Robin Frijns admits BMW’s struggles in WEC: “We don’t fully understand the car yet”

“I feel like we don’t fully understand the car yet,” said Frijns. “And where we need to improve it. It’s a complex machine, but I’m here to fight at the front and win races. That hasn’t really been the case so far.”

Asked further about the difficulty in identifying the car’s issues, Frijns admitted it is a “tricky” matter.

“It’s not a simple game,” he said. “If we’re slow, it’s not just a case of ‘we have a problem, we fix it’. If it were that easy, everyone would do it. It’s a complex puzzle, so it’s not easy to pinpoint exactly where we need to improve.”

Improving race pace

With the updated M V8 Hybrid, BMW has also made significant aerodynamic changes to its LMDh car. Frijns explained that the main focus has been on improving race performance.

“The car was reasonably okay in qualifying, but we often dropped back in the races. That’s what we’ve tried to fix,” he said. “So, I don’t really expect us to have the same qualifying performance as last year, but I do hope we’ll be stronger in terms of race pace.”

Despite the work done on the car, Frijns knows expectations remain high, including from himself. He says he is always trying “to learn more” about how the car works.

“You always try to improve the situation you’re in and develop yourself as well. You never drive a perfect lap in your life. You have to make the most of what you’ve got.”

A difficult challenge

Frijns hoopt dat BMW dit jaar constanter vooraan mee kan doen om podiumplaatsen.

Frijns hoopt dat BMW dit jaar constanter vooraan mee kan doen om podiumplaatsen.

Frijns does take some confidence from last year’s second place at Imola, although there are still many question marks over this year's Hypercar performance, especially with several manufacturers introducing updates.

“I hope it will be the same [as last year],” he laughed, adding that the result was not just down to luck, but also BMW’s strategy. “We really want to fight for multiple podiums. Over the last two years, we’ve scored two podiums in WEC. We definitely want to build on that and achieve more.”

Frijns is clear about his goals and expectations for the season.

“I go into every race weekend aiming for the podium and to win,” he said. “But you also have to be realistic — after the first two practice sessions, you know roughly where you stand. If you start the weekend in the top five, you have a chance of a good result. If you’re not in the top ten, it’s going to be very difficult.”

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