McNish: Audi better prepared than ever for Le Mans 24 Hours

McNish, who took victory at the wheel of the Audi R18 e-tron quattro he shared with Tom Kristensen and Loic Duval, has paid testament to the Audi Sport and Joest Racing organisations in the wake of the race.

"To me, the team prepared better than any other year to fight off the challenge of Toyota," he said. "We are the three drivers, but the congratulations must go to them for that job.

"The performance [of the car] over the winter was a big improvement.

"There was a positive reaction to the challenge from Toyota last year, but it extended beyond the design department and the engineers. It covered the whole of Audi Sport and the Joest team."

McNish explained that Audi's detailed preparations helped the drivers during an incident-packed race that was repeatedly interrupted by rain showers and safety-car periods.

"I am also talking about all the small details," he continued. "They had gone into all the extra details to make sure we were relaxed and comfortable to drive the car.

"All the preparation of the drivers' kit and the cabins, and the air-conditioning units in them, was all done before we got there for the pre-test [test day].

"It might sound like a small, stupid example to most people, but it is a good example to us drivers."