Best ever result for Alpine Endurance Team at COTA

WECHyperCar

Sep 4

Thanks to a strong team effort, the Alpine A424 scored its best-ever result with its first top-five and both crews in the points.

P4 in Hyperpole

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. Both Alpines A424 in action.

In Austin, Alpine Endurance Team’s demonstration started with Mick Schumacher setting the 8th fastest lap of Hypercars drivers during the qualifying sessions. Charles Milesi did put in a fine display, finishing fifth in qualifying and fourth in the Hyperpole to record the best result for the Alpine A424 in the exercise. Mick Schumacher saw his run compromised by traffic before a wasp got into the cockpit of his prototype ending 13th of qualifying.

P5 best result in Lone Star Le Mans.

With slightly different tyre strategies at the start on Sunday, Ferdinand Habsburg and Matthieu Vaxiviere had a tough opening lap. Although he initially held fourth place, the Austrian soon had to deal with the onslaught of his pursuers. Contact with the #2 Cadillac dropped him down the order before he received a drive-through penalty. Meanwhile, Matthieu Vaxiviere was cautious and also dropped down the order.

Despite the tricky start, the two drivers refused to give up and began their comeback by working together to make the most of their strong pace and excellent energy management in traffic. This work continued with Paul-Loup Chatin and Mick Schumacher in the second hour, then Charles Milesi and Nicolas Lapierre mid-race after a perfectly executed double stack.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. #35 Alpine A424 with Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin.

The two A-arrow brand Hypercars closed in on the points in a straightforward race punctuated by intense battles with the Porsches, Lamborghinis, Cadillacs and Peugeots. Ferdinand Habsburg and Matthieu Vaxiviere then took over to continue their ascent. Back on the lead lap thanks to a stop just before a brief full course yellow, Charles Milesi set the fastest provisional lap in the #35 car, overtaking the #15 BMW, while Mick Schumacher also upped the pace.

Les Bleus opted to double stint Charles Milesi and Mick Schumacher for the final sprint to the chequered flag. Seventh and twelfth respectively following their last pit stop, the Frenchman and the German made up further ground in the final hour. The #35 A424 climbed to fifth place and held off the #20 BMW for the team's best result since its return to the premier class. The sister car finished ninth with Mick Schumacher, sealing the A424's first double top-ten finish. Source: Alpine Endurance Team.

#35 Alpine drivers quotes after race

Charles Milesi: "It has been 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 got it thanks to the team's excellent work to provide us with a fast car and an effective strategy. It gives us even more confidence for the future, knowing we still have many things to improve. We will go to Fuji able to build on this strong foundation."

Ferdinand Habsburg: "It's been a surprisingly positive weekend, given all the other teams tested in Austin. Despite our lack of experience, there was good communication between the drivers and engineers, which led us to make some sound decisions on strategy and set-up. We're increasingly gelling and will have the chance to work together again soon at Fuji to continue perfecting our teamwork."

Paul-Loup Chatin: "It has been a positive weekend overall. We arrived in Austin with more unknowns and less information as we were new to this track. Ultimately, it's our best result of the year, which is encouraging for the whole team. There are a lot of positives to take from fifth place in such a tough field, but there's still a lot of work to do if we want to win. Let's savour the moment without forgetting about our future goals." Source: Alpine Endurance Team.

#36 Alpine drivers quotes after race

Mick Schumacher: "It's a strong team result overall, and I'm happy both cars finished in the points. We're heading in the right direction in our first season. We can be happy with this performance, especially with the #35 car's strong race. There's still a lot of work to do, so let's continue to give it everything we've got to carry this positive momentum forward in Fuji. Bring it on!"

Nicolas Lapierre: "It was a fun race, and having both our cars in the top ten is a good result in our first season in the premier class. We may have lost some time at the start with our tyre choice, but our pace was strong after that. We adjusted our strategy to get into the points thanks to every team member's work, and I hope we can build on this at Fuji. I'm already looking forward to Japan."

#36 Alpine A424 with Nicolas Lapierre, Mathieu Vaxiviere and Mick Schumacher — 📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lone Star Le Mans. #36 Alpine A424 with Nicolas Lapierre, Mathieu Vaxiviere and **Mick Schumacher**.

Matthieu Vaxiviere: "It is a good team result. My first stint was tricky. We tried something by splitting the strategies, and I started on hard rear tyres. It didn't work this time, but this experience will be invaluable. We then fought hard to try and make up positions. I was more comfortable in my second stint, but I was blocked for a long time by the leaders. We will review this weekend in detail to take on the last two races in the best possible conditions." Source: Alpine Endurance Team.