After scoring a fourth podium finish in as many races at the Nürburgring, Rui Aguas believes that AF Corse’s consistency could be the key to winning the FIA World Endurance Championship GTE-Am title.
The Portuguese was victorious in the opening round at Silverstone alongside Emmanuel Collard and François Perrodo in the No. 83 Ferrari 458 Italia, before the trio put daylight between themselves and their pursuers with a maximum 60-point score at Le Mans, where AF Corse were the highest-placed WEC entrants.
Now in their second year as a partnership, Aguas believes gentleman driver Perrodo has taken a huge step forward over his first season in the F458 last year and is reaping the rewards of Ferrari’s revised aero package, introduced to the Am class for the first time in 2016.
“We are happy with our package, we had an evolution from the Pro car from last year which has better aerodynamics, it’s easier to drive and is very good on corners and braking,” he said.
“We’re working hard with François going testing and even during the race weekend to improve his performance, which he is doing. The lap times he did at Le Mans were unbelievable and also at the Nürburgring he was extremely fast, which is the main difference.”
Despite winning at Spa-Francorchamps and the Nürburgring, their closest rivals - Mathias Lauda, Pedro Lamy and Paul Dalla Lana in the No. 98 Aston Martin - sit 41 points behind after failing to finish at Le Mans. However, having lost the 2013 GTE-Am title to Aston Martin by a single point, Aguas knows better than to allow complacency to slip in and is determined to continue the momentum they have shown from the beginning of the season.
“To be good in a championship you have to be consistent; the more mistakes you make, the harder your situation is and that’s what we’re aiming to avoid,” he continued. “We were very lucky at Nürburgring to gain one position more [following KCMG’s disqualification] but it’s still early. There are five races to go and there is still a lot of racing to do. We are consistent, not the fastest, but we are consistent and that’s important.”
James Newbold
