Alpine’s team principal Philippe Sinault recalled the FIA World Endurance Championship’s 6 Hours of Fuji as a “constant battle” whereby the Hypercar team scored their first podium.
For the seventh and penultimate round of their first Hypercar season, Alpine fought hard to earn their first podium finish with the A424 LMDh.
Robert Kubica of the #83 Ferrari 499P initiated a multi-car collision after braking too late into the first corner (Lap 2) at Fuji Speedway.
He hit #5 Porsche Penske 963 of Frederic Makowiecki therefore causing a pile-up into the #51 Ferrari and the #35 Alpine.
Despite this, Alpine emerged with a double-points finish for their #35 (in P7) and #36 entries after clenching third place with the latter Hypercar which started P15.
“For the past few races, this project has been characterised by good momentum, and this podium confirms that feeling,” said Sinault.
“Right from our first laps at Fuji, we were in contention.
“The six hours were fiercely contested, with a constant battle throughout the field among excellent drivers representing all the manufacturers present.
“We weren’t spared at the start, falling victim to a collision, but our pace kept us focused and motivated.
“Thanks to the talent of our drivers, the car’s potential and the team’s hard work, we were able to achieve this fine result, which rewards the commitment of every team member, including Paul-Loup.”
The #36 kept themselves at competitive form
Initially, the #35 seemed to be the better performing Alpine before the #36 later edged ahead.
Mick Schumacher ran the opening stint and incurred a drive-through penalty for not slowing down for a yellow flag.
Matthieu Vaxiviere took over for a double stint, followed by Nico Lapierre’s double and Schumacher’s final stint.
The trio worked hard to carry out decent pace to least score a top-10 points finish.
In the final hour, Schumacher to defend third place from the #12 JOTA Porsche of Norman Nato.
Nato gradually fell behind and into the grasp of Mikkel Jensen’s #93 Peugeot 9X8.
Schumacher concluded: “It’s a positive result for the team and everyone involved in the project.
“We deserved this podium after fighting so hard when success wasn’t on our side until now.
“Fortunately, that wasn’t the case today, but we still have to work on our pace.
“We’re heading in the right direction, and we want more.
“We’re all here to win, so let’s keep giving it everything we’ve got.”
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