Pre-Le Mans interview with Anthony Davidson

Anthony Davidson never quite made it in F1 – his Super Aguri Honda didn’t the pace and the team certainly didn’t have the big money backing needed to succeed. But as well as his job as expert F1 commentator on BBC 5 Live’s race coverage, he’s changed tack and has been signed by Peugeot to help the French firm defend its Le Mans title.

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The obvious first question to a man who used to race alongside Jenson Button et al is why he turned his back on the most glamorous motorsport in the world?

“To be honest, I’ve been there, done that and I don’t want to do it again” comes the frank answer. Davidson admits that he had an offer from Virgin to drive this year, but he had to bring €5million to the team. “I just wasn’t interested in trundling around at the back of the grid again.”

And given the team’s performance, he seems vindicated in his choice. But driving an F1 car is surely different to piloting the Peugeot LMP1 machine. In fact, he says it’s remarkably similar:

“It’s a bit heavier – an F1 car weighs 600kg, and this weighs more like 900kg, but the power is similar, although the way it comes in in the Peugeot is completely different because it’s turbodiesel-powered.” He continues: “From a drivers’ point of view, the biggest difference is that you can’t see the wheels, but the level of downforce produced is very similar, and this car will hit over 200mph.”

What’s striking is just how relaxed he is, clearly already part of the Peugeot team despite only joining at the start of 2010. Instead of waiting to be lapped in F1, he’s a front-runner and at Le Mans, the French team will be expecting nothing less than a win.

“I did feel the pressure of joining last year’s winning team. No-one wants to be seen as the weak part of the puzzle. But I’m really enjoying it, there’s no blame culture in the team and we do lots of teambuilding activities together.”

Preparation is key for an event like Le Mans, so Davidson has stepped up his endurance training in the gym. The team also faces a rather unique dilemma – at 5ft 5 and 52kg, Davidson is much smaller and lighter than Austrian teammate Alex Wurz, who’s 6ft 2 frame weighs 85kg. “I have a booster cushion to help me reach the wheel, but as long as I’m faster I don’t mind.”

As for the race, Davidson has competed at Le Mans before, driving for Aston Martin. Sleep deprivation is obviously an issue, as Le Mans is always loud and adrenalin levels always run high. But Davidson reckons the hardest part of the race is around eight o’clock in the evening.

“The sun is low in the sky, making visibility hard, and it’s the time when everyone fires up their barbeques. Driving though the fog is like driving in the winter when your washer bottle runs out!”

He is clearly very well prepared, and the Peugeot team is fired up to win its home race for a second time.

“I think our car is truly built for the specific demands of Le Mans – I really want it to be a close race with Audi, but it’s all about the competition at the end of the day and I can’t wait for the race to start.”