Martin Brundle Q&A

"Richard Lloyd made contact with me. Late last year I was just flat out with the Silverstone/Octagon deal and that got put to bed. Then I had time to sit down and think about the year ahead and what I could do. Richard rang me and said 'will you consider it?' I said yeah, I'm really keen to drive again, because last year was the first time in 28 years that I didn't race - I drove the McLaren two-seater and a pukka F1 car up the hill at Goodwood, but I didn't race. I was missing it, I was taking some pain. So I went late one night to look at the car, the test mule, and I was impressed.

"The quality of it and the set-up impressed me. Then I went to meet the Bentley board and they are really passionately into this programme, but without interfering. I found a lot of motivation. So the car looked good, I liked the people and I fancied doing the race.

"I'd just about recovered from the disappointment of 1999 of not winning it with Toyota. We put so much work into that and got absolutely zero out of it. I left Le Mans after that and I wasn't interested in driving anything again, especially Le Mans. It took me a good six months to get over that because I'd put a huge amount of work in. We should have won it comfortably and we didn't.

"I love the circuit at Le Mans and I love the event. Bentley back to Le Mans after 71 years is a great story and I wanted to be part of it. I signed quite late, but we start testing mid-March or early April."



"I don't like getting into that sort of detail really. That's private business if you like. But it's a deal with further opportunities."



"I think it will be nearly impossible to win it. It's entirely unrealistic because it's a new project and it's quite late in terms of its starting time. I think it's very much a developing year. Having said that, the car is beautifully made, its pulse is the Audi engine and it has a well proven gearbox and electronics. I know the engine's being tested for endurance on a very good rig.

"At Toyota they were doing all their own stuff, engine and chassis. So that takes away a huge amount of development from us, and we've put in it a reliable, sorted engine. And that moves a project on by several months because it means you get to develop the rest of it. That is a huge short cut, although they are still up against it. It really depends how the early tests go, you've got to be lucky with weather, not have the car in the wall.

"There is a lot of experience in the driver line-up. Three drivers who have won the race and James Weaver with massive sportscar experience. I'm working with Alistair McQueen, who I worked with in Formula 3 at Eddie Jordan's and at Jaguar."



"In my mind I'm thinking 'how are we going to win this year's Le Mans?' Until I have driven the car and know exactly what we have got, that might be completely unrealistic. But as we speak here at the paddock at Melbourne I am thinking, 'how do we win Le Mans?'"



Yes. They are piggy-backing on a lot of the Audi tests, plus our own running too. The thing that might hold us back is that we will have one car for quite a lot of that test period. So one car, six drivers... that's going to be difficult. If you have a problem with that car you're losing track time all the time. If the car hits the track and runs like clockwork, we can cover a lot of ground in a short space of time. If we are managing problems, it will be a case of doing the best we can at Le Mans."



"Well, I've only done one race a year since 1997. I was on pole in '99 by a country mile and they didn't get anywhere near it last year. I've got a lot of speed. I don't think that goes away. I'm 41 years old, I'm in good nick, I'm training everyday. These fly-aways are great for that actually because there is a hotel gym; I train with David [Coulthard], train with Mark [Blundell], with my brother at home. So I am a racing driver. As I've said in Autosport magazine before, I know I am seen as a TV presenter, but I think like a racing driver. The whole success of my TV career is a complete mystery to me! I've never heard myself on TV because I couldn't bare to listen. I've been on TV for four years now and I've heard about five minutes! I think like a racing driver because I've been one for 28 years, for Christ's sake."



"Yeah. It's also important for me to keep as current as I can, to be driving as long as I can, because there is an edge there that you need. It keeps you fresh. That's why I love driving the modern F1 cars. I'm in a unique position, because I've driven the latest kit, I'm in the commentary box, I'm involved at Silverstone, I manage the commercial affairs of one of the drivers [Coulthard]. It gives me a breadth of knowledge that I'm not sure anyone can match. So I'm very lucky in that respect.

"I want to have a current racing programme for as long as I can, as long as I keep getting the pleasure out of it. I have to be careful how I say this because it could sound like I'm on a cruise, which I'm not, but I don't have to worry about a career. So the racing is more enjoyable. You're not looking over your shoulder worrying about next year. It's almost like when I was a kid and started racing, up to when I was in F3 and started getting F1 tests, where you go racing for pleasure. The business and career aspect hasn't come into play. I've gone through the cycle and come out the other end. I will only ever go to Le Mans when there is a chance to win the race. I wouldn't take the risks of Le Mans in a midfield car."



"I can't really. My son has started kart racing as well so he is out and about a lot of weekends. I don't need any more commitments. I couldn't commit to a championship, but committing to tests and Le Mans itself doesn't clash with GPs. It means I'm a touch busy, but it does dovetail in quite nicely."