Alpine's win at Fuji was a sign of "how much we have learned" — Ferdinand Habsburg
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- 22 hours ago
- 7 min read
Alpine left the Lone Star Le Mans empty-handed without any points, continuing its stretch of difficult rounds of races. To achieve the overall win of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC)'s 100th race three weeks later at Fuji was definitely not on the team's mind.
Qualifying and the main race
On Monday of the 6 Hours of Fuji race weekend, Alpine decided to overhaul its A424 Hypercars immediately upon its arrival from Austin. The overhauled LMDh car completed a total of 254 laps during the free practice session.
In qualifying, Charles Milesi and Frédéric Makowiecki drove the No.35 and the No.36 cars, respectively. Makowiecki was unable to take the latter car from the drop zone and had to settle for 16th. Milesi, meanwhile, advanced to Hyperpole and took ninth behind the No.8 Toyota.
Ferdinand Habsburg (No.35) and Makowiecki avoided the early pitfalls under the threatening skies at Fuji Speedway. However, the Austrian collided with the No.8 car, forcing him to pit for repairs, and he would receive a five-second stop-and-go penalty, relegating him to 17th.
Makowiecki made plenty of moves and found himself in the top 10 before he was involved in an incident with an LMGT3 car. Paul-Loup Chatin took over the No.35, and Jules Gounon in the No.36 car took over from Makowiecki shortly before a full-course yellow (FCY).
Chatin had a fuel advantage over his rivals since the car had stopped for a top-up before the field was neutralised with a safety car triggered by the No.15 BMW's crash, and moved to second. Gounon received a drive-through penalty for his car's earlier contact with the LMGT3.
Milesi then took over from Chatin for the final two hours and battled the No.93 Peugeot and the No.6 Porsche. The Frenchman held on to second until the final pit stop, where the team opted for a two-tyre strategy while the competition changed all four, helping him save time.
The time saved allowed the 24-year-old to take the lead in the race. He carefully managed his tyres until the end of the race to take home a historic win for Alpine with its A424 car. Mick Schumacher brought the sister car home in 14th after an emergency refuelling.
Alpine drivers reflect on Fuji win
No.35
It came as no surprise that the winning drivers were lost for words when they learned that they had won the 6 Hours of Fuji. Habsburg admitted he struggled to find the right words and added that this win was a sign of how much the team have learned and bounced back together.
"It's hard to find the words.
"This victory comes a year after losing a superb result in the final sprint. It shows how much we have learned and how we have bounced back together. To win with Charles and Paul-Loup, who are not only two great drivers but also two friends, is simply incredible. I owe them a great deal because they have always supported me, even during the most difficult times.
"I would also like to thank Philippe [Sinault], Bruno [Famin], and Nicolas [Lapierre] for their faith in us, as well as the entire Alpine team for making this possible. I had been envisioning our first victory for a long time, and achieving it today is a dream come true."
Chatin said it was a magnificent victory. The 33-year-old attributed the success to being patient and making the right calls when it mattered. This win was extra special for him since he took the podium in the LMP2 class during the 2015 edition with Alpine as well.
"It's a magnificent and well-deserved victory.
"It started badly with a collision, but we remained patient and seized the opportunities to get back into contention. The team made the right decisions, and each driver contributed to the overall effort.
"We've been working together for over two years, and today it all paid off. It is our first victory together, the first for the Alpine A424. 10 years after my first podium here with Alpine in LMP2, winning at Fuji with this team is incredible. Thank you to Philippe and the entire team for their confidence and their tireless work."
Milesi found it hard to believe they had won, saying how surreal the victory was. He did not imagine the team would take the top step of the podium after several penalties and almost being a lap down from others.
"It's hard to believe, almost surreal.
"After a difficult start to the race, two penalties and almost a lap down, no one could have imagined such an outcome. The team did an incredible job, the car was fast and consistent, and the strategy made all the difference.
"A safety car period brought us back into contention, and then the decision to change only two tyres enabled us to take the lead ahead of Peugeot and Porsche."
