Thinking about Le Mans – the Test Day, scrutineering, Drivers’ Parade, plus all the other pre-race traditions – you realise it really is an event like no other. A unique and wonderful gathering, it remains one of the greatest sporting occasions in the world. So having been denied the opportunity to race at La Sarthe last year I was glad to enjoy the thrills and spills of Le Mans 2015, for this is the only place on Earth where you can experience such emotions.

 We had an excellent week preparation-wise. The pecking order that had been evident at Silverstone and Spa, as well as the Test Day, also extended into qualifying, so we never really pushed for pole position and instead focused on the race. And, right on cue, we immediately went faster on Saturday. That said, it was still rewarding to be the fastest Audi in qualifying!

 I was offered the chance to be our crew’s designated starting driver. It’s always fun and this year was no exception due to several overtaking moves on an opening lap that saw us quickly move up to third position. The pace was really good and I remained within touching distance of the leading Porsches over my first three stints. Unfortunately, Le Mans then reminded us why it can be as magic as it is cruel during my fourth spell behind the wheel…

Drivers have three sources of information when it comes to assessing track status: our team radio, the circuit lights, and the flags being waved by marshals. At the start of the lap my engineer told me about a Slow Zone [indicating a dangerous section where speed is limited to 80kph] on the run down towards Indianapolis. But, once I was through the second Mulsanne Chicane, he informed me that Race Control had just confirmed the track was clear. Approaching Indianapolis I could see the blinking lights were still yellow, but marshals were waving green flags.

 Now, pre-race we were told that flags override all other forms of communication. I’d learn afterwards that Race Control had confirmed over the radio that warning lights shouldn’t have been taken into account in that instance. So, having seen the green flags and bearing in mind what my engineer had just told me, I didn’t lift. Inside the car the track had been described as clear and there was no further indication.

 But then, in just a split second, I happened upon a gaggle of five cars taking up the whole width of the road, some of which were very slow despite the green flags. At least one driver must have got confused. In my eyes that’s what triggered the mix-up. Kevin Estre (#34 Ligier JS P2), Marco Bonanomi (#9 Audi R18 e-tron quattro) and I just kept driving at full throttle. I tried to squeeze by on the right, threading the eye of a needle, but my left-rear clipped a Ferrari and sent me into the barriers. The silver lining came from the relatively little damage we sustained in the accident, but we still lost one lap and, ultimately, the race.

 As ever the mechanics did an amazing job to repair the car, and our subsequent pace was interesting. The team was absolutely flawless, as were Lucas [di Grassi] and Olly [Jarvis]. So despite a few more niggles we managed to recover and finish just outside the podium places. Without the accident we would have ended up at the very least in the top three.

 But so competitive was this year’s field that winning required you to drive a perfect race. And, for us, that wasn’t the case. Porsche did, so congratulations and hats off to them. It was a fantastic fight and Audi can take great pride in what they accomplished. The three cars were on the pace but we were just a little unlucky, including with the Safety Car periods.

 One thing’s for sure: we’ll do everything in our power to return even stronger in 2016. We also want to be competitive over the five remaining FIA World Endurance Championship rounds in order to help Audi secure a third world title. This is an important goal originally set at the start of the season and we’ll be doing our utmost to deliver strong performances.

 As for my #8 Audi R18 e-tron quattro crew-mates and I, we’ll continue reinforcing the bond that already exists between us. All we need is time. I’ll also travel to London next week for the FIA Formula E season finale. Then I won’t be back behind the wheel until the 6 Hours of Nürburgring (August 30) where I can assure you we’ll be challenging for victory!

 All the best,

Loïc