Next week, Stéphane Sarrazin will zipping along Corsican roads at the wheel of his own team’s Skoda R5 in the Tour de Corse but, for the time being, he is pacing up and down the pit lane at the venerable Italian racetrack, his eyes permanently focused on the new Toyota TS050 Hybrid.

“We had the best car last year and nothing should have stopped us winning,” he sighs. “We lost due to driver errors in our car, after leading for 255 laps, and mechanical trouble just one lap from the end in the other. We’ve put in a lot of miles over the winter. We have worked hard. We are confident but have to remain cautious all the same. We have taken a step forward but Porsche might have taken an even bigger one. It’s our sixth season and everyone knows the ropes. We are getting down to the absolute finest details in terms of the engine, energy retrieval, aero, etc.”

According to the Frenchman, Toyota will only find salvation in winning the 24 Hours. “Given what happened last year, I feel that we have to win,” he said with a grimace that spoke a thousand words. “We have messed up twice in five attempts. In 2014, we were on course to win until an undersized wiring harness overheated and set fire to the car. Personally speaking, I’ve been in front loads of times with Peugeot and Toyota, without ever nailing it. I admit that, in the past, I’ve focused a bit too much on bad luck. Not anymore. I’m totally calm now. Getting wound up doesn’t change a thing. We know how to do the job. I’m used to being on the podium with four second places and a third. It’s about time I climbed up on to the top step.”

As a mainstay of the Toyota team who has named him as the lead driver in the third car this year, Sarrazin is aware of the pivotal role that the Japanese outfit wants him to play. “Without wishing to sound pretentious, I feel that I have become a solid link in the chain over the past year or two, and that they listen to what I have to say,” he delights. “Asking me to manage the drivers in the third car is a sign of trust. Involving me in the decision-making process is a form of recognition and I’m very touched by it. You know, you have to be clear on what you’re trying to achieve with your teammates, you have to agree on the way you want to drive. At Le Mans, you cannot just think about yourself. You can only achieve osmosis through dialogue.”

Through seconds too! Sarrazin is not only razor sharp, extra-motivated and highly reliable, and a great team player to boot, he is extremely quick too. It is undoubtedly his main asset and the one he will be counting on first and foremost in his attempt to clinch his maiden Le Mans win. 
At long last!