Mirko Bortolotti was announced a few weeks ago by Lamborghini Squadra Corse as official driver of the LMDh program together with Andrea Caldarelli.
It was to be expected that the Casa di Sant’Agata Bolognese would choose Trentino, one of its best color bearers for years and with extensive experience to have its say even in the world of prototypes, which it faced this year by running the 24h of Le Mans with Team WRT’s Oreca LMP2.
Bortolotti is continuing his commitments in the world of GT3, between DMT and GT World Challenge, and immediately he will have to concentrate also to understand how to carry out the development of a vehicle that will compete in the top endurance series – IMSA and FIA WEC – against the more formidable opponents.
Motorsport.com spoke with him at Spa-Francorchamps along with other journalists present in the welcoming Lamborghini hospitality, where Bortolotti told his first impressions of a new chapter in his career about this very demanding but also tempting path.
Mirko Bortolotti, Lamborghini Factory Driver
Photo by: Lamborghini SpA
In the first season LMDh do you think we can aim to win right away, or will we have to wait given the quantity of variables dictated by the presence of several manufacturers?
“To set goals it is too early, clearly if you decide to do something, it must be done well, otherwise it is better to stay at home. The number one goal is to develop the machine and carry out the work in the best possible way. When we are at a good point. with the path then we can set other goals. Compared to some of our opponents we start with a year delay and they will have further experience. We are not looking for excuses, but we will have to talk about it later. “
The first drivers chosen for the program are you and Andrea Caldarelli, with whom you have already won and worked with in the past. If you could choose a third to complete the crew, who would you like?
“I’m not the one in the drivers market, so I prefer not to go into the merits of an issue that concerns our boss Giorgio Sanna and his collaborators. They make the decisions, we can give indications, but we are also professional drivers, so you have to work well with teammates and teams in any place you are placed “.
What is the most difficult aspect of this LMDh challenge?
“I do not see a particular difficulty, if anything it is a stimulus, a great opportunity to take part in a great project with Lamborghini. For us it is an honor to be able to measure ourselves at the top of the endurance world. It is a difficult task, but of nothing is easy. I remember that when we started the GT3 program we were at zero compared to manufacturers much better equipped and prepared than us, with important experience, but working step by step we have built what we have today and that we must carry on. We will try to do the same thing also in the world of prototypes and in world endurance “.
Mirko Bortolotti, Grasser Racing Team
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
Do you feel you have the right tools and support?
“The world of racing is complex, if it were the opposite they would all be able to compete. I think we have to work well at home, we have a competent team to go and compete at the highest levels and we will see how it goes on the track.”
After Le Mans, will you do any more rides on an LMP2 to prepare yourself?
“At the moment there is nothing at stake, I will focus on the GT program and the development of the car next year.”
You have been part of Lamborghini’s GT3 program since its inception, today you start all over again on a new project. Do you see any similarities with then?
“Absolutely yes, with the advantage that we are now more people and the team is tested. Other figures will also be added, so the starting point is different, even if today it is certainly better. But let’s go to a new world that reminds me a lot of the first outings with the GT “.
# 63 Emil Frey Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo: Jack Aitken, Albert Costa, Mirko Bortolotti
Photo by: SRO
You have won a lot in GT, do you think the transition to LMDh is natural?
“I was very happy to go to GT in 2014, it is a world that I really like, between the variability of programs, championships, different teams, tires and experiences. It is a world that I love and that has given me so much, and which I hope will continue. to give me so much, I love the competition and the whole. I’m not in a position to say that I made the GT and then ended up on the prototypes. if they hadn’t caught me it would have been fine anyway. I will continue to be part of the GT world, I will not focus only on the LMDh now. “
Speaking of GT, how is the new Huracan GT3?
“I hope it will be competitive right from the start, we are still in the development phase because it has not yet been homologated. The goal is to start from the excellent base we have today and, ideally, to have a little more. The car is in some respects very different and there is still a lot of work to do, continuing as in the last few years and trying to keep winning. “
Mirko Bortolotti, Grasser Racing Team Lamborghini Huracan EVO GT3
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz
When LMDh arrives, will you split between her and GT, or will you do a single program?
“In 2023 my program will be 100% in GT and car development, so I will already have to split up. What will happen in 2024 we still do not know and it is not up to us drivers to make the decisions. In theory I think so, not I think I will be exclusively in LMDh, even if that will be the main one. The GT3 program is very important at the same level for the House and for me, so when the calendars come out we will try to understand how to match the commitments “.
To conclude, how do you see Valentino Rossi in this world, whom you know all too well?
“We must always remember that the GT World Challenge is one of the most competitive championships in the category, so it is unthinkable to come here and beat everyone in the first year even if you have won everything in MotoGP, otherwise we could go home! well, from what I see from the outside and hear. He improves from race to race, he needs to make up for it because the world of GT is not easy. Indeed, perhaps Valentino is also above my expectations, in terms of performance “.
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