WEC | Gounon returns to Alpine at Fuji to replace Chatin

Jules Gounon will return to racing with Alpine in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship at the 6 Hours of Fuji, the penultimate event of the 2024 season which takes place next week.

The French team had already been planning for some time to run the French driver, seen in action in the races at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps in place of the injured Ferdinand Habsburg, to give him experience as a reserve for this year.

Gounon will once again take the wheel of the #35 LMDh, this time replacing Paul-Loup Chatin – who will return to his seat in Bahrain – and as a colleague of Habsburg and Charles Milesi, while Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere and Mick Schumacher are confirmed in the #36 A424.

“Fuji is one of the most iconic races on the calendar and in motorsport, with the mountain as its backdrop. Every year this stage shows us how important the Alpine community is in Japan and how lucky we are to have their support,” commented Philippe Sinault, Team Principal of the Alpine Endurance Team.

“With very little time between Austin and Fuji, the logistics are a real tour de force. The teams are working hard and ours will arrive on Monday to start maintenance on the cars.”

“The goal is to continue as well as in Austin, where we showed an improvement in our performance level, even if we still have a lot to learn.”

“We’ve made progress in understanding the set-up and tyres, and hopefully we can start Free Practice 1 well. Fuji has several characteristics that we’ll have to deal with, starting with the long straight and a very twisty final sector.”

“The weather conditions will also be an important factor, as we can expect to encounter a wet track at some point during the weekend. We will be ready for any scenario at this round, where we will welcome Jules. His participation will allow him to gain further experience and see the progress he has made since his last race with us in Spa.”