WEC - Augusto Farfus (BMW / Team WRT) : "Many times the GT class gives a better racing"

Surprising as it may seem, this is your first full season in WEC...

I've been in the WEC here and there during a few years, but never for a full season. But it is a championship which I always wanted to be part of. But it was not easy with all the calendars and all the clashes. For example, last year, I was doing the full IMSA season in the GTP class. So it was not easy to squeeze in. One of my main target was clearly be part of this new WEC era. And I'm happy because I can still taste a little bit of both. I can still do the LMDh (GTP) in America and the GT3 in the WEC.

Why ?

WEC is coming to an incredible period, with all these brands and all these big names of Endurance racing drivers in the field. So for me, having the opportunity to be there and experience this new era in LMGT3 is important. It is the right time to join the new platform.

What can you tell us about your team-mates : Sean Gelael and Darren Leung ?

I haven't shared the car with them yet. Of course I know them from the paddock but we haven't had the chance to do a proper test and to go through the basic stuff together. But Qatar is around the corner and I'm really excited. I think it's going to be a great season.

In the past, the WEC had two GT classes : one only for Pro drivers and another one with Pro/Am line ups. Do you think it is a good thing to have only one GT class now and only two classes on the grid ?

In America, in the IMSA SportsCar Championship, there are several races where you also have LMP2. But most of the time, there are only two classes. And you can see how close are the racing in GT there. Hypercar is a class which is more sophisticated and a lot faster. But I've noticed in America that many times the GT class gives a better racing. Because the cars, to a certain extent, allow more contact, more close racing.

And there is another thing : in IMSA especially, there is as much attention on the GT than on the GTP class. And having these three classes, it was not easy to broadcast the races because there was always something going on... And now we're going to have pretty much the same with two distinct classes running together.

And I think it's actually pretty nice that most of the GT brands are also present in the Hypercar class. I can't wait to see the first time the same manufacturer winning both classes. I think it's going to be incredible for the show. I have no doubt that the show will be will be nice and the fans will learn to appreciate the GT class as well.

Many people say that the bronzer drivers will be the deciding factor. Would you agree on that ?

They'll have a huge impact on the result. But you have to say, probably most of the races will be decided at the end with the Pro driver driving the car. So, the Am drivers will be starting the race, they will qualify the car... And I think their target is mainly to try to do the best job possible without taking massive risks, allowing then the Silver driver to shine. And I think that's the position of a Silver driver to show his speed. And most of the teams will ask the Pro driver to finish.

And at Le Mans ?

Of course it's different. At Le Mans, with the Safety Cars and how long the race is, the impact will be less.

Would you agree on that? Would you have preferred to have full Pro line ups just ?

It would be nice to have only pro line-ups, but the bronze driver have kept the show alive, they have been holding the flag in difficult times. And the field, unfortunately, is limited. It would be nice to have 70 cars running, but that's not possible. They will add some flavour into the game, I might say.

Maybe by the end of the year we'll say : thanks God, we had gentlemens or Bronze drivers in the car to spice up the show. Or maybe we will take a different conclusion. Right now, from what I have seen in America, the Bronze never have a big influence and the show has been always very nice, despite having a Bronze driver in the car.

What does that mean to have all of that new talent coming into the championship ?

This mix of drivers will rise up the bar. There is a lot of proper Silver and Bronze drivers in the field. Every manufacturer has tried to choose the best of each, to pick the best Bronze they could get, the best Silver they could get and automaticly the best Platinum. So the whole field will be intense. And I'm sure we will have a lot of surprises along the year. Seeing different faces shining different times of the race and this will benefit to the sport and to the public. And hopefully the best will win. I'm sure the show will be will be very good.

With a crew like that, you'd expect to see the N°31 BMW up front, wouldn't you?

I've been deeply involved on the M4 development. I know the car fairly well and I did many races with it. I feel honoured to be part of the WEC project of BMW and WRT. We have a strong package, we are eager to share the experience and we are ready for the WEC and Le Mans.

But it won't be easy...

I think the LMGT3 field is very intense. The drivers line ups are very strong, especially when you look at the professional drivers on the entry list. All these platinum drivers have a lot of experience. So I can't wait to be fighting with them, to be among them. Of course, it is a new championship with a new BoP system, new tires, and I have new team-mates, so there are also many unknowns.