The joy of the team when welcoming Paul-Loup Chatin after the finish demonstrated the emotion that reigned at Alpine. It must be said that the last relay of the Essonnien allowed the A fléché to end the year on a very good note. By overtaking the No. 38 Porsche and No. 15 BMW in turn, he gave the team a Top 5 finish as an end-of-season gift, crowning a more than promising campaign.
In the end, the 5th place of the A424 N°35 of the Habsburg-Chatin-Gounon trio became 4th after the penalty of the Ferrari N°51. Enough to make this final racing outing of the year even more beautiful. “ I’m very happy for the whole team, it’s a great way to end the yearsmiled Paul-Loup Chatin.
We said yesterday (Friday) that we had worked a lot for the race. It was a winning bet. The start was a little complicated, it was much warmer than we thought, but our strategy paid off in the second part of the race.. »
Positive results, promising future
When it’s time to pack everything up, Alpine has reason to be satisfied with its first real campaign in Hypercar, with a car that expressly meets the regulations for the category. Almost every weekend, whether it was the No. 35 or the No. 36, the team led by Philippe Sinault always had something to eat.
The debut in Qatar was promising with a Top 5 entry with a new car. What followed only confirmed the good work of the staff who were able to advance the LMDh. Certainly the 24 Hours of Le Mans represent a hiccup in the season with a double retirement after less than 5 hours of racing. But overall it was a success, and the efforts were rewarded with a podium at Fuji for the trio of the No. 36 (Schumacher-Lapierre-Vaxivière). The number could have even been higher if there had not been a slight error.
The results are therefore more than positive for the Tricolores with a good line of statistics (1 podium, 3 Top 5, 9 Top 10, 1 best lap in the race and 4 appearances in Hyperpole) and a 4th place among the Manufacturers, ahead of some present for a longer time like Peugeot or Cadillac.
“We can be proud”
« One of the highlights of this 2024 season is none other than the work of our drivers and crewsnotes Bruno Famin, director of Apine Motorsports. The individuals put themselves at the service of the project and always worked with the same objective: to advance the team and develop the potential of the A424, all within an extremely strong collective. The season was free of outings, which is valuable during a learning year. Over the course of the races, and depending on the circumstances, we also saw them take turns distinguishing themselves on the track when necessary. We saw it again today and we can be proud of the work accomplished by our seven drivers and by the entire team. »
So let’s move on to 2025. A year where changes could take place with departures but also recruits. Nicolas Lapierre has started to prepare for his role as sporting director in Bahrain while in the direction of arrivals, certain names have been circulating in the paddock, like Frédéric Makowiecki in search of a new challenge after the end of his adventure with Porsche.
Until then, Alpine can begin preparation for this new season. Perhaps that of confirmation that the project is going in the right direction. To do this, it will be necessary to rely on the first lessons from 2024, erase certain imperfections such as the reliability of the engine and choose the best possible crews to continue to grow and why not already seek a first victory.
READ ALSO > Chatin (Alpine): “I saw the podium, but the important thing was elsewhere”
