Nicolas Lapierre has outlined Alpine’s main expectations across the final three rounds of the 2024 World Endurance Championship.
The French outfit currently lie fourth in the manufacturer’s standings with 25 points, vying for best of the rest against the likes of BMW, Peugeot and Cadillac.
Their best result of the year came at the season opening Qatar 1812km, securing 15 points for a third placed finish.
READ MORE: Jota director reveals key factor that convinced WEC team to drop Porsche for Cadillac
Nicolas Lapierre shares Alpine’s ‘target number one’ for the rest of 2024
Lapierre returned to the Hypercar division of the World Endurance Championship after a year away in 2023.
The Frenchman previously drove for Alpine in the category between 2021 and 2022, securing a second placed finish in the drivers’ standings in the latter of those years.
He has a wealth of endurance driving experience, having first arrived on the scene back in 2007 – competing in the 24 Hour of Le Mans with Team Oreca.
Discussing what Alpine must do to better themselves for the rest of 2024 with Sportscar365, Lapierre said: “The important thing for us is to finish races and get the experience for next year. For me this is target number one.
“We know the car is there now, we have shown it during the last events. Of course we want to improve and get even better, but the main point is to finish races. At the moment I am just enjoying it and we try to gain as much experience as we can.
“Next year will be a different story with real targets, and it will be a step forward, I hope. This year is still a learning year. Even though the car is quite competitive, we should not forget that this is the first year.”
READ MORE: 191-point driver is not ruling out WEC move if he’s forced to leave Formula 1
What have been the key areas of improvement for Alpine?
The French outfit have hit by engine issues across much of the season and forced to manage power in order to maintain reliability.
Reliability is a major area for Alpine to improve on if they are to compete in the higher echelons of the Hypercar class.
Former Haas Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher, who is a rookie to the series, competed in his first Le Mans in 2024.
Sadly for Lapierre and Schumacher – who man the number 36 A424 together alongside Matthieu Vaxivière – the race ended in disappointment with a DNF.
The other side of the garage experienced the same outcome, with the number 35 of Paul-Loupes Chatin, Ferdinand Hasburg and Charles Milesi also having to retire with a mechanical failure.
Their next opportunity to continue to develop their car ahead of the 2025 season will arrive in September, with the Lone Star Le Mans – a six hour endurance race held at the Circuit of the Americas in Austin, Texas.