The eighth and final round of the 2025 FIA WEC season took Alpine Endurance Team to the Bahrain International Circuit.

 

 

After servicing and preparing the two A424s, the team carried out thorough testing before tackling qualifying. In his first Hypercar experience in the exercise, Jules Gounon (#36) qualified 13th, just eight hundredths of a second off the Hyperpole. Meanwhile, Charles Milesi (#35) had to settle for 15th place after encountering a torquemeter problem.

 

 

On Saturday, Frédéric Makowiecki (#36) and Ferdinand Habsburg (#35) were cautious at the start. Starting on hard tyres in high temperatures, the pair gradually settled into their rhythm and completed a double stint.

 

 

As the light began to fade, Charles Milesi (#35) and Mick Schumacher (#36) took over with Michelin's medium tyres. The race's first virtual safety car period came during their second stint, and the French team took advantage to bring forward their pit stops and move closer to the top ten.

 

 

Shortly after the fourth hour, Paul-Loup Chatin (#35) and Jules Gounon (#36) took to the track. Determined to continue the offensive launched by their teammates, they also put in double stints before handing over to Charles Milesi and Frédéric Makowiecki.

 

 

As the final sprint neared, the safety car intervened, undermining the team's strategy by bringing offset competitors back into the race. 10th and 12th at the restart, the Alpine drivers battled hard in the final half hour to regain ground in the Bahraini night, but their efforts ultimately ended just outside the top ten.
Alpine thus concludes its second campaign with the A424 in sixth place in the Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturer's Championship, but with the satisfaction of having improved in many areas and produced some excellent performances.

 

 

With the Rookies Tests on Sunday, followed by further testing on Wednesday, Alpine Endurance Team now enters the off-season ahead of its next campaign in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The season kicks off at the Lusail International Circuit from 22 to 28 March 2026.

 

 

The Alpine A424 in 2025 (vs 2024)

8 races (8)
16 starts (16)
16 finishes (14)
3 podiums (1)
3 top fives (3)
8 top tens (9)
9 appearances in Hyperpole (4)

 

 

Crew #35


Ferdinand Habsburg
"We ended the season by simply doing what we do best. We knew our strengths and weaknesses. The result is frustrating, but we didn't make any mistakes, and the team did an excellent job. We knew the start of the race would be complicated, with a more favourable finish. The first neutralisation worked in our favour, the last one a little less so. That's racing, and I would like to thank the entire team for their hard work this season."

 

 

Paul-Loup Chatin
"It was a good race from the whole team. Sometimes, it all comes down to tiny details. A top-five finish was within our reach but we were quite unlucky. It's a bit frustrating because we put in a strong performance, with both cars really on the pace. We optimised everything, and we were heading towards a strong team result. It's a shame, but that's racing. I want to thank everyone in the team for their hard work over the last two and a half years. It's allowed us to get to where we are today and to have already enjoyed some fantastic moments."

 

 

Charles Milesi
"It was a tough race, as we expected with tyre degradation. The safety car period in the final hour prevented us from finishing in the position we deserved. It doesn't take away the great moments this year, including our victory at Fuji. We know our strengths and weaknesses. The goal now is to do everything we can during the off-season to improve where necessary. See you in 2026!"

 


Crew #36


Frédéric Makowiecki
"First and foremost, I am proud of the team after this first season together. We have shown some great things, but also some weaknesses. It is now up to us to do everything we can to come back stronger. We have a big hurdle to overcome if we want to achieve our true goals, but we can do it. Qatar is coming up fast, and the off-season will be short, so we'll all have to work hard together, but I'm happy to be here and I have complete confidence in us."

 

 

Jules Gounon
"It was a learning day. We've improved in some areas, but we still need to work in others. The car has been reliable all season, and we now need to focus on performance to keep improving our competitiveness. We scored two podium finishes at the start of the year, which is very positive. I hope we can achieve more in the future, and I want to thank the whole team for their efforts and hard work throughout the season."

 


Mick Schumacher
"The season is now over, and we had hoped to end it on a more positive note. Despite this, it was a great experience. We have made significant progress across both performance and development. We can be happy with what we have achieved, much more than we hoped for at the beginning of the year, with two podium finishes and a victory. The team can be really proud."

 

 

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team
"We knew we had a good race pace, so the strategy was to save the tyres for the final hours. That's what we did, and we were in a position to aim for fifth to seventh place before the final hour. That was very satisfying given our starting positions. Then there was the virtual safety car and the safety car intervention. That's racing. It's obviously frustrating not to be rewarded with a better result, but the great satisfaction remains in the speed we showed. We saw that we could battle with everyone in an extremely tight field and do well. There's still a lot of work to do, but it's encouraging."

 

 

Nicolas Lapierre, Sporting Director Alpine Endurance Team
“We had a good race, moving up hour after hour to place both our cars in the top ten ahead of our direct competitors. Unfortunately, the last virtual safety car ruined our strategy and left us in a difficult position. It's very frustrating because our pace was solid and had allowed us to make up for a difficult qualifying session. The team did an excellent job in the pits, the drivers were flawless, but the race worked against us, and we have to settle for this result."

 

 

Bruno Famin, Alpine VP Motorsport
"The final results don't really show the quality of our race, ending a season where we've been reliable, getting both cars to the finish line every time. We've also made some big improvements in our performance, scoring three podium finishes, including a win. We also know that there were too many average results to hope for a better championship finish. Our goal for next season will be to keep improving and being more consistent in our performance."

 


CLASSIFICATIONS


8 Hours of Bahrain


11. Alpine Elf Endurance Team #35
12. Alpine Elf Endurance Team #36


Hypercar World Endurance Drivers Championship


1. Calado / Giovinazzi / Pier Guidi – 133 points
14. Chatin / Habsburg / Milesi – 37 points
16. Gounon / Makowiecki / Schumacher – 36 points


FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturer's Championship
1. Ferrari – 245 points
6. Alpine – 86 points