As we get closer to the start of the 2014 World Endurance Championship season and the 24 Hours of Le Mans, more teams arrive at the advanced Paul Ricard circuit to do final preparations and a bit of publicity work. Porsche has already started testing their new 919 Hybrid at the track, but they have apparently run into some technical problems.

That is not something to worry about though, as the drivers and engineers are generally happy with the way Porsche 919 Hybrid is handling the business. Even though the program was interrupted several times due to those problems, the team still managed to spend some productive time with the car.

The 2014 driver lineup – Romain Dumas/Neel Jani/Marc Lieb (car number 14) and Timo Bernhard/Brendon Hartley/Mark Webber (car number 20) – got to grips with the 919 Hybrid’s new technical features, and ran countless pit stop practices. This can prove highly beneficial in the challenges that lay ahead.

Paul Ricard‘s test session also provided an opportunity for Porsche to show off their final Le Mans livery. The graphic in the design shows the first letters of Porsche’s market core “Porsche Intelligent Performance”. The 919 carries a lot of weight on its shoulders, as it is the result of a huge investment and years of development and testing.

Team principal Andreas Seidl: “This test was a very challenging one for the entire crew. For the first time we were running two cars at the same time, which was demanding in terms of logistics and team coordination. The other target was to simulate a race weekend in order to prepare for the two six-hours races that are coming up. This was a very important experience for us. The test taught us that we have to improve in terms of reliability. With regards to the way the crew and drivers worked together as a team, we are going in the right direction. The next two days of testing here in Paul Ricard, during the Prologue, will be used to fine tune both the car’s set up, as well as the race specific processes.”