6 Hours of Imola: Jules Gounon to make his Alpine debut
Frenchman Jules Gounon, appointed as a reserve driver for Alpine in the WEC, will take Ferdinand Habsburg's place this weekend at the 6 Hours of Imola. This will be his first race in the Hypercar category.
Some were disappointed not to see Jules Gounon lined up in the Alpine factory crews. But it will be done this weekend.
The Ardèche driver was initially appointed as a reserve for the team and was ready to take the wheel in case of a hitch. Ferdinand Habsburg’s accident in Spain will enable him to keep a full squad in Alpine No. 35. He will be partnered with the experienced Paul-Loup Chatin and Charles Milesi. This will give Alpine a 100% French squad on one of the two cars.
The Austrian was known for his good speed, which is why he was selected. But his vertebrae were affected in the accident with the A424. He will try to be back, at least, for the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Philippe Sinault, the boss of the French team, knows in any case that replacing Habsburg will not be an easy task for Jules Gounon.
« Ferdinand will be in our thoughts. It’s a tough blow, but it’s part of a team’s life (…). We have made the decision to replace him with Jules in Imola. It is never easy to make your debut in such a context (…). We believe he is ready on the basics, but he still has a lot to learn even if he has already proven mastery in many areas considering his GT background.”
The statement did not mention a reaction from the Tricolore. It will start on a circuit that the WEC and the Hypercars have not used since 2012. In addition to learning to drive the blue prototype, this time he will be in the role of the one who overtakes the GT at full speed. A completely different exercise than watching his rearview mirrors when prototypes come racing by!
