Alpine believes it is on the right track as the FIA World Endurance Championship prepares to restart its 2024 season at Lone Star Le Mans.
The French team had already been in action on the Austin track in the past when it was competing in the LMP2 class with Team Signatech, which today takes care of the two A424s.
An important piece of news concerns the presence of Mick Schumacher on board the #36 French LMDh together with Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxiviere; in recent days the German had been indicated as a possible replacement for Logan Sargeant in Williams, therefore ready for a potential return to Formula 1 for the Italian Grand Prix held in Monza this weekend.
The French team has confirmed their WEC driver (who, we recall, is under a priority contract with Mercedes), so it is likely that any changes in the English team for the Brianza stage of the circus will concern the possible loan of Liam Lawson by Red Bull, barring any sudden last-minute changes of scenario, of course.
Among other things, the Lapierre/Vaxiviere/Schumacher trio and Paul-Loup Chatin have already graced the asphalt of the Circuit Of The Americas in the past, while Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg – who share the cockpit of the #35 A424 with Chatin, have so far only driven on the American track in the simulator, therefore with a new challenge ahead.
#35 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen, Charles Milesi, #36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Nicolas Lapierre, Mick Schumacher, Matthieu Vaxiviere
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“It’s a pleasure to be back at a fantastic circuit like Austin. After the summer break, we are ready to get back into action. The cars left Interlagos directly for Austin, so we will have one day to overhaul them,” said Team Principal Philippe Sinault.
“From Friday onwards, it will be crucial to find the best compromises. The heat will be a real factor if the forecast temperatures are as high as in 2016, when drivers struggled to complete more than one stint.”
“It will have a significant impact on the strategy not only from the point of view of the tyres and their degradation, which will be crucial also if storms are forecast during the weekend, but also of the drivers.”
“Among other challenges, we will have to deal with the uneven track surface and reach the optimum top speed without compromising performance in the tight sections.”
“We are entering the final phase of the season, with Fuji following very quickly before the season finale in Bahrain. We are looking forward to getting back on track and building on what we learned at Interlagos.”
“We are learning more and more to fully exploit our package and by working hard behind the scenes, we want to show once again that we are going in the right direction.”
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