WEC 2025: Alpine puts together top-notch crews
After a promising 2024 season, Alpine and its operating team, Signatech, officially announced on Thursday the identity of their six drivers for the upcoming season. One of them comes straight from Porsche.
While the French brand is struggling in F1, despite being saved by its double podium in Brazil, Alpine is on the contrary strengthening its position in WEC, with a view to a promising 2025 season.
It must be said that 2024 went perhaps better than expected: a podium during the season and 4th place overall among the constructors, just ahead of BMW, reinforces the Dieppe manufacturer and its A424 with Ligier chassis in the desire to do even better.
There will be some continuity within the crews of No. 35 and No. 36, the details of which will be communicated at the beginning of the year. The French brand has renewed its confidence in four drivers who were already confirmed last year.
The French drivers Paul-Loup Chatin and Charles Milesi will once again be part of the adventure, as they shared car No. 35 with Austrian driver Ferdinand Habsburg, who has already been a regular this year. Finally, Mick Schumacher will be able to fully focus on the WEC, since he has left his reserve driver position at Mercedes and remains with Alpine in endurance racing.
Makowiecki changes creamery.
A non-surprise: starting from the official Porsche team, Frenchman Frédéric Makowiecki was announced as a starter at Alpine, thus replacing Nicolas Lapierre, who retired. The experience and speed of the man from the north will undoubtedly be beneficial in helping the team get closer to the top names on the grid.
Another French driver, Jules Gounon, was rightly rewarded for his excellent performance in prototypes this year: he will be a factory driver within the French team.
The absence of a brand is obviously that of Limougeaud Matthieu Vaxivière: the driver of car number 36, whose program details have not been formalized, also leaves the premier category, after a final podium, obtained in Fuji last month.
From then on, everything will depend on the progress made on the car so that the drivers can get closer to the leaders (Porsche, Ferrari, Toyota), while trying to contain a competition that remains as fierce. With Lamborghini gone, Aston Martin will also join the fray.
