The Ferrari celebration for the victory at the 24h of Le Mans involved everyone, not only the fans but also all the employees who work for the Prancing Horse, who crowded around the 499Ps, taking the protagonists of the FIA World Endurance Championship by storm.
In addition to James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi and Antonio Giovinazzi, who took the first step of the podium at the end of the legendary race at the Circuit de la Sarthe aboard the Red #51 managed by AF Corse, Antonio Fuoco, Miguel Molina and Nicklas Nielsen also had their well deserved applause for what they are doing this season with the #50.
The race of the latter trio was less fortunate, slowed down by technical problems and forced to get back on track after having lost a lot of time in the pits to rearrange things. At the end of the parade held on Tuesday in Maranello, Motorsport.com was able to stop and talk to Nielsen, who didn’t hide from our microphones a hint of disappointment at what he failed to do, but nonetheless underlining the pleasure of being part of the project.
Ferrari 499P Maranello Parade
Photo by: Ferrari
Nicklas, in the end you too were part of this victory, are you happy?
“Surely success is a good thing for all of Ferrari, obviously our race didn’t go as we would have liked, but apart from that we have to say that we are very proud of what we have managed to do in such a short time with this car. The #51’s victory showed the fantastic work we’ve done, not just with the riders, but with the whole team in driving forward the development of this programme. Personally, I’m very happy to be a part of the project.”
You had the first part of the race, but something immediately went wrong, tell us what happened…
“We got off to a good start by making a different choice in terms of tires compared to our rivals. Unfortunately we struggled a bit, also because a small aerodynamic appendage on the car blocked the bonnet air intake. This forced us to anticipate the stop, given that the engine temperatures were rising. Up until then, however, we had been competitive, then a small stone went into the radiator, something which unfortunately we are not to blame for”.
#50 Ferrari AF Corse Ferrari 499P: Nicklas Nielsen
Photo by: Eric Le Galliot
You were equally competitive when you returned to the track, confirming that the car was excellent…
“The important thing is that the car ran very well for all the scheduled 24 hours, without any technical problems that prevented it from achieving good performances. At Le Mans, the question of reliability is always important and we proved that we have it. as well as to be a strong team that has prepared this race very well”.
As a group of the #50 you have achieved two podiums, now you are missing the victory, do you think it can be reached between now and the end of the year?
“The race pace is there and we demonstrated it by winning with the #51. The 499P is very nice and fast. For us in the #50, the focus now is certainly on the title objective. We wanted to get on the podium at Le Mans and maybe win, now we are already thinking about the next stage”.
Which will be in Monza with the legendary Fans…
“Exactly, we want to do well for them there. We will race to win, we have the car, the drivers and the pace to do it!”
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