Interview
WEC
Van der Garde targets future LMP1 drive
Former Formula 1 driver Giedo van der Garde says he will be gunning for an LMP1 factory drive in the future, having confirmed his switch to endurance racing.
Valentin Khorounzhiy
Published: Jan 12, 2016, 11:47 AM
Copy link
Share on Viber
Van der Garde, who raced for the now-defunct Caterham F1 team in 2013, has signed with JOTA squad for this year and will drive its Gibson 015S-Nissan LMP2 in ELMS and the Le Mans 24 Hours.
And the Dutchman noted that endurance racing is a burgeoning category - and that driving JOTA's LMP2 challenger is a step towards his eventual goal of landing a factory seat.
"We worked on many things [for this year] and I preferred endurance racing," van der Garde told Motorsport.com.
"It’s a category that enjoys increasing popularity and it helps when drivers like Mark Webber do it. Even Fernando Alonso is considering this after his Formula 1 career. So that helps promote the category."
He added: "It’s pretty tough to get into LMP1 directly. It’s my goal to race for a factory team one day and this is a step into the right direction.
"I need to show that the speed is there to win races and I’m confident that opportunities will follow."
Few seats available in DTM
The Dutchman confirmed that DTM was also considered as a career option for 2016 - but that there were simply not enough seats up for grabs.
Audi and BMW have already confirmed unchanged line-ups for 2016, while Mercedes - the only other manufacturer - is believed to have a long line of contenders for seats.
"We were working on DTM, but to be honest, that was a tough case," van der Garde said. "There were possible driver changes and thus there was an opportunity, but in the end there were not many seats available at Mercedes.
"So at some point we wanted to make a decision and I’m happy that JOTA is giving me a wonderful opportunity."
Proud of having raced in F1
Van der Garde has had a turbulent time in F1, having driven for the backmarker Caterham squad before being involved in a highly-publicised contractual dispute with Sauber.
However, while he only got one season of racing, the Dutchman is happy to have taken part.
"I made it to Formula 1 and I gained a lot of experience in those years. I’m proud that I’ve managed to race there," he said.
"But now it’s important to be back on the podium, to win races and clinch titles. I drove at the back in Formula 1 for some time and now there is a competitive car waiting for me."
Interview by Tim Biesbrouck
We want your opinion!
What would you like to see on Motorsport.com?
Take our 5 minute survey.
- The Motorsport.com Team
Read and post comments
Read also :
Share Or Save This Story
Copy link
Share on Viber
Previous article Bird says Ferrari WEC drive a "dream come true"
Next article Pla has no regrets over joining Nissan
Top Comments
There are no comments at the moment. Would you like to write one?
View More & Comment
More from
Valentin Khorounzhiy
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
WTCR
WTCR
Hungaroring
WTCR's April opener cancelled due to coronavirus
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Formula 1
Formula 1
Australian GP
Australian GP issues update on nine F1 paddock coronavirus tests
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
General
General
Motorsport Games unveils 15 disciplines for 2020
More from
Giedo van der Garde
Ex-F1 racer van der Garde announces retirement
WEC
WEC
Ex-F1 racer van der Garde announces retirement
Van der Garde joins United for Portimao, Monza WEC races
WEC
WEC
Van der Garde joins United for Portimao, Monza WEC races
Team Nederland switches to Oreca for 2019/20 WEC
WEC
WEC
Team Nederland switches to Oreca for 2019/20 WEC
More from
Jota Sport
Cadillac signs Ricky Taylor, Antonio Felix da Costa in refreshed 2027 WEC line-up
WEC
WEC
Barcelona
Cadillac signs Ricky Taylor, Antonio Felix da Costa in refreshed 2027 WEC line-up
Ricky Taylor drafted in at Jota Cadillac as WEC unveils Austin entry list
WEC
WEC
Ricky Taylor drafted in at Jota Cadillac as WEC unveils Austin entry list
#12 Cadillac admits Le Mans win was unlikely but rues costly FCY
WEC
WEC
24 Hours of Le Mans
#12 Cadillac admits Le Mans win was unlikely but rues costly FCY
Latest news
Jesse Love barely holds off Sam Mayer for NASCAR O'Reilly win at Phoenix
NASCAR O'Reilly
NOAP NASCAR O'Reilly
Phoenix II
3 h
Jesse Love barely holds off Sam Mayer for NASCAR O'Reilly win at Phoenix
Lando Norris faces anxious wait as F2 prepares to decide future of his racing team
Formula 1
F1 Formula 1
Singapore GP
6 h
Lando Norris faces anxious wait as F2 prepares to decide future of his racing team
NASCAR Cup Phoenix starting lineup: Blaney earns pole as Larson struggles
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
7 h
NASCAR Cup Phoenix starting lineup: Blaney earns pole as Larson struggles
Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix
NASCAR Cup
NAS NASCAR Cup
Phoenix II
7 h
Ryan Blaney kind of faces a must-win scenario this weekend at Phoenix
Feature
Discover prime content
Subscribe and access Motorsport.com with your ad-blocker.
From Formula 1 to MotoGP we report straight from the paddock because we love our sport, just like you. In order to keep delivering our expert journalism, our website uses advertising. Still, we want to give you the opportunity to enjoy an ad-free and tracker-free website and to continue using your adblocker.
You have 2 options:
- Become a subscriber.
- Disable your adblocker.
Subscribe now Already subscribed? Sign in here
Already disabled your adblocker?
Reload page
Manage Alerts
Subscribe