Louis Delétraz (ELMS) - AO by TF
Q: Four-time ELMS Champion, FIA WEC LMP2 Champion, 24 Hours of Le Mans LMP2 Pro/Am winner and reigning ALMS LMP2 Champion. Perhaps we should start calling you Mr LMP2! What is the secret to your success in this category?
“Thank you, it sounds good like this. We’ve had a lot of success over last few years. I’m very lucky to be in good teams with good teammates. I love LMP2, I always said that next to my Hypercar commitments, I want to race LMP2. I think it keeps me sharp and, in the end, the more I'm in the race car, the happier I am and, I think, the faster I go. The success comes from consistency and really being with awesome teammates.”
Q: You return to defend your LMP2 Pro/Am title with PJ and Dane and AO by TF. When you look at the 2026 grid, what are your thoughts on the challenge this year. Will having the same teammates give you a boost?
“For sure, it helps a lot to be in the same team with the same teammates. We actually had a tough race here at Barcelona last year, with a technical issue in the race. But this year we're fastest when we just came here last week, Monday, Tuesday and we were a lot faster straight away. We have experience, and we know each other all very well. So, for sure, it's a big experience, big advantage.”
Q: You’ve won the 4 Hours of Barcelona three times, including the win in 2023 with Racing Team Turkey, the first time an LMP2 Pro/Am car had won an ELMS race overall. What makes the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya special for you as a driver?
“I think what's very special here is the tyre deg. Obviously, it's not a normal track where you can push every lap. You have deltas from five to six seconds from quali to the race. It's an approach we've always had by having a car that's very safe on the on the rear axle. Let's say that we know over a double stint we will be fast, we don't focus on quali pace, and it's shown to be to be pretty good around here. It's a tough race; you don't win it at the beginning; you win it over the long run. And that's what we've been focusing again on this week.”
Doriane Pin (ELMS) – Duqueine Team
Q: Welcome back to the ELMS. Your first season in the ELMS was in 2022 in the LMGTE category, racing for the Iron Dames programme in the last three races and helping to secure that groundbreaking first ELMS victory for an all-female crew in Portugal. What does it mean to be back?
“It means a lot to me because the last memory I have in the ELMS is obviously the victory back in 2022, with the Iron Dames team. It opened a lot of doors for me thanks to this victory. And then I jumped into LMP2 the year after. Now we are back in the ELMS with a completely new team, big ambitions. I feel I have gained a lot of experience, with a lot of experience throughout the last few years in single seaters and also in endurance racing.”
Q: A huge congratulations on your 2025 F1 Academy title. How did you manage to maintain your high levels of performance in what must be a high-pressure environment on a high-profile stage?
“It's definitely a very demanding championship, obviously racing next to Formula One, the pressure is there. But I think, like Louis said, consistency the most important thing, and also to be able to focus on yourself and control what you can control. I've been doing that for my entire career, focusing on myself and focusing on working closely with the team and spending time together to create a good relationship to be sure that we are creating the success we want.
Q: It’s been four years since you last raced in the ELMS. When you look around the paddock how different is the championship this year and how are you approaching the challenge of racing in LMP2 Pro/Am with the Duqueine Team?
“Obviously, the ELMS is even more competitive and being in LMP2 we are running only with the best drivers, drivers that are in Hypercar as well, or very good drivers in LMP2, to know the car very well and in the team as well. So, we have a lot of work to do, we are trying to create a solid team. We can compare to the best teams, so we know where, where to improve, and then obviously focusing on the race.”
Fran Rueda (ELMS) – Kessel Racing
Q: You are back for another season with Kessel Racing in the no74 Ferrari 296 LMGT3 EVO, rejoining with your 2025 teammate Andrew Gilbert and Romain Leroux for this year. What are your thoughts on the challenge ahead when you look at the very impressive, 14 strong LMGT3 field this year?
“The LMGT3 field gets more and more competitive every year, it seems. So, the challenge is always massive. It was massive last year. I think we go in a bit with the same attitude we had last year. We were quite humble and we know that to win a race here with the LMGT3, you cannot make any mistakes. You cannot lose a lot of time with the LMP2 cars, which sometimes are very optimistic, especially here in Barcelona, it's not easy to manage that in a GT3 car. As Louis said, we also have a lot of tyre deg, so the car moves around a lot during the stint in the beginning.
“The good thing is now we are not rookies. We've learned a lot from last season, so hopefully we can have better results this year.”
Q: It must be a great feeling to get your 2026 campaign started at your home event here in Barcelona. How are you feeling about racing at home this weekend and will the fans give you a boost?
“I think we all know that the Spanish fans are very nice. This is, I think, one of the most popular events, I think it's the third biggest event of the circuits calendar. So, there's a lot of people turning up. I think every year they know my name a bit better. I try to put on a good show on Sunday.”
Q: Will this track suit the Ferrari 296?
“I think the Ferrari is a good car, of course. I think it's quite complete, but I always say the same. Until Sunday, you don't really know where you are, so we'll have to wait and see.”
David Droux (Michelin Le Mans Cup) - CLX Motorsport
Q: Race winner and 2024 champion. You got your 2025 campaign off to a great start here in Barcelona last year with victory for CLX Motorsport. What are your thoughts on the track here at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya?
