Sensation of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2017 when he was only 19 years old, the Frenchman finds himself without a steering wheel when he is considered one of the most brilliant drivers of his generation.
It is the story of a young prodigy who smiled at everything, of the irresistible rise of a pilot programmed to become one of the stars of Endurance but who finds himself today at a standstill just 23 years. This year, Thomas Laurent will be present at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. He will even have a helmet on his head, but it will be that of … consultant on the air for The team channel, the broadcaster of the event (he was called up at the last minute to join the Idec Sport n ° 17 team, but the car was forced to retire on Friday after several trips off the track).
A new role that he has been playing with enthusiasm since the start of the season, but the Sablais obviously wanted to be in a cockpit and not in a commentator’s cabin on Saturday and Sunday. “It’s a new role, a new string to my bow even if it’s not the one I would have favored at this point in my career. On the air, I bring my little technical pilot’s touch. It’s nice and it also allows me to stay in the circuit, to be a little publicized ”, he tries to be positive.
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A few days ago, when we reached him on the phone, the driver was working in his parents’ karting, in Sables-d’Olonne, far from the circuits of the World Endurance Championship, far also from his friends who were preparing the Le Mans race. An event which had allowed him to burst the screen in 2017 by finding himself, three hours from the finish, at the head of the event, ahead of Porsche please and at the wheel of an LMP2 (the second division of Endurance) from the Jackie Chan DC Racing team. His second final place, unexpected at the start, had allowed him to make a name for himself at only 19 years old.
His performances had opened the doors to the best private team on the grid, Rebellion Racing, in the premier class, being paid and without having to pay to ride with the support of a sponsor. 3rd then 5th at Le Mans in 2018 and 2019, he confirmed all the good that the field thought of him. Toyota even opened its doors to him with reservist status. At the same time, he had found a place in the ambitious Alpine-Signatech team (in LMP2). All signals were green.
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But with the French team everything did not go as planned. At the end of the 2020-2021 season, it is not kept. “Thomas is a great pilot, but the mayonnaise simply did not take, even though he is a charming boy. We had a difficult start to the season, he took over from Nicolas Lapierre (leader of the team the previous season, Editor’s note) and maybe put too much pressure on himself. Maybe we put too much on her too», Explains Philippe Sinault, the boss of the team.
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His violent off the track at the Six Hours of Spa-Francorchamps contributed to darken his record. Sinault admits that this crash was one of the biggest disappointments of his career. “We fight for the first place and the emotional lift suddenly fell to zero. The team was devastated. It hurt us“, Asks the leader who does not question the pilot qualities of the young pilot with the mouth of an angel. “Aimé Jacquet had Cantona at his disposal and he did not select him at the time. Deschamps had Benzema and did without his talent as well», Concludes the leader on the subject.
« It is not always the fastest driver that we keep first, but the one with the most money. Too bad if the car is a little slower, it gives life to a team. »
Thomas Laurent
«It was a complicated season because we expected very good results. Everything went well with the engineers who were happy with me. Philippe knew that I knew the car and the team very well. There is bound to be a feeling of unfinished business», Admits Thomas Laurent who still hoped to be kept. But the Covid-19 crisis has passed that way. While it had one foot in the Alpine adventure in Hypercar, the new premier class of Endurance, the French brand revised its plans. “There was a knot at the end of the year. Partners have withdrawn, which has driven up prices and it is not always the fastest driver that we keep first but the one with the most money. Too bad if the car is a little slower, it gives life to a team. They were forced to make choices. Me, it got me in trouble but it allowed the program to continue and get all the guys to work», He enlightens. And as if the year 2020 had not been difficult enough, Toyota did not wish to keep it while a three-year contract was expected: “I showed that I was faster than some of their official drivers … It’s a shame, we started on good terms. The page is turned.»
Contact with Peugeot has not passed
In search of a steering wheel, Thomas Laurent logically knocked on the door of Peugeot, which will land in Endurance racing in 2022. The “Lion” preferred to surround himself with two very experienced French people (Jean-Eric Vergne and Loïc Duval) to form a squad of seven pilots. “The contact is not at all with a person I will not name. I’m a bad driver for them … They looked a little too much at the overall performance and not the performance driver by driver. We are not in Formula 1, thoroughly from A to Z. It is a team sport where you have to make sacrifices for the teammate, pass new tires to the gentleman driver rather than keep them for yourself. same. However, I have always played the team card.»+
« I’m not a billionaire’s son »
Thomas Laurent
The 2015 kart world champion wants to stay positive with the arrival of many short-term manufacturers in the discipline. Ferrari, Audi, Porsche will notably be back. Opportunities will inevitably arise. “I am in contact with some teams but as long as it is not signed, I prefer not to say anything and wait for it to be done», He warns, scalded by his last painful experiences but which forged his character. “I want to find a good team and I will have my revenge one day. I’m not a billionaire’s son but I’m proud of my family and in the end it’s even more beautiful to forge a career on your own», Concludes the Vendéen.
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