Alpine: a fourth place came from the back of the grid in Bahrain
Alpine, after a very bad qualifying session, managed to climb back up in the hierarchy. Thanks to a very good strategy and a stroke of luck with incidents during the race, the team finished fourth.
A result that seemed unachievable. And yet… After failed qualifications, Alpine was relegated to the back of the grid. The start of the race was also very complicated since the two blue cars were battling with the Peugeots to avoid being at the bottom of the standings.
Under the blazing sun, the team with the arrowed A struggled to find performance. But as the loops progressed, the temperature dropped and the A424s started to reveal their potential. At the same time, Alpine was implementing a bold strategy to preserve fresh tires for the end of the 8 Hours of Bahrain.
Bold strategy
It worked well as the team climbed the hierarchy. And in the final third of the race, they benefited from race incidents to find themselves in the top quarter of the field. Car #35 managed to hold onto its Top 5 position until the checkered flag. This position was further improved to fourth place after a penalty for Ferrari #51. The other Hypercar crossed the line in ninth place.
These 8 hours of Bahrain were a constant battle. The weekend did not start ideally with difficulties due to our lack of experience in exploiting the hard tires. So we made the bold choice to prioritize the mediums while preserving our tires for the end of the race. This decision paid off and we were able to send Paul-Loup into battle to secure this important fourth place in the championship. As often during this first campaign, our tenacity, our strategy, and the work of our mechanics and engineers allowed us to be agile and take advantage of opportunities to climb back up. The sister car also showed a solid pace that it could not materialize due to damage from a collision, Philippe Sinault, the team principal, congratulates.
Fourth in the constructors’ championship
Alpine has had a very successful first season. Apart from the double retirement at Le Mans, the team based in the Bourges region has sent a message to the other teams. They finished in fourth place among the constructors with a podium at Fuji and another narrowly missed at the beginning of October.
One of the highlights of this 2024 season is the work of our drivers and crews. Individuals have put themselves at the service of the project and have always worked with the same objective: to move the team forward and develop the potential of the A424, all within an extremely strong collective. The season has been free of incidents, which is valuable during a learning year. Throughout the races, and depending on the circumstances, we have also seen them stand out on the track in turn when necessary. We saw it again today and we can be proud of the work done by our seven drivers and the whole team,” emphasizes Bruno Famin, director of Alpine Motorsport.
Ferdinand Habsburg, best driver in the ranking
In the drivers’ standings, Ferdinand Habsburg is the highest ranked, with 43 points and an 11th place. The Austrian had missed two races due to a serious injury at the beginning of the season. The reorganization for the last round of the season benefited him. Jules Gounon proved his level of performance with 24 points scored in four events.
