After almost six hours of racing dominated by Ferrari battling Porsche and Toyota, the two Alpines have already retired due to mechanical problems.
Special correspondent at Le Mans
Shortly before 10 p.m., when night enveloped the Sarthe circuit, the mechanics of the Alpine team were already busy putting away the equipment in the manufacturer’s two garages. In the space of an hour the two A424s were forced to abandon, victims of engine problems. The nightmare began at 8:47 p.m. when the propulsion unit of the No. 35 gave up the ghost in the Arnage sector. Ferdinand Habsburg immediately parked his Hypercar which was emitting disturbing smoke. Flames even came out of the back of the idling car. The Austrian driver quickly got out of his vehicle before seeing the extent of the damage.
Forced to retire, the trio Paul Louis Chatin, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg then left the No. 36 to defend the colors of the French manufacturer alone. The hope was short-lived. The Hypercar of the crew made up of Mick Schumacher, Matthieu Vaxivière and Nicolas Lapierre, then 16th, was called back to the garage a few minutes after this first clap of thunder. The mechanics worked around the car before the retirement was made official, again following an engine problem.
A double disappointment for the brand with the “A” Fléché which this year made its comeback in the premier category. Especially since the two cars had shown excellent capabilities in terms of performance over a lap during qualifying. But reliability was not there, as might have been feared.
Peugeot at the end of the ranking
The entire French clan did not have the heart to smile at the start of the race where incidents were rare despite a few showers. Peugeot, the second French manufacturer entered in Sarthe, suffered at the bottom of the ranking with its two 9X8s. The No. 93 was 18th and its twin sister, the No. 94, was one place behind, more than a lap from the head of the race at 9:00 p.m.
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As feared, the two Lionesses are unable to keep up with the pace imposed by Ferrari at the front. The Italian firm, title holder, is currently dominating the debates with the 499P n°83 and the n°50. But the Italian cars have no right to let up in the slightest, pursued by the Porsche clan (n°5, 3rd less than thirty seconds behind) and Toyota who temporarily seize first place as everyone refuels. others. As expected, the three favorites responded and plunged into the Le Mans night with the furious desire to do battle.
WEC
