Picture perfect

If you thought herding cats was difficult, trying getting seven racing drivers from several different teams all in the same room at the same time for a photograph.

When Motor Sport decided to shoot the British Le Mans contingent we anticipated problems. Teams generally don’t like to have their drivers caught ‘off message’. Pictures of them are usually closely choreographed by a tame photographer with the driver looking stiffly ahead and standing at an angle that best displays the team’s sponsors.

Capturing them off duty, relaxed and interacting with one another was a big ask but crucial if we were to illustrate the sense of camaraderie that exists among our drivers. We decided that the first round at Spa would be the best chance of getting people together and begged a spare room from the WEC organisers in which to set up a makeshift studio. After initial scepticism the teams came on board and we managed to get groups of drivers in front of the camera. With a bit of coaxing they began interacting with one another, too. The final shot – pieced together from several group shots – gives a rare insight into the group and hopefully was worth the effort!