Kamui Kobayashi expressed disappointing at not breaking the qualifying lap record en route to pole position at Le Mans after having his final flying lap deleted due to track limit infringements.
Kobayashi took pole position with a 3:15:267 in the #7 Toyota TS050 Hybrid but looked to be on the way to posting a new lap record when his time was deleted due to track limit infringements.
“To be honest, I’m a little bit disappointed,” Kobayashi said. “Because in my second attempt it seemed like I could break my record. I think the car seems to be good, track conditions seem to be good with the Hyperpole.
“I think we were more confident with the traffic situation, so we were focusing on performance. Usually, we are only looking at the timing, when we leave with the traffic situation, but this time we focused more on the performance of the car.
“So I think we did the right move, but unfortunately I had the lap deleted, so I had to stop. But obviouly, I was gaining seven tenths which is breaking the record, so it’s a big shame, but I think this is how it is.
I think the team did a really great job, I think I was pretty confident in the car. This Hyperpole is a great opportunity for a driver to drive in Le Mans without traffic, it is a fantastic feeling for me.”
Kobayashi set the current lap record in qualifying for the 2017 edition of the French endurance classic, when he sent his Toyota TS050 Hybrid around the Circuit de la Sarthe in a time of 3:14.791. His Hyperpole time was roughly half a second slower.
