the driving duties with Philip Lindberg in the LMP3 category. So far, the Danish-Spanish pairing have yet to score in the opening two races, finishing outside the top 10 due to a combination of bad luck and drive through penalty.
However, Mayer is a member of a very elite band of drivers who have stood on the top step of the podium at Le Mans and is hoping that experience will give the team a boost as they prepare for the 10th edition of the Road To Le Mans.
Q1: What are your thoughts on the first two races of the season? What are the positives you are taking forward to the next two races in Le Mans?
Maximus Mayer: “It has been a tricky start to the season. We had a bit of an unlucky contact in the first race at Barcelona, which caused us to have over temp, which slowed us down by 20 kilometres per hour, which didn't really help. We got a good data baseline with the setup and understood what the response was from the car, as we still hadn't found the proper setup or the proper limit of the car. As soon as we found for the race, it was just unlucky to have that damage that caused us to not really show our true performance.
“Paul Ricard, I think, was bit of a tricky weekend again.We were just struggling a little bit at the beginning to find the right setup. I think we did a pretty good job and showed that we had good pace to be in the top five or top six.
“We were running couple tenths off the leader, but Philip (Lindberg) got spun around, overtaking another driver and we had a drive through penalty, which I had to serve, which, certainly didn't help.
“However, from the driving side and the data collection side, I think we did pretty good. We've got a lot of data and a lot more knowledge on what's best to do with the car setup, what's best to go forward, start from that point and just move upwards and forward with the setup.
“So, from my side, I was really happy at the end, and it gives me good, positive vibes and more strength for going towards Le Mans.”
Q2: How different are the new Toyota powered LMP3 cars compared to the car you raced last season? What are the main differences?
MM: “So definitely the new LMP3, the Ligier JS P325, is definitely different, it's got a different feeling. The aero is a little bit different on the car from the bodywork. But, I think, the biggest thing was the engine with the twin turbo. You feel a big difference with the twin turbo, just by power delivery. Where the V8 was more of a direct feeling as soon as you put the power down, the twin turbo takes a tiny bit of time for the turbo to build up.
“I really like the new car. I do miss the old car because the old car with the V8 engine was really nice. You had to hustle it around a little bit as where with the new car you have to drive to the limit but not overdo it. Not force it in the braking zones, not forcing the driving. I think it's a pretty cool car and well developed.”
“We're doing roughly similar lap times compared to last year. I’m looking forward to seeing what the top speed is on this car at Le Mans, because I remember with the LMP3 from last year with the V8 engine, we were catching to 289-290 kilometres per hour, roughly. So it'll be interesting to see what the difference is at Le Mans between the two cars in lap time and speed wise.”
Q3: What was it like to stand on the top step of the most famous podium in endurance racing?
MM: “It was definitely a dream come true to stand on top step of the Le Mans podium. It's not the 24 hours, but still, it is a dream come true to be able to race around Le Mans and win at such an incredible historical track that everybody knows in this world. People that aren't into motorsport that much know what the 24 hours is, that's just how big it is. It's like the Super Bowl, let's say, and it was really, really emotional. There was no crying, just a lot of happiness; a lot of adrenaline rush after it.”
Q4: The Circuit de la Sarthe is unique.What makes it special for you as a driver, and do you have a favourite corner or sequence?
MM: “So Le Mans is just incredible, like the history from over 100 years of racing like Ford, Ferrari, the LMP1 races back in the day with Porsche and Audi. There are so many amazing, awesome things from racing around there, and it's just special.
“It's not every day you get to drive a race car down a road and see a KFC next to you. The speed is just thrilling. You get the adrenaline rush, the emotions of going on that speed, it feels like you're flying literally. Just to go at 290 (kph) is crazy,
“!t's a really cool track, all the fast speed corners, all the straights.For me, it’s my favourite track, and I think it's one of the best in the world, next to Daytona,
“To be honest, I don't have a specific favourite corner. I love every part of the track, every corner, every everything that is part of this track I love. If there's one thing that I could be really picky on, I would say Indianapolis and Porsche Curves, they're just really special, fast flowing corners. It's all about having a confidence in the car and the grip and in yourself to push that limit, to find the limit of the boundaries.”
Q5: With 58 cars taking part in the Road To Le Mans and 24 in the LMP3 category, is getting a good result in either 60-minute race going to be hard? What is the key to a good result at Le Mans?
MM: “I think the main thing, and it's not just for Le Mans, it's for every track in general, is having a good qualifying session. If you can have a good qualy, that will help you go up the ladder easily.
“It's as soon as you start, let's say in the top five. Then it's pretty much sorted from the go. But also, because you have such long straights, and the slipstream does a big effect on the straight but at the same time, there's a lot of aero wash, then you have to be careful and know what the actual limit is, where you can improve and find the right gaps.
“I think to deal with traffic, it's going to be a bit hectic to try and find that clear lap. Even with the GT3, you never know what can happe, hey can get in the way, in one corner, when, when you thought they wouldn't. So it's just all about traffic management.
“So, it's going to be really tight. You just have to maximise when you have clear air and maximise the lap time and track time that there is.
“I'm pretty sure that in the race, if we have a good car for the race and we can manage with the aero wash and stuff, then I'm pretty sure we can go forward and we can have a good race and make some positions up for sure. So yeah, I'm looking forward to getting to Le Mans, looking forward to starting and that’ll bring a lot of memories, for sure.”
