Neel Jani, the Swiss driver in the #2 Porsche, is an avid FIFA 2016 gamer. He also played football until he was 13. "I enjoy watching the big tournaments like the Euro. Switzerland’s group is quite a tough one, so we had to win the first match against Albania. The French-Switzerland match will be worth watching. I guess that France is the favourite but it’s like the 24 Hours of Le Mans – anything can happen!" ,  he smiles. For teammate Marc Lieb, football is a family thing. "My father was goalkeeper in a German third division team. I played until I was fifteen – I was goalie too. I wasn't as talented as my dad though, so I turned to motorsport instead", he tells us. He also says that he’ll be watching how the German team perform.

You might be surprised to learn that Loïc Duval, the #2 Audi R18 driver would "liked to have been a professional footballer". He’s eagerly tracking the French team’s performance. "I think we can go far because there are some quality players on the team. I thought Dimitri Payet’s reaction was wonderful [at the France-Romania opening game, the West Ham midfielder shed a few tears as he left the pitch]. It’s great to see the players so committed,” says the French driver, before evoking the similarities between football and endurance racing: "Nothing is certain, not until the final whistle is blown, not until the chequered flag goes down. That’s what is so special about sport.”

French and British spectators at the Circuit can watch their national teams’ matches on the big screen in the Village.

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Photo: During the team photo session, Porsche drivers Marc Lieb and Timo Bernhard showed off their ball skills!