Peugeot contacted Sutil,Hamilton for Le Mans Drive

[davewilson]

Before hiring Jacques Villeneuve and Marc Gene for their Le Mans Programme, Peugeot contacted Adrian Sutil and Lewis Hamilton, F1GrandPrix.it can reveal. This hypothesis would also be confirmed by the quotes of the team manager, Serge Saulnier, at the press conference during the launch of the 908 car.

"To start with I set my sights on a German and English driver. But both of them were signed up to drive for Formula 1," Saulnier said. In fact, Sutil and Hamilton were officially confirmed by their Formula 1 teams in the latest weeks.




So they preferred to pursue their Formula 1 dream rather than a less glamourous carreer in the endurance races. But many famous drivers, like Wendlinger, Frentzen and Michael Schumacher himself, managed to get to Formula 1 thanks to their results in the Sport-Prototypes championships. Now endurance races are living another golden era, with constructors such as Audi and Peugeot itself involved in millionaire programmes, they could be a good starting point for young drivers toward F1.

"I was surprised by the young drivers," Saulnier said to the reporters at the press conference. "All these boys dream of only one thing, to try their luck in Formula 1. I understand them but isn't it a great opportunity to became part of a manufacturing team at 20 - 25 years old? Michael Schumacher, Karl Wendlinger and Heinz Harold Frentzen have all taken this route. I think that endurance racing with a main stream manufacturer such as Peugeot is an excellent preparation for Formula 1."

But also former F1 drivers expressed their interest for the Peugeot programme: "I was even contacted by GP Masters drivers who surprised me with their motivation and their young thinking." In the drivers' choice, Saulnier was disappointed by many drivers who raced in F1. " We are not looking for a particular profile but rather drivers that have certain qualities. Speed of course, but also consistency. A driver who knows how to get the best from his vehicle in all conditions, especially changes in the track, whilst being able to master the traffic and, of course, someone who is in excellent physical condition. An interest in driving for Peugeot and the ability to rise to the challenge, were equally predominant factors. I initially looked at those from Formula 1 or the young ex F1 drivers. Despite what you may think, there are not that many of them who have these qualities."

In the end, Peugeot chose two drivers like Jacques Villeneuve and Marc Gene. The Ferrari F1 test driver will take part to the Le Mans Series' six races, while Villeneuve will only race in the Le Mans 24 Hours. Saulnier explained why he chose two drivers lacking endurance racing experience: " Jacques is someone who has turned up and won every competition that he's undertaken. I'm thinking particularly of the Champcar Indianapolis 500 Miles or the Formula 1 World Championship. I like his sporting spirit and knew that he'd dreamed of taking part in the Le Mans 24 Hours. When I contacted him, he convinced me, he could become the first driver in the world to win Formula 1, Champcar, Indianapolis and the Le Mans 24 Hours. Marc Géné has a key job with Ferrari. He is a brilliant stand in driver, who is very capable of replacing more senior Formula 1 drivers."

Adrian Sutil's manager Manfred Zimmermann officially denied to F1GrandPrix.it having had any negotiation with Peugeot, but didn't deny Le Mans could be a good opportunity for young drivers as the new Spyker race driver. "There was not contact to Peugeot or to Serge Saulnier from my or from Adrian's side," Zimmermann said to F1GrandPrix.it. "For sure Le Mans is a great race and challenge for young drivers, but we haven't been asked."

Looks like these chaps made it without the usual route:
The Stig