Marcel Fassler, No.2 Audi
“It is a big improvement compared to last year, when there still some spots which were dark. Now, this year you could almost drive without the headlights. I only did a few laps last night, my five mandatory night laps, but it was a huge difference and really nice to drive.
“I like coming here but I think it’s more because the ambiance is like a holiday feeling. It’s not my preferred track layout – I have others I like more – and it’s a difficult one to go fast at. It needs a lot of technique and you need a really good car set up. It’s pretty hard on the tyres as well, the drop off is huge and I think everyone is struggling a bit with this.
“I really like the atmosphere behind the paddock, especially with the Party in the Paddock because this makes the race very special and unique for our calendar.”
Tom Kristensen, No.1 Audi
“The lights around the track are great. Sometimes you have to check readouts or information two or three times to make sure you’ve seen it right because of the lights into the cockpit but it’s not a big problem.”
Brendon Hartley, No.20 Porsche
“You really don’t notice the lights after a few corners. Driving at night is probably my favourite aspect of endurance racing. The visibility was very good and you have all the reference points you have in the daytime anyway. It is a skill that most drivers enjoy and you never really stop loving driving when there is minimal visibility. As long as you have some reference it is really cool and a real challenge.”
Mark Webber, No.20 Porsche
“It is pretty impressive effort from the circuit to get the level of lighting to what it is here in Bahrain. We don’t need the headlights really and I have not come across any issues with glare or anything distracting due to the lights on track, so it’s all good from my perspective.”
