Leading single-seater drivers have always been attracted to sports car racing and usually followed their junior formula careers by carving out a career as an endurance driver.
Now however, the FIA World Endurance Championship is becoming more and more of both a viable alternative and an additional programme for young and quick single-seater talent.
Prime recent case-studies such as Brendon Hartley, James Calado, Fabio Leimer, Mike Conway and Lucas Di Grassi, have all forged successful careers with manufacturer and top privateer squads.
Joining the above drivers in the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend at the 6 Hours of Bahrain, and hoping to emulate those with top seats next season, are 2014 GP2 runners Simon Trummer and Nathanaël Berthon.
The latter of these two racers impressed massively with three appearances in the ELMS for Murphy Prototypes at Imola, Le Mans and Paul Ricard. Now with the Lotus team in the CLM P1/01-AER, Berthon is relishing the prospect of racing in the FIA World Endurance Championship this weekend.
“I have really enjoyed racing in LMP2 this season in the ELMS,” said Berthon as he watched his team replace the gearbox between free practice sessions last night. “The level of competition was fantastic and now here I am racing in the FIA WEC in LMP1, so there will be a lot to take in and learn again but I have confidence in what I can achieve.”
“There have been a lot of GP2 drivers over the last two seasons that have made the switch,” he continued. “I am still keeping all options open but it is good to see that guys like Hartley, Leimer and Calado are making good impressions straight away. One of my aims is to get in to a top LMP1 team of course. So for 2014 I want to finish the season off in the best possible way to get more experience and to show my pace and the good way I can work within the team. It is totally different to GP2 in many ways but still you have to make a good impression on the timing screens. So far I have managed that with Murphy and now I want to do the same here this weekend in Bahrain.”
Sam Smith
Photos: BAHRAIN INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT (SAKHIR, BAHRAIN), 6 HOURS OF BAHRAIN, FREE PRACTICE, 13 NOVEMBER 2014. 1) Fabio Leimer in the No.13 Rebellion R-One Toyota, 2) Nathanael Berthon discovering the cockpit of the No.9 Lotus CLM P1/01.
