Alpine have had a mixed season in the World Endurance Championship as they have developed their A424 car in the Hypercar class.
The French manufacturer have suffered at some events this season, particularly with the No. 36 crew who didn’t score a point in the opening four rounds.
By contrast, the sister No. 35 car enjoyed a better start to the WEC season, scoring points in Qatar and at the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps.
Some unreliability issues have also impacted Alpine over the season, as the French team suffered a double retirement at their home event at Le Mans.
Bruno Famin has been overseeing the A424’s first season in the Hypercar class as Vice-President of Alpine Motorsports and explained that there is room for improvement when talking to the official WEC website.
Bruno Famin feels Alpine took a ‘step forward’ in WEC at Fuji
Alpine were impressive in Japan, taking their first podium of the season at Fuji with the No. 36 car, although they lacked speed to challenge for victory.
The French manufacturer had a slice of luck in Japan to take third place, as one car from each of Ferrari, Toyota and Porsche all retired.
Despite benefitting from others’ misfortune, Alpine drove well and Mick Schumacher continues to build confidence – although his future in WEC is uncertain.
Famin explained that the event in Fuji showcased the progress Alpine have made although they have looked a long way behind Porsche and Toyota.
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He said: “The 6 Hours of Fuji highlighted the encouraging progress made by the team. From the outset of the project, we have approached this year as a learning season, and that is beginning to pay off.
“However, not everything is perfect yet. We’ve taken a step forward by battling at the sharp end for the first time, but there’s still plenty of work to do and steps to take. We aim to continue learning and extracting our potential in all areas over the coming months.”
Alpine will be looking to learn more at the final round of the season in Bahrain
Alpine have made steady progress in the World Endurance Championship this season, getting on top of their unreliability issues.
This is a good starting point as a reliable car is vital in endurance racing, but they have lacked raw speed this year.
The final round of the season, the 8 Hours of Bahrain will provide another experience for Alpine, learning how to deal with the Bahrain International Circuit’s unforgiving surface.
Alpine may be boosted heading into the final round of the season, as well, as Lamborghini’s Daniil Kvyat isn’t expecting a lot from the Italian manufacturer in Bahrain as their debut season in the Hypercar class also draws to a close.