Alpine ‘will learn’ from ‘complicated’ Qatar curtain-raiser

After the team racked up more than 3,700km during the FIA World Endurance Championship’s pre-season ‘Prologue’ group test at Lusail International Circuit, Charles Milesi and Mick Schumacher put the #35 and #36 entries respectively ninth and 14^th on the grid amongst the 18 high-calibre Hypercar contenders in qualifying.

In the following day’s ten-hour race, Ferdinand Habsburg impressively gained five places over the course of the first lap. The Austrian proceeded to challenge BMW’s Kevin Magnussen and had climbed to third before the opening hour was out, but a puncture cost the #35 crew time, as the best-placed of the two A424 prototypes slipped to the tail-end of the top ten.

Milesi then took over behind the wheel and set about clawing back lost ground, but just past the three-and-a-half hour mark, the Frenchman made contact with an LMGT3 car in heavy traffic, sending the Alpine into a spin and incurring both minor damage and a puncture. To rub salt into the wounds, he was penalised five seconds for the clash during his next pit-stop, dropping the #35 entry off the lead lap.

In the sister A424, team newcomer Frédéric Makowiecki also began well as he worked his way up into the top ten in the car he was sharing with Schumacher and Jules Gounon, but subsequent battle scars adversely affected its behaviour and took the edge off the trio’s pace. That restricted the #36 Hypercar to 13^th at the chequered flag, one spot ahead of the #35.

“The start of the race was fantastic, and I really felt very confident in the warmer conditions,” reflected Habsburg. “Unfortunately, the further the race went on, the more complicated it became for us, with a few minor incidences of contact in particular. We are still in a learning process, and we need to improve to fight with the best.”

Milesi agreed that ‘we need to find some performance, as the competition also worked hard during the winter’, while despite the understandable disappointment of the end result, stablemate Paul-Loup Chatin insisted there were ‘many positives to take away, particularly on the operational side’, adding that ‘the team did a great job, which will pay dividends during the season’.

On the other side of the garage, there was similarly a mix of frustration and optimism, as Alpine Endurance Team bids to quickly bounce back in round two of the 2025 FIA WEC campaign – the 6 Hours of Imola in Italy on 18-20 April.

“It became increasingly difficult for us when the temperatures dropped,” acknowledged Schumacher of the squad’s struggles in Qatar. “It was not the result we were looking for, especially given the team’s work during the off-season and the Prologue. We need to analyse everything in detail to understand what happened and go to Imola with answers that will allow us to improve.”

On his maiden outing in the A424 following multiple years in Porsche machinery, new recruit Makowiecki was keen to look on the bright side.

“The first event of the year was very rewarding,” the Frenchman underlined. “We identified various points where we worked well and others that we need to optimise. We got off to a good start in the race, but the situation deteriorated afterwards without us honestly knowing why. We want to come back stronger, beginning at Imola, because we are here to fight at the front. One thing is sure – the potential is there.”

“First of all, I want to thank the drivers for the job they did on the track,” added Alpine Endurance Team Sporting Director, Nicolas Lapierre. “This championship is fiercely competitive, and if you’re not in the right window, you quickly find yourself in a tough situation.

“We will learn from this race and use the tests planned before Imola to try to understand how to get the most out of the tyres, as that will be one of the keys this season. I saw many positive things in Qatar, but we still have work to do...”