French-Malagasy driver Gael Julien is making the most of his second season in the European Le Mans Series with British team RLR MSport.
The former ROK Cup Asia karting champion and F4 France race winner is lying in second place in the LMP3 standings after four races, having secured two pole positions in Le Castellet and Spa-Francorchamps and standing on the top step of the podium alongside his teammates Michael Jensen and Nick Adcock at the end of the 4 Hours of Le Castellet at the beginning of May.
Lying just 14 points behind the LMP3 leaders, the 18-year-old is looking forward to the challenge of the final two races in Mugello and Portimao.So how would Gael Juliensum up his season so far?"It has been a pretty positive season to this point. We have been there from the get-go because we narrowly missed out on a podium in the 4 Hours of Barcelona and have felt confident in every round since.
“The team dynamics within the #15 RLR MSport camp are working well and that is reflected in our results, as we are consistently up there in contention for a top spot.
“I believe we have the best qualifying average with a 50 per cent pole-rate, which speaks for itself. However, we have never finished lower than fourth in the races and, when you consider P4 was our best 2023 result, it’s clear how far we have progressed. It was necessary, though, because the ELMS has stepped up a notch in terms of team and driver performance.”
So why did Julien switch from single seaters to Le Mans Prototypes? “I think a career in single seaters is always going to be the first objective for any young driver, but I had an unexpected opportunity to test an LMP3 car in 2022 and really enjoyed the experience, which made me reassess my future in racing.”
“I had a lot to learn in my debut European Le Mans Series season,” he admitted.“I think my potential was clear to see from the start, but there were many things I had to experience for myself, and I feel I covered all the basics last year.
Julien continued: “I enjoy the philosophy of endurance racing; the teamwork, sharing and taking care of the car are aspects I relish, and balancing the challenge of qualifying the car with being quick over a race stint is great. ‘Management’ is the key word in endurance racing, and that’s something you don’t experience when you’re constantly flat out in single seaters.”
Next up is Mugello, which is new on the ELMS calendar and new to a lot of drivers. So, what does Gael Julien know about the Italian circuit?“I have never raced at Mugello before, but RLR MSport tested there during the summer, immediately after the 4 Hours of Imola.
“It was a completely new track for me, and I found it to be enjoyable, with a nice fast and flowing layout. It’s challenging with lots of gravel lining the circuit and I think it qualifying at the front will be a big advantage simply because overtaking will be risky. It’s similar to Imola in that sense, except it’s far quicker and there’s no rest for the drivers, cars or tyres with only one straight and lots of corner combinations.”
Who are the main rivals in LMP3 this season for Gael Julien? “The ELMS’s LMP3 class has been more competitive than ever before. The battle for the 2024 title is well and truly on and we’re part of it. I don’t think there have been any standout teams or drivers because everybody has been so evenly matched.
“Individual drivers within COOL Racing and DKR Engineering have been quick and Eurointernational has been strong as a team. However, I believe we would come out on top in a pure one-on-one fight.”
With one eye on the title race, how is Gael Julien going to approach the last two races of the season? “I won’t be approaching the remaining rounds any differently. We have passed the halfway point of the 2024 season and have proven what had to be proven. Whatever happens in the remainder of the year can’t undo what we have already achieved.
“I’m not stressing about the championship and will be going race-by-race as always, not thinking too far ahead. I have only a small part to play in what is a team game with lots of variables. Many things are out of our control, but, on pure performance, we have a great shot.”
The 4 Hours of Mugello is Round 5 of the 2024 European Le Mans Series and takes place at the 27-29 September.
