Alpine, a few points to salvage honor at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Alpine had a difficult race at Le Mans. The numerous penalties at the start of the race made life difficult for the brand with the A-arrow.
We expected better from Alpine. Despite points scored by both cars – one of them after the disqualification of the Ferrari #50 – this result is disappointing. Even though there’s a huge improvement compared to 2024, in comparison with the Italian and Belgian rounds, the brand with the arrowed A disappointed.
The qualifications were average with only one hypercar in the top 10, Mick Schumacher’s, while the second started from twelfth place.
The start of the race was not glorious either, with penalties for speeding in the pit lane. These mistakes cost both cars a phenomenal amount of time and compromised their race at that moment.
« It was a tough race. In general, we lacked performance, but we also lost time on several stops that did not go as planned. We need to analyze everything to understand where our deficit comes from, including compared to the sister car. We have some lines of thought, but we need to confirm the source of our problems. We managed to finish and reach the end with both crews », said Charles Milesi of #35.
At the end of the race, the pace was more interesting, allowing the two Alpines to climb a bit in the rankings. Jules Gounon made a final blunder in the morning at Mulsanne with a detour into the gravel, which caused him to lose considerable time and positions. Frustrating because at that point in the race, it was almost impossible to recover. The #35 moved up from tenth place before being propelled to ninth. The #36 closed the point standings.
The primary objective was clearly to finish the race, and the mission is accomplished. We race with a lot of ambition, so I am not entirely satisfied with our position at the finish. I always strive to give my best to contribute as much as possible to the team, and that’s what I tried to do. I think the team did an excellent job considering the difficulties and problems faced. I am happy to be able to take a breather before turning my focus to São Paulo, one of my favorite circuits, with a lot of desire and motivation, added Mick Schumacher of the #36.
As the German detailed, there is still some progress to note on the A424s. They have become very reliable and have been spared from mechanical issues. As a reminder, in 2024, they gave up 45 minutes apart due to engine failure.
