Portugal's Miguel Cristovao will be hoping for some better luck at his home track in Portimao than the team had in the 4 Hours of Mugello last month.
2022 and 2023 LMP3 Team Champions COOL Racing have endured an up and down season, with Miguel Espirito Santo, Cedric Oltramare and Miguel Cristovao still in the hunt for the 2024 title ahead of the race in Mugello.
Espirito Santo put the car on pole position in Italy and Cristovao led the race from the start but contact with an LMP2 car, who was penalised for the incident, dropped the no17 Ligier out of contention. Another incident later in the race put the car in barriers and into retirement, with the other car being penalised for the crash.
The team now head for the final race of the season in Portugal out of the running for the championship, so Miguel Cristovao is looking for a win at home to finish the season on a high note.
Does Miguel take any positives from the race in Mugello? “It was a tough weekend,” he admitted. “In the practice we had some gremlins in the car, but the team was able to solve them. Nevertheless, in a circuit that we didn’t know, we lost some valuable track time.
“Manuel was very strong in the qualifying, with the pole-position, and I had a good stint, leading the pack. Our pace was very good, and I strongly believe that we could win the race.
“So, if had to take some positives from Mugello race would be our pace, the way the team reacted to the adversity and how we adapted to a completely new circuit.”
So how would he sum up the season so far? “It’s a bit disappointing because we showed a strong pace during all season, and we were in the fight for the podium in all the races. Too many times we were in the wrong place at the wrong time. We got some good results, but it’s too little for so much potential that we showed all year. But we still have one race to go, and we will give our best to end the year on a high.”
“The level in the LMP3 category is very high, with a strong pack of drivers. Even the Bronze drivers are superfast, almost like Silvers. It’s sprint races from start to finish, always on the edge. So yes, I grew up as a driver and today I’m a much more complete driver, as I had to explore my limits and learn how to expand them.”
The season finale is once again at the Autodromo Internacional do Algarve, Miguel Cristovao’s home track. What does he think of the circuit? “I love to race in Portimão, it’s such an amazing track. My favourite part is Craig Jones left kink, after coming down and before going up to an amazing blind braking zone. We need a lot of courage and confidence to do it, because it where you can make a lot of time if everything comes well. Usually, I go well there, so I’m looking forward to the Algarve weekend.”
“After being taking out of Mugello race we lost any chance of winning the championship, so we just have one goal – to win at Portimão. It will be hard, because we have very strong opponents, but we will give our best.”
The 4 Hours of Portimao is the final round of the 2024 European Le Mans Series and is on Saturday 19 October. CLICK HERE for more information on the event.
