Le Mans | Cairoli: “Lamborghini appreciates me, we aim high”

24h of Le Mans and Matteo Cairoli, a combination that we have experienced for years on Porsches, but which has always left that feeling of eternal incompleteness.

After many seasons as a Porsche standard bearer, the Como native is the new standard bearer of Lamborghini Squadra Corse, with which he has chosen to undertake a brand new challenge as an official driver.

In 2024 he is dividing his time between the SC63 LMDh racing with the #63 in the IMSA SportsCar Championship together with Andrea Caldarelli and Romain Grosjean, and the Huracan GT3 EVO2 in the GT World Challenge Europe with the same Caldarelli and Mirko Bortolotti.

Furthermore, the Iron Lynx team also offered him the opportunity to board the Oreca 07-Gibson in ELMS as a partner of Jonas Ried and Maceo Capietto, so there is no stopping for the boy who will challenge the Circuit de la Sarthe today for the first time with a prototype.

But before embarking on this adventure together with the rivals of the Hypercar Class who race in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship, Motorsport.com had the opportunity to have a chat with Cairoli to find out how he is finding himself in his new place of… work.

Matteo, how is the new adventure in Lamborghini-Iron Lynx going?
“It’s a much smaller and more familiar environment than the one I came from. From a human point of view I really feel more appreciated and I say this frankly, because that’s what I felt first hand.”

What went wrong at Porsche?
“I’ll start by saying that I absolutely don’t want to criticize or spit on the plate where I ate, but I’ll tell you what my feelings were. I had supporters on one side, but also those who didn’t see me well on the other. I think that several times I managed to do the difference by demonstrating my value and often putting myself at the service of the brand, even in uncomfortable situations. Many promises were made to me which were then not kept, this disappointed me greatly”.

Now the air has changed…
“I honestly think I went even beyond expectations because I had the first contacts last July and the idea was to join Lamborghini as a reserve, which suited me very well because I could have had a year of experience with the SC63 and then I showed up at the start very prepared. After the first test in Jerez the scenario changed, they considered me ready and we started from there.”

Not only with the LMDh, but also with the Huracan GT3 and together with Iron Lynx in ELMS driving the LMP2…
“A nice background story concerns the first test I did with Iron Lynx in 2022, the year in which I took part in the ELMS with the 911. As a joke I said that I would have liked to try the Oreca, but at the time they didn’t understand well and thought I was branching out a bit too much. Instead this year they asked me directly, which made me very happy.”

#63 Iron Lynx, Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2: Mirko Bortolotti, Andrea Caldarelli, Matteo Cairoli

Photo by: SRO

How do you tackle three different programs in the same year?
“I would like to bring home something good for Lamborghini and I believe that in the GTWC there is everything because we have a really strong line-up and the car is very competitive. What I noticed is the ease of the transition from LMDh to GT3, while LMP2 It mixes things up a bit. The Oreca should be driven more like a single-seater, while the SC63 is more similar to the GT. And I realized this by doing a sort of madness…”

We feel!
“First we carried out two days of testing in Portimao with the SC63, simulating a 24h race, then the same evening I moved to Barcelona to drive the GT3 the following day, followed by the LMP2 and then the GT3 again. Basically a week on the track! But with the Oreca I realized that I was driving in the same style as the Huracan, which is totally different when braking.”

How did you experience Giorgio Sanna’s farewell?
“Personally I was very sorry because if I embarked on this path it was also thanks to him. I had met him in 2013 and he had already offered me a position then, but then nothing materialised. He has always been honest and direct with me, a good figure as a boss. He helped and supported me, so I will always be grateful to him and unfortunately no one expected this farewell, but now we also need to look forward.”

As a great GT expert, how are you finding the Huracan? Do you feel 100% in control?
“At the moment still not completely, but I’m growing quickly. I come from the Porsche which is a very complicated car to understand, even though it’s the best built; if you’re not in the optimal window it’s difficult to go fast, while with the Lamborghini it’s simpler, also because of the balance and the central engine. Mirko helps me a lot because he is the driver who has the most experience with the Huracan and what he says is precisely precise.”

