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Lotterer still adjusting driving style for Porsche switch
Andre Lotterer admits he is still getting to grips with the Porsche 919 Hybrid heading into this weekend's FIA World Endurance Championship event at Spa.
Gary Watkins
Edited: May 5, 2017, 12:31 PM
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The three-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner, who has joined Porsche for 2017 after Audi's withdrawal from the WEC, revealed that he is continuing to adapt to the 919 from the R18 e-tron quattro he raced last year.
"It is quite a different beast and car to drive," said the German, who is teamed with Neel Jani and Nick Tandy in the #1 Porsche.
"It requires a different driving style, and I am still in that [learning] process at the moment."
Lotterer said that the move from a turbodiesel LMP1 running in the 6MJ hybrid class to an 8MJ petrol-powered car explained why he had to change his technique behind the wheel.
"With the Audi we had a bit more power and torque [from the conventional engine] because we were in the 6MJ class, so I'm used to rotating the car," he told Motorsport.com.
"We drove the car on the throttle more, which in the Porsche we don't do because there is more emphasis on the boost from the front axle.
"There are other differences too, but that is the main one."
Lotterer added he is hoping to improve on the #1 Porsche's third-place finish from the opening round of the WEC at Silverstone last month this weekend.
The German believes Porsche's low-drag configuration should work better around Spa than the British track, where Toyota held a clear edge in one-lap pace.
"It was a good start because we were on the podium, but you cannot be happy with third place because you always want to win," he said.
"Now we’re here at Spa, hopefully everything will match a bit better. [At Silverstone] we were a bit on the low side with the downforce.
"That set-up matches Spa a bit better, and in practice it didn't feel too bad."
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