Alpine finished the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans after a flawlessly executed race in front of 350,105 fans. Here is their report following the race.
Sixty-three years after its debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the M63, Alpine returned to the Sarthe for its 24th entry, the third consecutive with the A424.
To prepare for the most prestigious yet most daunting event on the calendar, Alpine Endurance Team was on track last Sunday for the Test Day, beginning to fine-tune its preparations ahead of free practice. The #35 Alpine A424 stood out in qualifying practice with the fastest time with Ferdinand Habsburg, then followed up with another best lap in Hyperpole 1 with Charles Milesi. António Félix da Costa then secured third place on the grid, matching the best performance by the A-arrow brand’s Hypercar in this category. Hindered by a rival before offering slipstream to the sister car, the #36 driven by Frédéric Makowiecki, Jules Gounon and Victor Martins missed out on Hyperpole 2 by just 0.131s.
Following a Friday marked by the drivers’ parade through the city centre, the team carried out a final round of checks during Saturday’s warm-up ahead of the start of the 94th edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, with Alpine CEO Philippe Krief in attendance at 4.00 pm (3.00 pm UK time).
In the hottest conditions of the week, Ferdinand Habsburg and Frédéric Makowiecki avoided the dangers of the opening lap. On medium tyres, the Austrian rejoined the leading trio by overtaking the #15 BMW. On hard tyres, his French teammate showed strong pace as well, climbing into the top ten by lap eight. The stints continued with Charles Milesi and Victor Martins, whose strategy was adjusted following a wheel lock-up, before António Félix da Costa and Jules Gounon stepped into the fray.
As dusk fell, both crews entered the most critical phase of the race, struggling to maintain brake temperatures. Despite vibrations on the #36 car, which led to another early pit stop, and a faulty drink system on the #35, the drivers delivered a flawless performance. The first safety car period came shortly before midnight. Having closed the gap to the leaders thanks to the team’s quick thinking to avoid losing a lap, all six drivers doubled their efforts before the hopes of car #36 suffered another setback with the failure of a front anti-roll bar link.
The Alpine A424s remained in the mix until the early hours of the morning, but a second neutralisation with less than six hours to go relegated car #36 one lap behind the leaders. A puncture and a battery issue on the same car then led to a swift and controlled pit stop.
In the final hours, the crews pressed on despite a pace that fell short of the race leaders. Seventh at the restart, Ferdinand Habsburg in the #35 car held position before claiming sixth place at the expense of the #83 Ferrari. Meanwhile, the final efforts of Frédéric Makowiecki, Victor Martins and Jules Gounon secured tenth place for the sister car.
Alpine also made headlines with two demonstrations of the Alpenglow Hy6, including Thursday and Saturday’s runs, which set a top speed record for hydrogen technology on the Circuit des 24 Heures du Mans. Its driver, David Praschl, was clocked at 314.568 km/h on the Mulsanne Straight.
Following this eventful fortnight, Alpine Endurance Team now turns its attention to its next outing in the FIA World Endurance Championship: the 6 Hours of São Paulo (10–12 July), round four of the 2026 season.