Filipe Albuquerque from LMP1 with Audi to LMP2 story. (part 1/2)

We interviewed Filipe after his victory at the 6 Hours of The Glen (IMSA) on his way to Monza (WEC).

Part 1 is centered on his ELMS and WEC career, Part 2 will cover his successes in the IMSA championship.

CRR: Your career in prototype racing started in 2014 « par la grande porte » integrating a top LMP1 team - Audi - which was a serious achievement. Could you tell us about the transition from a factory LMP1 team to a private LMP2 team?

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps 2015.

Filipe Albuquerque: It was very, very different! When I switched from DTM to the Le Mans project in 2014 it was running for 18 years. I could expect to be running for 10 more years. So obviously I was happy to be in Le Mans with the right team until they turned it down. I couldn’t believe how unlucky I was because the hardest part is to get into a manufacturer’s team. I was sure that, with the right car, I would be able to prove what I was capable of.

Then I had to survive, to come back. It was hard, especially at that time of my life because my wife was pregnant with our first daughter who was born in January 2016. It was just the end of my contract with Audi, so, looking at my finances, I was worried because finance is all about the last contract. I didn’t know what I was going to do after that.

CRR: 2020 was really a fabulous year for you with ELMS Champion title and 2019-2020 WEC season LMP2 Champion. You were in a class above the others in ELMS. What made your team so dominant?

Filipe Albuquerque: It seemed to be like “wow, these guys are way better”. It is just because we made the switch from the Ligier to the Oreca chassis. During the 2017, 2018 and 2019 season we said often to WEC/ELMS that BoP between Oreca and Ligier needed to be adjusted. We were by far the best Ligier back then, but no one gave us credit. Only for two races during those three years we were not the best Ligier. When we made the switch to Oreca, it seemed like we had an advantage! We dominated, we set record after record: six pole positions in a row, I just missed the first one at Silverstone but after that, I qualified pole each race. It seemed like we had an advantage but NO! We simply had the same car as others. Another reason for our domination was that Phil Hanson was a great driver in the silver category. He has also had his share of success.

It was a kind of surprise. We knew we could do better than with the Ligier chassis but didn’t expect to dominate so much. So, it was because we started that season with the same chassis as the others. As simple as that!

CRR: Was it the same in the WEC LMP2 class 2019-2020 championship? It didn’t start so well in 2019 until you won 4 races in a row starting with Bahrain end 2019, Lone Star, Francorchamps and Le Mans in 2020. What made the difference?

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ Lone Star Le Mans 2020.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 4 Hours of Silverstone 2019.

Filipe Albuquerque: It started very strong from the beginning. Maybe it doesn’t look like that, looking back at the statistics. At Silverstone (first race of the season), we had a winning car but experienced an electrical issue and had to retire. 0 point! The second race was Fuji. We were lost, not knowing how the car would behave with different track energy and tires. We didn’t get the car working as we were still learning to get to know it. Then there was Bahrain which was suiting our car and from then on, we started winning. It was surprising because it was in parallel with ELMS. Out of the corner we were quick but were still learning how the car was reacting on different tracks. From the moment we figured out how the car worked, we started to dominate.

CRR: You’ve now been able to run 9 times the 24 hours of Le Mans. Which one was the best and which one was the worst?

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2015.

Filipe Albuquerque: Well, I had many bad ones, only a few good ones. But there was one worst for me and probably the worst of my career, not because of any mistake but because of the emotional energy I invested in the project. I started to prepare in November 2013 for a two races program: Spa and Le Mans 2014. We prepared really well; we had one of the fastest cars even though we were the rookies! A storm started at the beginning of the race, there was a crash and I didn’t even get to drive! So, for me, it was very frustrating, and very disappointing because I prepared for 6 to 7 months for a race that I was not able to drive. I was not able to show my competence with a great car. It was difficult because on Sunday I knew I would have to wait one full year to show myself again. So, the worst was my first Le Mans.

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022.

Le Mans 2022 was really a very bad one as we had a winning car but knew we were out of the race with 23 hours 59 minutes to go!

Those two are two bad ones.

The good one is obviously 2020 when we won our class. We had a few issues, such as a refueling that took more time than for the others, but we still could win.

CRR: It must have been a strange race with no spectators.

Filipe Albuquerque: For sure but when you are racing, you do the job, and you know that people are watching at home. The glory and the race itself were fine. Where it was different, and also a shame, is that a good part of the glory is the fact you can share it. We didn’t have the fans to share it with. It could have been better for that part but at least we won! Even the price ceremony at the end of the year was nothing. It was a shame we could not celebrate our success with others.

CRR: The 2022 season is not going as expected with no podium so far. What is going on?

Filipe Albuquerque: I don’t know. Really hard to say because if one looks carefully we have been one of the top teams. In Sebring we were dominating the different practices. We qualified second. We led the first four stints of the race and then … things need to merge together. We started third in Spa, second in Le Mans. We always qualify in the front which shows the potential of the car, but endurance racing is not about the fastest car, it is a team effort and everything needs to go well.

We need to remain loyal to what we can do, and it will just come. We are going to be very strong again and for sure a podium will come.

CRR: So, you are optimistic for the season going forward?

📷 © Luc Warnotte @ 24 Hours of Le Mans 2022. Ricky Taylor, Filipe Albuquerque and Will Stevens, opponents at Le Mans but teammates in IMSA.

Filipe Albuquerque: for sure. I’ve been in this business for a long time now. When things are going wrong, we should analyse it but when we are in a situation where the car is so fast you need your share of luck. In Sebring we had a car to be in the top 3 and we ended seventh. We were shocked about it, but then again, what are you going to do? Change everything? No! We know what it means to win. You need your share of luck. Somehow it is not happening. Lately, I was congratulating Will Stevens (our teammate in IMSA) for his win in Le Mans this year: Zero problems, everything was going in their direction but again, when was the last time where three candidates to win the 24 hours of Le Mans were out contention in the first corner?

Next, we talked about Felipe’s successes in IMSA championship. This will be our second part to be released later. Stay tuned on www.carracingreporter.com