- Both Alpine A424s finished the 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in front of a record crowd of 332,000 people.
- Despite several setbacks, the two crews dug deep to finish tenth and eleventh.
- The stage is already set for 2026 to do even better in the FIA World Endurance Championship marquee event.
A year after its debut in the premier category of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the A424s returned to the Sarthe aiming to demonstrate their progress in the most daunting race on the calendar.
Alpine Endurance Team was on track for the Test Day last Sunday and fine-tuned its preparations in free practice on Wednesday and Thursday. In qualifying, both Hypercars of the A-arrow brand advanced to the Hyperpole. Mick Schumacher qualified ninth in the #36 car while Paul-Loup Chatin was twelfth in the #35 car, just 0.092s outside the top ten.
After a busy Friday punctuated by the drivers’ parade in the city centre, the team conducted its final check of systems and procedures during Saturday’s warm-up. Frédéric Makowiecki and Ferdinand Habsburg were on track for the 15-minute task before the 4 pm start of the race.
The 93rd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans started in the presence of Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO. Les Bleus were cautious and ran close to the top ten before encountering their first setbacks. A battery cooling system pressurisation issue was detected on the #36 car. Both Hypercars were then penalised for exceeding the speed limit at the pit lane entrance.
The crews pressed on with Jules Gounon and Mick Schumacher in the #36 car and Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin in the #35 car. The latter received a drive-through penalty after contact with another competitor. In the darkness, the three drivers carried out their plan until the first and only safety car period before half-distance. Stuck at the red light at the pit lane exit, Mick Schumacher pushed on as soon as the race resumed. The A424s were consistently among the fastest on track and remained ready to seize any opportunity to get back on the lead lap.
However, the night proved extremely quiet, and the French team continued the battle at dawn. Running 13th, the #36 car dropped back when Jules Gounon wound up in the gravel trap after locking a wheel at the Mulsanne corner. Soon after, a full course yellow forced the Frenchman to make an emergency pit stop before handing over to Mick Schumacher.
The team avoided the hazards of the race’s final hours to enter the top ten with car #35. The final efforts of Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi saw them finish tenth. Meanwhile, Jules Gounon, Frédéric Makowiecki and Mick Schumacher climbed up to eleventh after a fierce battle with the #94 Peugeot.
Alpine also made headlines throughout the week with events and parades dedicated to the brand’s 70th anniversary, as well as demo runs of Alpenglow Hy6, which offered the large crowd a glimpse of the future and carbon-free motorsport.
Alpine Endurance Team now turns its attention to the 6 Hours of São Paulo (11-13 July), round five of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season.