Alpine have struggled throughout the 2024 season in the World Endurance Championship, failing to stand on the podium despite running two cars.
The French manufacturer have been overshadowed by Porsche, Toyota and Ferrari this year, as other cars have been much more competitive.
Alpine have lacked the raw speed to battle at the sharp end and suffered from unreliability issues. Both cars retired at Le Mans in a lacklustre weekend for the team.
The next round of the WEC season will run at Fuji Speedway in Japan, a difficult circuit that has a long history with the series and can be unpredictable weather-wise.
Team principal Philippe Sinault believes the key for Alpine is to build on the momentum from Lone Star Le Mans, taking fifth place and a P9 finish, via quotes from Motorsport Week.
Philippe Sinault believes the aim for Alpine is ‘to continue the momentum from Austin’ at Fuji
Alpine have suffered a disrupted season as the two cars battled on the fringes of the points early in the year, before a breakthrough moment at the Circuit of The Americas.
The No. 35 car finished in fifth place last time out, as the French manufacturer began to build momentum and get closer to the front.
Alpine’s season has the opportunity to finish on a high in the final two rounds with the 6 Hours of Fuji and 8 Hours of Bahrain.
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A consistent run of points finish could be the perfect foundation for an improved season in 2025. Sinault outlined the aims for Alpine in Japan but is wary of unpredictable weather.
He said: “The aim is to continue the momentum from Austin, where we showed improvement in our level of performance, even though we still have much to learn.
“We’ve made progress in understanding the setup and the tyres, and we hope to get off to a good start in free practice 1.
“Fuji has several characteristics that we’ll have to get to grips with, starting with its duality with a lengthy straight coupled with a very twisty final sector. The weather will also be a factor, as we can expect to encounter a wet track at some point during the weekend.”
Alpine have very competitive drivers to lead the team towards the front
Alpine have struggled to battle at the very front of the field this season, but they have an impressive line-up of six drivers across their two cars.
Former Formula 1 driver Mick Schumacher is racing in the No. 35 car and should be able to pass on his experience of racing at the highest level.
Nicolas Lapierre partners the German and he has been racing in the WEC since 2012, beginning with Toyota in the LMP1 class.
These drivers should help bring Alpine closer to the front as they gain experience and understand how to maximise their potential.