Alpine Endurance Team got down to business on Monday at the Bahrain International Circuit to complete its first season with the A424 Hypercar in the FIA WEC’s premier category.

After two and a half days of servicing and preparation, the Alpine A424s racked up 223 laps, or more than 1,200 kilometres, in free practice. On Friday, the French squad entrusted qualifying to Ferdinand Habsburg and Mick Schumacher. Trapped by traffic at the decisive moments, the Austrian finished 14th and his German teammate had to make do with 17th place after going wide in the last corner.

Jules Gounon and Charles Milesi were cautious during a lively start on Saturday. The two drivers gradually settled into their rhythm in high temperatures while managing their medium tyres. Strategies quickly diverged between the two A424s. Jules Gounon, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin each completed a stint in the #35 car, while Charles Milesi, Mick Schumacher and Matthieu Vaxiviere doubled their efforts in the #36 car.

The last to make their pit stops, the two crews were at the front of the field on several occasions when refuelling. Jules Gounon was back on track at dusk before Ferdinand Habsburg’s first double stint. At the same time, the #36 Alpine underlined its increasing pace with Matthieu Vaxiviere’s provisional fastest lap.

The race was reshuffled in its final third. Between two safety car periods, the team brought in its Hypercars to put Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin back behind the wheel. Eighth and twelfth on the second restart, the A424s continued gaining ground in the Bahraini night’s cooler temperatures.

After contact with the #50 Ferrari for which Charles Milesi was penalised, the mechanics changed the front end of the #36 during its final stop. A few minutes later, Paul-Loup Chatin also made his last stop. Thanks to his efforts, the #35 Alpine gained the advantage over the #38 Porsche, then the #15 BMW to climb into the top five with 25 minutes remaining. The Frenchman continued his offensive without taking excessive risks to compromise Alpine’s championship position. He crossed the line in fifth place, while the sister car finished tenth after a battle with the #83 Ferrari and the #6 Porsche. A few hours after the finish, both Alpine were promoted one position after a penalty for the #51 Ferrari.

The result allowed Alpine to conclude its maiden campaign with the A424 in fourth place in the World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship, and first among the Hypercar newcomers. With tomorrow’s Rookies Tests with Jules Gounon and Victor Martins behind the wheel, and the Michelin tests on Tuesday, Alpine Endurance Team will begin a studious winter to prepare for the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season. The season kicks off with the Prologue, followed by the Qatar 1812 km at the Losail International Circuit from 21 to 28 February 2025.

The Alpine A424 in 2024

• 8 races
• 16 starts
• 14 finishes
• 1 podium
• 3 top fives
• 9 top tens
• 1 fastest race lap
• 4 appearances in Hyperpole

Quotes 

Ferdinand Habsburg
“It’s always enjoyable to move up from the back of the field to fourth place in just a few hours. It shows that we never give up, whether it’s the drivers or the team, who made the most of every opportunity to make up ground. When I exited the car at the end of my last stint, I was a bit emotional to conclude the most important season of my career so far. Becoming a factory Alpine driver and returning from injury was a genuine rollercoaster.” 

Jules Gounon
“Fourth place is a fine way to round off the Alpine A424’s maiden season, as we finished fourth in the championship while leading the field of newcomers, even ahead of more experienced manufacturers. It’s been a pretty successful first year, and I’m delighted for the team.” 

Paul-Loup Chatin
“It was a good day after qualifying fell short of our expectations. However, we were right to focus on race pace from the start of practice. We kept our heads down at the start before deploying an aggressive tyre strategy. It allowed us to fight hard in the final sprint and get the better of BMW in our direct championship battle. I’m delighted for the team, which has managed to stay together despite the ups and downs of this maiden season.” 

Charles Milesi
“Overall, it was a positive season. We made a lot of progress throughout the year and finished fourth in the manufacturers’ championship. We know, however, that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our future goals, and we will focus on our next tests to get closer to the front in 2025.” 

Matthieu Vaxiviere
“It was a good race. Even though our crew could have had a better result had it not been for some ups and downs, we once again had an interesting pace. More than anything else, we achieved our goal in the championship, and that’s to the credit of every team member. I’m delighted for the whole Alpine family.” 

Mick Schumacher
“This result sees us clinch fourth place in the championship, which was our target when we came to Bahrain. The pace was there, even though we had to deal with damage to the #36 car. Our sister car was also up to the job and secured a good result. The whole team can be satisfied with this result, and now let’s see what the future holds.” 

Nicolas Lapierre, future Sporting Director Alpine Endurance Team
“Overall, today’s race enabled us to achieve our main objective of fourth place in the championship. Despite a difficult start to the race, in which our strategy of using mediums put us on the backfoot when the temperatures were highest, we made the right choices to increase the pace and make up ground towards the end. The drivers also performed well, particularly when we had to fight with our direct rivals. We’ll take advantage of the Rookies Tests tomorrow to begin our preparations for the 2025 season.” 

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team
“The 8 Hours of Bahrain was a fight for every point. The weekend didn’t get off to an ideal start, with difficulties due to our lack of experience with hard tyres. We made a daring decision to go with medium tyres and save our tyres for the end of the race. This decision paid off, and we sent Paul-Loup into battle to claim an important fourth place in the championship. As has been often the case during this first campaign, our tenacity, strategy, and the work of our mechanics and engineers enabled us to be agile and take advantage of opportunities to move up the order. The sister car also showed solid pace but could not capitalise on it due to damage caused by contact. This race brings an intense and busy season to an end, but every team member has been there, and I feel I can count on all of them. It’s brought a great deal of composure to how we work. To finish with this fine series of results is a positive sign and a great reward for everyone as we look ahead to future challenges.”

Bruno Famin, VP Alpine Motorsports
“The work of our drivers and crews is one of the highlights of the 2024 season. The individualities have all contributed to the project and have always worked towards the same goal: to help the team improve and develop the potential of the A424, all with a strong team spirit. The season was free of serious incidents, which is invaluable during a learning year. As the season went on, depending on the circumstances, we also saw them distinguish themselves on track when necessary. We saw that again today, and we can be proud of the work done by our seven drivers and the whole team.”

CLASSIFICATIONS 

8 Hours of Bahrain
1. Toyota Gazoo Racing #8
2. Porsche Penske Motorsport #5
3. Peugeot TotalEnergies #93
4. Alpine Endurance Team #35
9. Alpine Endurance Team #36 

FIA Hypercar Drivers World Endurance Championship
1. Estre / Lotterer / Vanthoor – 152 points
2. Fuoco / Molina / Nielsen – 115 points
3. de Vries / Kobayashi – 113 points
11. Habsburg – 43 points
17. Milesi – 30 points
18. Chatin – 29 points
21. Gounon – 24 points
22. Schumacher / Vaxiviere – 21 points
23. Lapierre – 18 points 

FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers Championship
1. Toyota – 190 points
2. Porsche – 188 points
3. Ferrari – 137 points
4. Alpine – 70 points