James Calado was one of the great stars who appeared atAutosport International Show taking place in Birmingham this weekend.
In the United Kingdom the local idol was acclaimed by the public who came to meet him and his Ferrari 499P #51 with which the Englishman triumphed at the 24h of Le Mans last season.
Inevitably recalling that incredible achievement achieved with the Maranello Hypercar, the Cavallino Ramante standard-bearer was also able to take stock of the next year of the FIA World Endurance Championship, for which preparations are already well underway.
“We are preparing hard for the new season, between training and testing, but we want to win Le Mans again and try to bring home the title, so we want to do our best”, began Calado, fresh from renewing his contract with the Ferrari, who then answered the questions posed to him on stage amid thunderous applause from those present.
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Ferrari 499P
You had a lot of pressure in the media, but what was it like to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans?
“Winning Le Mans was incredible, we arrived with a completely new car and with four races behind us, of which the longest was 8 hours. An 'unreal' situation, but when on the test day I did the first laps and I arrived at the 'Porsche' corners and realized the great downforce we had and the huge leap forward we had made. The car was truly phenomenal, but we didn't expect to finish the race or win, even though we knew we were competitive. We fought against Toyota the whole time; the mechanics, engineers and the whole team did a fantastic job, and we did it.”
A success like a real 'fairy tale'…
“We had already won Le Mans in GTE PRO, but doing so in the premier class had a different flavour. Those two weeks are always very long and difficult for us, it's not just about the 24-hour race, but also about facing all the tests and media activities, so you are busy with something from the early hours of the morning. Let's remember that Hypercars are quite physically difficult cars to drive, so you arrive exhausted at the end. Now we also have this experience behind us, we will try to repeat it in 2024, but my primary objective is to try to win the title.”
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
James Calado, Ferrari AF Corse
You've been a Ferrari driver for 10 years now. How quickly time passes…
“They flew! In 2014 I came from single-seaters to get into a GT car, which was not usual at the time in terms of growth. Today I can say that it was a good choice, I became an official Ferrari driver, a prestigious brand with which I won Le Mans, races and titles, which is really special. And then in Italy it's great, I love coffee, pasta and food in general, so I'm very happy.”
Is there a lot of pressure racing for Ferrari?
“Of course, it's clear that this can lead you to make mistakes every now and then; it happened to me too, it's certainly not nice and nobody likes it, but at the same time I think it's normal and it's human. You can blame yourself for this, but if you race for Ferrari you know that there is always pressure to go fast, and you must know that you need to concentrate as much as possible on the work to be done with the team to be at the top. Personally I like this pressure and even some criticism, but the The Ferrari environment is very welcoming, everyone knows each other in Maranello between the F1, GT, product and racing departments. I like it and I'm happy to be part of it.”
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Ferrari 499P
The first lap of Le Mans last year felt like a BTCC race at Knockhill…
“Even if we are talking about a 24 hour race, we always start quite aggressively because there is a desire to gain positions. You need coolness in those moments, everyone says that in Endurance it's long, but the reality is that everything happens a lot quickly. Last year I remember that I had a Porsche in my mirrors that kept trying to pass me. And then accidents can happen, like ending up in the gravel, which happened to us too. You risk losing time on the track and at the pit stops, you also need luck with the Safety Car and much more, regardless of whether you have a good strategy or teammates. It's a combination of things.”
In the wet at Le Mans we saw some accidents, someone seemed to be on ice…
“We know that for the sake of sustainability in the WEC they banned tire pre-heating, which they only allowed at Le Mans for safety reasons. It also started raining at night and it's very cold there, in those conditions it gets very tough and on the straight you can only really accelerate to the maximum from fourth or fifth gear with cold tires because it is not a track like the others, but has stretches of normal road. We all know that the key is to bring the healthy car to the finish line with a good engine and suspension place, coldness is needed on everything”.
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Ferrari 499P
How challenging was it to manage the traffic?
“We happened to get into some contact, but it's part of the regulations and the game. Traffic management was certainly the most difficult thing to adapt because with the GTs it was enough to step aside when an LMP1 arrived, whereas now we are the ones who we have to get into the spaces as quickly as possible so as not to waste time. A lot of concentration is always needed, even more so if it's a 24 hour race.”
In any case, Ferrari looked in great form at Le Mans…
“That weekend was fantastic for us, with the #50 we got the Pole Position and in terms of pace we were practically the same, so I imagine the pressure and stress that our team manager had every time he had to tell us what to do. A mistake it could have meant the end of everything, so the important thing was to bring a Ferrari to the front at the end, it was a great team effort. You understand this much more in Endurance than in single-seaters, it's more of a team sport “.
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
James Calado, Ferrari AF Corse
What feelings did that success make you feel?
“Frankly, the victory was a surprise, we didn't think we could achieve it at the start and an hour from the end there was also the problem at the pit stop with the car not starting again. Pier Guidi had to reset everything, from 'hybrid to the engine and so on, luckily he was in the car and not me! I lost years of my life while I watched that moment on TV, it was terrible.”
Do you have a large instruction manual to learn how to operate the machine?
“It's actually not that big, but the amount of things that can be modified is interesting; I don't remember the exact number, but I think there are at least 300 different settings that we can diversify, from protection parameters to traction controls. The incredible thing is that at every corner the car can change thanks to the modifications that the team makes through the computers. This makes it very special.”
Now focus on the new year, how are you preparing?
“My goal for 2024 is to win another World Championship and do it with this fantastic car. After Christmas we started training hard to lose weight, get fit and be competitive. In addition to this, we are having lots of meetings and meetings to understand how and where to change something on the car to improve it. All three of us are focused and eager to win.”
#WEC #Calado #499P #setups #improve
