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Alpine Endurance Team Gears Up For The Prestigious 24 Hours Of Le Mans Race
The FIA World Endurance Championship is gearing up for its highlight event, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. This Friday, the Pesage will take place in the city centre, marking the first key moment of this prestigious race's 93rd edition. Alpine Endurance Team and their A424s are set to return to the Circuit de la Sarthe on Sunday for Test Day.
Since its inception in 1955, Alpine has been a significant presence at Le Mans. The brand, founded by Jean Rédélé, first entered the race in 1963. Alpine achieved its first class victory in just its second appearance and claimed overall victory in 1978. After returning in 2013, Alpine secured three LMP2 wins before rejoining top-tier endurance racing last year with their Hypercar, the A424.
In preparation for this year's race, Alpine has been refining their prototypes. Since debuting at Le Mans, they have competed in seven races, improving their performance each time. Notably, they finished third at the 2024 6 Hours of Fuji and again at both the 2025 6 Hours of Imola and Spa-Francorchamps.
Following their recent podium finish in Belgium, Alpine focused on preparing for Le Mans. They conducted tests at Circuit Paul Ricard and overhauled their Hypercars extensively. To ensure readiness for any challenge during this demanding race, they carried out meticulous preparations before a final shakedown last week at Magny-Cours.
This week, Alpine Endurance Team established their base camp in the Sarthe region. Before hitting the track, they'll participate in Pesage on Friday at 4:40 pm. Here, FIA and ACO officials will inspect each car's key components as part of this initial milestone.
Drivers and Testing Schedule
On Saturday afternoon at 3 pm, a parade through the city will precede Sunday's return to Circuit de la Sarthe for Test Day. Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin will drive car #35 while Mick Schumacher joins Frédéric Makowiecki and Jules Gounon in car #36. All drivers will work on setups and pit stops while analysing Michelin tyre behaviour.
The team plans to review data early next week before resuming activities on Wednesday with free practice followed by qualifying sessions under a new format designed to challenge competitors further.
Race Week Events
Throughout race week leading up to Saturday's start of Le Mans' main event featuring an impressive field including 21 premier Hypercars among its 62 entries—Alpine has several events planned alongside racing activities such as demonstrations showcasing Alpenglow Hy6—a hydrogen-powered V6 engine prototype unveiled at Paris Motor Show last year—and celebrating Alpine’s 70th anniversary with model parades on track Saturday afternoon.
Philippe Sinault expressed confidence about progress made since last year's outing: "We've made good progress...But [Le Mans] remains unique...we approach it with humility given [its] difficulty...every lap must be used [for] preparation."
Here's an overview of key timings (CEST) during this exciting period:
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