“I think it's quite a nice track. We always happy to start the season here. I think the most difficult thing on this track is the degradation, definitely. So you need to adapt the setup to make sure you not too aggressive like in qualifying. So yeah, I think the main thing is the degradation on this track.”
Q: You are racing with CLX Motorsport and with your teammate Cedric Oltramare. Will this unchanged team line up help with the preparations for the coming season?
“When you don't change the lineup, you're more prepared. We get along really well with Cedric, and it's nice to be in the same environment working with the same people. You can only get better by working with the same people for multiple years.”
“Q: CLX Motorsport has an impressive record in LMP3, what is the secret to their success?
“I mean, there's not a big secret. I think they work really hard on all categories. Like I said just earlier, the same people are staying in the team, which, which helps to build something and I think we get the vision also from Nicolas Lapierre, who has a lot of experience, and I think he brings things he had in earlier in his career in the team, and that helps a lot.”
Macéo Capietto – Porsche Carrera Cup France with Martinet by Alméras
Q: You are no stranger to the ELMS paddock, winning with Iron Lynx-Proton in 2024. You are now back in GTs as a Porsche France Junior Driver in the Porsche Carrera Cup France. With identical cars on the grid, the series is all down to the ability of the driver. How are you preparing for the season ahead?
“The preparation has been very straightforward, as in, I've been preparing the same way I've been doing for the last couple of years, doing a lot of sport, not a lot of driving, unfortunately. And trying to learn as much as possible, as quickly as possible. As a rookie in a GT car against very competitive field with drivers who have a couple of seasons in the bag.
“I have quite a lot of road to do to get there, but I’m trying to get there as quickly as possible and focus on, on, let's say, impressing as a Porsche Junior and being kind of a role model for everyone to be a good driver in the future.”
Q: The Porsche Carrera Cup France will introduce ABS on Porsche 911 Cup cars this season, following the example of the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup. What difference will this change make for you as a driver?
“Let's say, it’s a little revolution on my side. I had never driven a car with ABS in the past, so everything has kind of changed. Everything was fast with high downforce, and now I'm in a slower car with ABS. It's heavy, so there's a lot of learning, as I said, but the ABS is definitely a good tool to work with it, I would say.”
Q: What are your thoughts on racing the Porsche Carrera Cup cars here at the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya? How easy or difficult is it to overtake at this track?
“I think everybody said it, but the main focus of the races here is the tyre deg. I had never experienced it before, but I would say it's even worse than what I have felt in the LMP2 in the past, in the sense that the deg comes from the rear tires, because all the weight is in the rear, and it's extremely difficult to manage because it's such a short race. So you actually have to push from the get go if you want to secure your position. It's going to be a very challenging race.”
Tomas Pompidou - Ligier European Series with Trajectus Motorsport
Q: Welcome and congratulations on winning your place on the grid as the Ligier JS Cup France Junior Champion. How important was last season for you to take your first steps into the world of endurance racing?
“Hello everyone, thank you for having me. So, I knew that last year was crucial for me. This title and prize money was mandatory. I didn't come from like a traditional path. I didn't go to karting, so I knew that it was maybe my only chance to be here this season. So I'm really proud to be here. I feel I'm there with the big one now. So that's great. And I think for this young driver programme. It's really great opportunity.”
Q: You are racing with Trajectus Motorsport and, of course, the team is owned by 24 Hours of Le Mans winner Benoit Tréluyer. How much help have the team been giving you as you step up to the next level in the Ligier European Series?
“I'm really happy to be with Trajectus. Being with Benoit as a team manager is big advantage. I think I can ask him, like almost every question, and he can help me. With Vincent, my teammate, we have a really great relationship outside the car and on the track. He brings to me his experience and his pace, his speed. So I’m really, really grateful to be here with Trajectus motorsport.”
Q: Your father Xavier has also had some success in the Le Mans Series here in Spain, finishing second in LMP2 in the 1000km of Barcelona in 2008. While the track has changed slightly in the last 18 years, how do you feel about racing on the same circuit that your father had a podium finish at?
“It was my childhood dream to be here on my Dad's path. It's really special, but in the end, I need to focus on the race and don't think about that, not put more pressure on myself. But, yes, it's special.”
4 Hours of Barcelona
The 4 Hours of Barcelona weekend begins on Friday 10 April with Free Practice 1 and the 30-minute Bronze Driver Collective Test.
On Saturday 11 April will feature the second 90-minute Free Practice session followed by qualifying for the 4 Hours of Barcelona. The 4 Hours of Barcelona takes place on Sunday 12 April, with the race due to start at 12h00 and the chequered flag waved four hours later at 16h00.
Tickets are still available from only 8€. CLICK HERE to visit the event page on the official website of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.
CLICK HERE to view the provisional timetable for the 4 Hours of Barcelona.
LIVE COVERAGE ON FIAWEC+ APP
A proving ground for teams and drivers with Le Mans in their sights, the European Le Mans Series is live for free on FIAWEC+, the official home of ELMS coverage, with full race broadcasts, replays and highlights throughout the season. Stream every ELMS race for free with a FIAWEC+ account on https://plus.fiawec.com/en/european-le-mans-series