#56 Project1 – AO Porsche 911 RSR – 19 of Pj Hyett, Gunnar Jeannette, Matteo Cairoli

Photo by: Marc Fleury

So what are the driving differences?
“With the Porsche you always have to go to the limit and even beyond, arguing with the car to get the best out of it, while the same behavior with the Lamborghini doesn’t work; on the contrary, you absolutely shouldn’t exaggerate and it has much better aerodynamics on the straight, then it’s clear that in changes of direction and traction the Porsche is more complete. And the braking of the 911 can be much more aggressive, while with the Huracan you risk going straight and must be managed much more gently.”

We know that the SC63 is very complex, what was the biggest difficulty?
“Initially all the electronic part and all the settings and buttons linked to the hybrid, which are very difficult and constantly change with each lap. But entering the track with cold tires is really tough, there’s no time to react and sometimes you have to pray that nothing happens. In the Le Mans tests I turned as soon as I touched the accelerator and I didn’t expect it, especially at night.”

You are a Le Mans expert faced with something new: how do you feel?
“Despite having only raced in GTE, the experience of past editions is coming in handy and I haven’t found any big differences. It took me little time to adapt to the car and the track, you go much faster on the straight, but honestly you don’t realize it more so, while the changes are noticeable in the aerodynamic load, in braking and cornering I feel ready and I have no doubts that it can handle everything well”.

Those who switched from GT to prototype mainly blamed the traffic problem during the race; does it worry you too?
“Honestly, I had a great time, I had no problems and I find it easy to manage. Perhaps the many years of GT have also helped me to understand how the cars move on the track, if the person in front of you doesn’t do anything stupid it’s all simple” .

#19 Lamborghini Iron Lynx Lamborghini SC63: Romain Grosjean, Andrea Caldarelli, Matteo Cairoli

Photo by: Nikolaz Godet

Does already knowing some LMGT3 drivers help to predict their behavior?
“The rule says that the slowest one must maintain his trajectory and we are the ones who have to go around them, if everyone respects it there are no problems. Every now and then it happens that someone closes because they don’t want to be passed before a curve, which takes a little ‘ of agitation to both, creating problems. So it’s not necessarily the case that it’s just the prototypes that are too aggressive.”

Have you had these experiences in the past…
“I’m honest, when I race I think about doing my race without ruining that of others, but I don’t want the opposite to happen either. When you’re in a car you may encounter problems, but whoever is in front must behave well.”

Going back to the tyres, which compounds do you think will be used?
“At night the softs are good and perhaps even a triple stint is possible. We tried this with the mediums during the day and it went quite well, then the mixed solution was also tried with softs on the front and mediums on the rear. It could there is a risk of delamination on the multiple stint, but honestly I’d rather risk that than crash because my tires are cold.”

In the WEC there were many complaints about the absence of ‘warmers’ at Le Mans, yet in IMSA there is no controversy over cold tyres; How are you experiencing it, given that your program with the SC63 is in America?
“IMSA races simply almost always take place in warmer places than Europe. In December, at the Austin test, at 9:00 in the morning it was 40°C, so the situation is totally different. At Le Mans up until in fourth gear there is still the risk of skidding.”

How long does it take you to warm up the tires?
“During the day, if you work well, after almost one lap you are already more or less up to speed, while at night it takes even a couple of laps. But leaving the garage and not turning at the first chicane is already a triumph, it takes a lot of effort. Even behind a possible Safety Car or in the Slow Zone you risk problems, especially on the front.”

We’re halfway through your new challenge: what would make you happy in the end?
“With the LMDh I would really like to forcefully enter the Top10, but without external help, only with our potential. In LMP2 the first two races didn’t go as we expected, but the goal is also to help my young teammates grow. With the GT3 we aim very high, we just have to do our job well without overdoing it.”