How Porsche works driver Laurens Vanthoor analyses his teething troubles in the DTM, what the manufacturer has to say about it and why the turnaround is not easy
Porsche works driver Laurens Vanthoor is one of the best GT drivers in the world and won the 24-hour classics at Le Mans, the Nürburgring and Spa. But why, of all things, is the 31-year-old SSR driver not getting on at all in his DTM debut season?
“I didn’t expect to start and win the first race right away, but I did expect things to go a bit smoother,” he said, but didn’t make excuses.
“I’m a bit frustrated that I’m not racing at the front. And it’s down to a lot of little things, including me,” the Belgian clarifies.
Does Laurens Vanthoor have to change his driving style?
Because Vanthoor is not able to drive the 911 GT3 R in the DTM the way he is used to. “It’s about how I usually drive the car,” he elaborates. “We can’t get the set-up to work the way I need it. We are now at a point where I have to consider changing my approach.”
Vanthoor can’t explain why he can’t push the extremely familiar car to the limits he is used to. Especially as he normally doesn’t have any major adjustment problems. Apart from the DTM, that’s also true this season: “Whether it’s Le Mans, Spa or wherever – I always feel comfortable the way it is, it’s just here that things don’t run very smoothly. “
Porsche project manager: “There’s definitely no lack of talent “
At Porsche, the problem is seen above all in qualifying. “The tendency is there that he performs extremely well in the races and is very strong – and in qualifying he still has a bit of an issue. “How do they want to help the veteran now? “We are looking together – and I hope that we have all the building blocks together after the Norisring to know where the last one is missing. Because there is definitely no lack of talent.”
Vanthoor’s perplexity was also evident in a tweet this year after Saturday’s disappointing qualifying session at Imola, when the Belgian failed to finish higher than 17th on the grid despite brand-mate Thomas Preining’s third place on the grid. “Looking for a driver coach. Forgot my talent at Le Mans,” he asked himself on ‘Twitter’ as he was brought back down to earth after a strong weekend at the Sarthe in the DTM.
Vanthoor’s frustration tweet: How it came to this
“Tweets like that happen when you’re frustrated,” Vanthoor said when asked about it. “I came out of Le Mans where I did really well and felt good. And that was true for other races as well. And then suddenly you’re 17th in qualifying,” he said, describing the circumstances.
“That’s the frustration that comes up then. I’ve tried over the years to avoid these postings that you make ten minutes later, but I don’t always succeed. “
Looking for a driver coach in DTM. It seems I forgot my talent in Le Mans.
– Laurens Vanthoor (@VanthoorLaurens) June 19, 2022
Aside from his own problem, the situation is not made any easier as his team and manufacturer are also new to the DTM. “It’s a championship that has a very special character – and you don’t have a lot of time,” Vanthoor points out of the DTM’s GT3 exceptionalism that the set-up is fully tailored to one driver and you hardly have any practice time.
Little practice time a disadvantage for Vanthoor
“On top of that, there are others who have been familiar with these tracks and this format for many years. Once you are behind, it is difficult to catch up. But I still believe that at some point we will catch up. Hopefully it won’t take that long. Sometimes a project works out straight away – and sometimes it takes a bit longer to click.”
Like champion Maximilian Götz, who is also struggling this year in the Winward Mercedes, Vanthoor also puts his teething problems down to the high power density and the lack of opportunities to get a grip on weak points.
“This is a championship where everything is so close together. There is so little driving time. There are tracks where certain teams and drivers have been racing for so many years. You don’t have time to catch up because there are only two 45-minute practice sessions – and then there’s qualifying. If you’re not 100 per cent sorted there, then you’re behind. That’s been the difficulty so far. “