The closing stages of the race felt endless, but the A424 had more than enough pace to keep its rivals at bay. Milesi thanked his teammates who were involved in the car's development in 2023. He concluded that sometimes luck is needed to win.
"The last few laps seemed endless, but the pace was there and we managed to hold on until the end.
"It's fantastic to achieve this today, alongside my teammates with whom I've been working since the development of the A424 in 2023. We were a little lucky at the right moment, but you also have to make your own luck. This first victory is particularly special."
No.36
Makowiecki felt he had done more than enough as he kept the car out of trouble. But unfortunately, luck was not on the No.36 car.
"The start went pretty well without any major collisions, unlike last year.
"I tried to stay calm and avoid getting into trouble. We were quick once the field settled down, and we gradually moved up the order. We chose not to change tyres during our first pit stop under virtual safety car conditions.
"It was the right thing to do because we gained several positions while maintaining the same pace as those who had changed two or four tyres. That could have given us an advantage late in the race, but fortune wasn't on our side."
Gounon felt the No.36 car got unlucky twice. The first instance was the inability to pit before FCY, and the other was an issue with his second stop. The 30-year-old vowed to debrief and identify areas for improvement.
"We were twice unlucky.
"Unlike the No.35 car, we couldn't make a pit stop before the full course yellow and lost considerable ground. As for my second stop, we'll have to analyse whether we could have done another lap, but I think we were really pushing the fuel limit.
"That's how motorsport is sometimes. We'll debrief on everything to continue learning and identify areas for improvement for next time. Congratulations to the sister car, which managed to take a well-deserved debut victory for the entire team."
Schumacher argued that the A424 was more competitive during race conditions compared to qualifying. The German driver echoed his co-drivers' comments about luck not being on their side.
"We showed that our car was more competitive in race conditions than in qualifying.
"If we had been able to stay in the lead group, we would have been in contention for a good result. Unfortunately, a collision led to a drive-through penalty being imposed more than two hours after the incident.
"It becomes much harder to reorganise your strategy when a penalty is delivered so late. The sister car was able to take advantage of favourable circumstances with a neutralisation that allowed it to pit at the right time, whereas we were not so lucky. That's the reality of motor racing: sometimes luck is on your side, sometimes it's not."
Team executives' reactions
Team principal Philippe Sinault was immensely proud to celebrate the A424's first win. He praised the team's strategic decisions that led to this outcome.
"It's a fantastic day, and we're immensely proud to celebrate the Alpine A424's first victory.
"We knew we had a good car over the course of a stint, even if we still need to improve on pure single-lap performance. The race was chaotic from the start, and we had to stay focused, seize opportunities, and that's what we did with two decisive strategic choices.
"It was a well-thought-out decision, and our drivers managed it perfectly to make it happen."
The result solidified the proof of the team's hard work, showing they deserved to reap the glory of victory at long last. While he congratulated the winning car, he also consoled the No.36 car for its misfortune.
"After three difficult races, this result proves that we never stopped working in an extremely competitive championship.
"The entire team is being rewarded today, as is the No.35 car, which has experienced a lot of bad luck. The No.36 car deserved better and also showed its potential. It's a wonderful achievement, and I want to congratulate every member of the team sincerely."
Sporting Director Nicolas Lapierre felt hugely satisfied. The four-time Le Mans LMP2 class winner, who stood on the podium last year at Fuji in his final race with Alpine before retirement, claimed that this victory is important to achieve more success
"It's hugely satisfying.
"A year ago, I stood on the podium for the last time as a driver, and today I'm celebrating my first victory as a sporting director. We knew we had a good car, with solid pace and strategy. The team made an excellent call late in the race and did an incredible job.
"This first success in Hypercar proves that we can win at this level. The goal now is to maintain this momentum and continue to improve so that we can fight at the sharp end more often, with ever-higher ambitions."
Alpine sits fifth in the Hypercar Manufacturers' World Championship with 84 points after scoring 25 points at Fuji. Its nearest rival is BMW, six points behind. In the Drivers' World Championship, the No.35 crew sits 13th, with 37 points. They are leading the sister car by a single point.
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