“Les Bleus” happy on home soil

The 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans kicked off on Friday with the Scrutineering. Held on the Place de la République in Le Mans, all the cars entered in the race underwent administrative and technical checks by FIA and ACO stewards to ensure they comply with the regulations.

Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin, Matthieu Vaxiviere, Mick Schumacher and Nicolas Lapierre were all there to be weighed with all their kit and participate in media activities. The enthusiasm surrounding Les Bleus was confirmed the following day during the city centre procession, where the Alpine A424 paraded to the cheers of thousands of spectators.

The French team then turned its attention to the first crucial phase: Test Day. With two three-hour sessions, the two crews used this track time to familiarise themselves with the 13.626-kilometre Circuit de la Sarthe.

On Sunday, Paul-Loup Chatin and Mick Schumacher settled into the two Hypercars to launch the team’s programme at ten o’clock. The German took advantage to complete the ten mandatory laps each first-timer to the event must do. Despite a fuel tank leak, which was quickly repaired on the #35 car, the two drivers and their team-mates focused on several key aspects of the race: set-up, pit stops, track conditions, fuel consumption management, and the characteristics of the tyre compounds supplied by Michelin.

Focused and diligent, the six drivers took turns gathering a wealth of information in a highly impressive with 23 Hypercars in the 62-car field. When the pace gradually quickened at the end of the day, the two crews had covered 125 laps or more than 1,700 kilometres.

Armed with these valuable findings, Alpine Endurance Team is now analysing the data collected before the next on-track action on Wednesday. The first free practice session will precede qualifying, where the top eight in each category will advance to the Hyperpole, before the second session, which will run in the evening just until midnight. 

Charles Milesi

“The whole team was looking forward to the first runs of the Alpine A424 here and I enjoyed being behind the wheel of a Hypercar on the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. It was a special moment before we got down to business. The entire team has done an excellent job, and we have a solid base to build on over the next week.”

Ferdinand Habsburg

“It was good to get back into the swing of things after the last couple of months, especially with one of the fastest cars I’ve ever driven, on one of the fastest tracks in the world. Competing in the 24 Hours of Le Mans with this prototype will be exciting, but it also brings new challenges, which we were able to start learning about today, a bit like levelling up in a video game!”

Paul-Loup Chatin

“I’m pleased with our day’s running, without the slightest error, to gain a lot of experience in this car, which is great to drive on the Le Mans circuit. That’s always important here. We’ve improved with each stint before the two days of data analysis, where the focus will be on taking another step forward on Wednesday. We’ve got a strong base and some answers to our questions, and we will keep working.”

Matthieu Vaxiviere

“The Test Day was fairly positive. We ran our programme well, completing most of what we had planned. One of the main reasons for satisfaction is that we haven’t had any problems so far, which is always satisfying at the start of this long week. Driving a Hypercar on this circuit was a joy, but the work has only just begun.”

Mick Schumacher

“This first day is over with the first six hours of testing on this legendary circuit. Now it’s time to look at all the data we’ve gathered, as it was our first run here with this car. I’m looking forward to what’s to come, even though it’s bound to be a tough week with much to learn and look forward to.”

Nicolas Lapierre

“It was an enjoyable Sunday to get to know the car on the 24 Hours of Le Mans circuit. It felt good, and we could go over several different aerodynamic and tyre set-up options. Everything has gone according to plan, but now it’s time to analyse. We’ve got a lot of work ahead of us until Wednesday, when we’ll be back on track, which we’re looking forward to.”

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal

“We had a busy programme with the day divided into two three-hour sessions and a lot of things to learn about this very specific track. We started with a basic set-up that we were able to improve. We racked up as many laps and data as possible in this challenging environment. We did the compulsory ten laps for Mick before working on the aerodynamic balance, driver confidence and the three different tyres available to better understand how each compound behaves. We finished with new tyres on both cars to see where we stand, even if the red flag at the end of the day prevented us from showing this on the timing screen. Overall, we’re satisfied, and the drivers were tremendously focused, diligent and committed after the excitement of the Scrutineering and city centre procession. They continued to show their commitment, which is always nice to see.”