Porsche’s update to the 963 LMDh prototype has made the car easier to drive, factory driver Kevin Estre told Motorsport Week.
‘I think we open the window a bit, made the window a bit wider, and it’s a bit easier to drive in some corners,’ said the #6 Porsche driver, which he shares this weekend with Matt Campbell and Laurens Vanthoor.
‘It’s easier also to nail the setup, probably. It’s not night and day but it went the right direction.’
The update introduced a revised splitter at the front of the car, engine cover, and diffuser.
Instead of making the car outright faster, the update has changed the car’s driveability, aiding drivers and making it more predictable.
Plus, as Estre says, it means the car is easier to setup for Porsche Penske Motorsport’s engineers, putting the car in a bigger, wider setup window so it’s more likely they find the right setup ahead of a race.
Daytona preparations ‘quite smooth’ – Estre
Looking ahead to the weekend’s 24 hour race at Daytona, the Frenchman said that things have been decent for Porsche in the run-up.
‘Yeah, pretty good,’ he said when asked how the week was going so far.
‘Qualifying was not perfect, but we’ve been very close, the field has been very close to each other.’
‘And, yeah, so far, everything seems quite smooth. We just learn to drive under different conditions.
‘It was very cold last week. It’s got hotter, and it’s gonna be as hot for the race. So, yeah, trying to learn our new package with the aero and the new tyres, and making sure we have a good race car.’
We’ve already heard from Acura’s Alex Palou about hotter temperatures impacting the car’s tyres, and Estre echoed his rivals thoughts.
‘There’s a bit more tyre degradation when it’s hotter. You have to make sure that you have the right setup. So it’s a bit harder. I mean in the car, of course cooler is better, but also for the tyres,’ he concluded.
Estre’s teammate Campbell unsure on where Porsche stacks up
Estre’s teammate, Matt Campbell, shared Estre’s opinions on Porsche’s week leading up to the Daytona 24 Hours this weekend.
‘It’s been quite relaxed,’ said the Australian.
‘We’ve had no issues and we’ve been reasonably happy with the car and and the changes we’ve made.
‘So I think going into the race, we’re in a good position. But it’s really hard to tell still where we stack up against everyone.
‘I think the performance is very close but obviously everyone has different strengths at different times of the race.
‘So for now we’re we’re content. But we have to see how the race develops because obviously we’re seeing temperatures that we haven’t experienced so far in the race in the lead up.’
With all 5 manufacturers so close on pace in the practice long runs, especially the top 3 of Cadillac, Porsche and Acura, separating them is a tough job, and it seems Porsche aren’t entirely sure where they stack up either.
‘Consistent running, that’s the thing. When we’re doing all these multiple heat cycles and so forth, it’s having an effect. So until we get into the constant long running, I think it’s yet to know where we stand.
‘Cadillac’s been very strong when it comes to the night yesterday. Obviously Acura’s been strong, very fast. So yeah, it’s hard to tell but I think all of us are very close in terms of performance and we’ll have to see how the race develops,’ he finished.
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