This is the other great story of the weekend. On the sidelines of the Brazilian Formula 1 Grand Prix where Alpine distinguished itself, the A arrow was also there in Bahrain to compete in the last round of the 2024 season of the WEC World Endurance Championship. Positioned fourth in the team rankings, the French structure's mission was to defend its rank. A task successfully completed, with a double entry into the points, including a car at the foot of the podium.
However, the weekend did not start off in the best possible way for the Alpine residents. The two prototypes missed the boat in qualifying, notably with the traffic trap at key moments of the session. The two A424s find themselves far away, in fourteenth and seventeenth positions. Fortunately, the team has eight hours of racing to recover, but the task promises to be arduous.
Like Formula 1, Alpine rushes in with the knife between its teeth and delivers an almost impeccable performance. With the exception of a contact from Charles Milesi for which our driver was penalized, the strategy and pace of the two A424s are excellent, as is the management of the tires. As the hours of racing go by, our crews gradually move up, until they reach the fourth and ninth final positions.
“Overall, this day allowed us to achieve our main objective, namely fourth place in the championship”comments Nicolas Lapierre, current driver and future Team Manager. “Despite a slightly complicated start to the race where our medium strategy put us on the defensive when the temperatures were the highest, we made the right choices to increase the pace and recover at the end. The drivers were also efficient , especially when we had to fight against our direct competitors.”
A great achievement which marks an excellent first 2024 season for Alpine. With the exception of Le Mans and its double retirement after barely six hours of racing, the A arrowed stands out as the best of the entering structures. It took fourth place in the team rankings (out of 9), ahead of, among others, Peugeot, Cadillac and BMW. In eight races contested, Alpine has one podium, one best lap and four appearances in Hyperpole.
“One of the highlights of this 2024 season is none other than the work of our drivers and crews”estimates Bruno Famin. “The individuals put themselves at the service of the project and always worked with the same objective: to progress the team and develop the potential of the A424, all within an extremely strong collective. The season was free of outings, this which is valuable during a year of learning Over the course of the races, and depending on the circumstances, we also saw them stand out on the track when necessary. We saw it again today. and we can be proud of the work accomplished by our seven drivers and the entire team.”
There is still a way to go to tickle the three cutting-edge structures, but the foundations are strong, the team is gradually strengthening, and the ambitions are there to make Alpine a leading team in the world of endurance. In this sense, preparation for the 2025 campaign is already in full swing, with private tests being held before re-attacking the new vintage next year, starting with the Prologue, then the 1,812 kilometers of Qatar on the Losail International Circuit. from February 21 to 28, 2025.
