Alpine scored its first top five in the FIA World Endurance Championship with a show-stopping performance at the Lone Star Le Mans.
It must be said immediately that the French team had never tested on the Circuit of the Americas, unlike their rivals in the HYPERCAR class who had been busy at the end of July with the Michelin tests, starting to get to know the Austin track well.
The two A424s immediately showed good form in Texas and already in Qualifying we saw some very good performances, with Charles Milesi placing his #35 shared with Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin fifth and Mick Schumacher finishing a little further back at the wheel of the #36 (also in which we have Matthieu Vaxiviere and Nicolas Lapierre) due to traffic and a wasp that entered the cockpit and distracted him for several minutes.
During the first lap of the race, Habsburg made contact with the Cadillac and received a Drive-Through penalty, while Vaxiviere had to manage his tyres (medium on the front and hard on the rear) trying to keep them on after the first stop, which meant he was slower to get back up the order.
#36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Nicolas Lapierre, Mick Schumacher, Matthieu Vaxiviere
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
The pace of the Alpines was enviable, so much so that Milesi achieved the fastest lap, later beaten by just 0″020 by the Toyota #7 of Kobayashi, and remaining behind only the Japanese in terms of overall average by 0″270, with Schumacher placing sixth.
The A424s fought very well against their class rivals and, benefiting from the mistakes and penalties of others, the #35 moved from 7th to 5th place in the final stages, with the #36 9th, which for the first time saw both French LMDhs in the top ten.
“This result is very positive for the team because it is the culmination of many improvements. The start was difficult, with contact from Ferdinand and a perhaps risky tyre choice for Matthieu. However, we learned a lot about the tyres and the team did not make any operational errors. We remained focused, ready and calm,” explained Philippe Sinault, Team Principal of the Alpine Endurance Team.
“We saw that we had a good pace in free practice and qualifying, so we continued to push hard to move up and avoid any problems. We were hoping to get this first top-five finish by the end of the year, and it was no coincidence.”
“After the difficulties at Le Mans, everyone responded and took responsibility to improve wherever possible and show our potential. A natural dynamic was created that reassures us that we are all determined to make this project a success.”
#35 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen, Charles Milesi
Photo by: JEP / Motorsport Images
Milesi added: “It was a good weekend, with fourth place in qualifying and fifth in the race. We couldn’t have hoped for better, having never tested on this circuit before.”
“This result is a bit unexpected, but we achieved it thanks to the great work of the team that provided us with a fast car and an effective strategy. It gives us even more confidence for the future, knowing that we still have many things to improve. We will go to Fuji starting from these solid bases.”
Schumacher was also pleased: “It’s a great team result overall and I’m pleased that both cars finished in the points. We’re going in the right direction in our first season.”
“We can be satisfied with this performance, especially with the great race of the #35. There is still a lot of work to do, so let’s continue to give our best to carry this positive momentum to Fuji. Keep going!”
Vaxiviere instead explains his difficult start: “My first stint was difficult because we tried to split the strategies and I started with the hard rear tyres. This time it didn’t work, but the experience will be precious”.
“We then fought hard to try to recover positions. In the second stint I was more comfortable, but I was blocked for a long time by the leaders. We will review this weekend in detail to face the last two races in the best possible conditions”.
Lapierre shared the same opinion: “It was a fun race and having both our cars in the top 10 is a good result in our first season in the premier class. Maybe we lost a bit of time at the beginning due to the tyre choice, but then our pace was strong.”
“We have adapted our strategy to get into the points thanks to the work of all the team members and I hope we can build on this result at Fuji. I am looking forward to Japan.”
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