The debut of the brand new Alpines in the FIA World Endurance Championship ends with two cars at the finish line and also some points won at the 1812 Km of Qatar.
'Humility' was the watchword that the entire French team had underlined before going to Lusail, where they were awaited by a very demanding challenge in the Hypercar Class which began with the Prologue tests, where another 2,500 km of data and information between the two A424s.
In Qualifying only a 14th and a 17th place were achieved for the LMDh managed by Team Signatech, while during the race the strategy was diversified between the crews formed by Habsburg/Milesi/Chatin (#35) and Lapierre/Vaxiviere/Schumacher (#36) so as to continue working in two separate directions to increase the information.
One fewer pit stop made by the #35 led it to climb back up to 8th place in the Hypercar Class, taking its first points of the season, while the #36 was less fortunate, finishing in 12th place, also losing time due to a contact which required a pit stop to replace the nose.
#35 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen, Charles Milesi
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
“I saved a lot of fuel in the first stint and we decided to continue like this. It wasn't the original plan, but it seemed like the right thing to do and it paid off. We knew we didn't have the pace of those in front, so we tried to save a lap per stint,” explains Habsburg speaking to Motorsport.com.
“I am ecstatic with such an amazing result. We have to accept our lack of pace, because it is to be expected with such a new car. But the other positives are that we made no mistakes and had no problems as drivers and that we looked as strong as squad”.
“I was extremely proud and happy to be behind the wheel of the Alpine A424 on its debut, I was even a little nervous, but I knew I was in the right place with the right people. We had a great strategy and had an almost flawless run for achieve this result, which we are thrilled about.”
“It's a bit like climbing a mountain from the bottom. As an Austrian, I've already climbed many mountains and I can guarantee you that the feeling you get when you're at the top is incredible. That's how I feel right now!”
Milesi adds: “It was a good race and we didn't expect to finish in the Top10 on our debut on a new track. It was a great result to cross the finish line with both cars, but having one in eighth place is something more than expected “.
“Our pace looks promising compared to many other manufacturers, which is encouraging for the future, although there is still a lot to learn and understand. The team has done a great job and we can't wait for Imola.” .
Chatin is also satisfied: “It was a good result and I'm happy for the team, which has done an extraordinary job in the last two years to give us a competitive and reliable car right from the first race. I don't think anyone knows how much effort goes into it.” the fifth”.
“It was important not to make any mistakes and see where it would take us. In the end, we finished first among the newcomers and eighth out of 19 Hypercars, ahead of some of the big names in the championship. These first points are simply fantastic and reward the efforts of everyone the team”.
#36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Nicolas Lapierre, Mick Schumacher, Matthieu Vaxiviere
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
It must be said that Alpine took 40kg of ballast from the BoP, becoming the heaviest of the LMDhs entered in the event, with Schumacher being the fastest of the French field.
“This first race week ends with a lot of positives and a lot of things learned from the Endurance world. We had the pace to fight for points, which was a bit unexpected, so we can be happy and proud of ourselves,” admits Mick.
“It's fantastic that the sister car managed to score points. We have a strong, united and ambitious team for the next round, and we can't wait for Imola.”
Schumacher then also focused on what his future could be, speaking with Motorsport.com: in terms of pace, despite being at his debut.
“I'm here now, but it's difficult to predict what the future holds. Obviously my focus for now is the WEC, but I'd be lying if I said I didn't have an eye on F1. There are a lot of things happening at the moment , who knows what opportunities will present themselves in a couple of months. I'll deal with it when the time comes.”
Lapierre complimented his teammate, as he told Motorsport.com: “Mick took part in his first test in Jerez. For me, when drivers come from single-seaters, and even more so from F1, there are two options: either you want to be a true sportscar driver, sharing the car and working with teammates, or you just want to shine.”
“I was positively surprised by Mick from day one. He really wanted to work in the team and that suits him. And his pace was immediately very fast. We already knew this, we had no doubts. The only thing to do now is managing traffic a little bit and that kind of thing, because it's new for him.”
“He is bringing with him some good things from F1, because he is working with Mercedes, one of the best teams on the grid. So this brings us some fresh ideas, and not just regarding traffic management, as well as indications that there have been very useful in this project.”
Following this, the Frenchman had his say on the race: “Overall it was a very satisfying weekend. We achieved our main objective, which was to learn, and we even did better than we hoped with a car in the points and our pace for the whole week.”
“The team was excellent and calm from an operational point of view, which bodes well for the future. After a test session, we will go to a very different track, in Imola. We look forward to continuing to work hard after this is a rather positive start.”
#36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Nicolas Lapierre, Mick Schumacher, Matthieu Vaxiviere
Photo by: Shameem Fahath
Vaxiviere adds: “It's a real achievement to finish our first race with both cars and even more so with one in the points. We can all be satisfied with the work carried out during the development phase, given that we didn't encounter the slightest problem.”
“We had to be humble for our debut, and we were. This great adventure begins on a positive note, but the hard work will continue in Imola.”
The conclusion obviously belongs to Philippe Sinault, Alpine Team Principal: “We knew it would be challenging to start with a 10-hour race on a new track, but we are satisfied with this performance.”
“We ran a clean race and finishing with our two cars, one of which in the Top10, is a good result. Reaching the finish line with both crews allowed the whole team, from the mechanics to the engineers to the drivers, to learn a lot about the our technical and human package”.
“I want to thank and congratulate all members of the team. I have rarely seen people so committed to a project. After these ten intense days in Qatar, the foundations have been laid. We have taken another step forward, but we know that the road ahead there is still a long way to go. We must continue to learn and acquire skills and experience in every sector.”
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