🇫🇷 Cet article est également disponible en français : Lire en français
The 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship season ended this weekend in Bahrain for Alpine Endurance Team in a way that echoed the opening round in Qatar: both Alpine A424s took the flag outside the points, yet with race management and reliability praised up and down the paddock.
A frustrating conclusion, certainly—but one that matches a campaign defined by steady progress, meaningful podiums, and a first, symbolic victory in the Hypercar era.
Alpine Endurance Team: a cautious start, a methodical race
Arriving in the Gulf after a complete overhaul, the two blue prototypes showed promising form in free practice. But qualifying brought the first setback: Charles Milesi, in the No. 35, saw his performance compromised by a torque-meter issue, dropping him to 15th place, while Jules Gounon placed the No. 36 in 13th, eight hundredths short of the coveted Hyperpole.
On Saturday, in stifling heat, Frédéric Makowiecki (No. 36) and Ferdinand Habsburg (No. 35) began the race prudently. On hard tires, both men stayed close to the top ten over the course of their double stints.
At dusk, Mick Schumacher and Charles Milesi took over, taking advantage of an initial caution to anticipate their pit stop and gain valuable positions. The Alpines moved forward, proving their pace against an exceptionally dense field.
The turning point: a late safety-car shuffle
Shortly after mid-race, Paul-Loup Chatin and Jules Gounon came into play to keep up the pressure. The team, which was banking on an endurance strategy and fine management of the Michelin tires, seemed well on track to secure a top ten, or better.
But with one hour remaining, the safety car reshuffled the deck. Some rivals, brought back for free onto the lead lap, capitalized on the opportunity, while the Alpines lost the benefit of their patiently constructed strategy.
At the checkered flag, the No. 35 crossed the line in 11th, just ahead of the No. 36 in 12th. A tandem finish that illustrates the crew’s consistency and reliability—but also the cruelty of endurance racing: everything can change in a matter of minutes.
“It was a complicated race, as we could expect with tire degradation,” admitted Charles Milesi, a touch fatalistic. “The caution in the last hour didn’t allow us to finish in the position we deserved.”
Conclusion: a season of tangible progress
Even if the Blues leave Bahrain empty-handed, their 2025 campaign remains highly encouraging. With three podiums—including a victory at Fuji—16 finishes from 16 starts, and nine Hyperpole appearances, the A424 confirmed its potential against references like Ferrari, Toyota, and Porsche.
In just two years, Alpine Endurance Team has managed to turn a project still in its infancy into a competitive, coherent, and solidly structured program. Reliability is now a strong point; performance is a tangible working base.
The Dieppe brand ends the season sixth in the Manufacturers’ Championship, on 86 points, but much closer to the front-running pace than in 2024. “The final classification does not reflect the quality of our race,” acknowledged Bruno Famin, Alpine Motorsport Director. “We have made significant progress in performance, but we now need to gain consistency.”
Note the excellent work by Viry-Châtillon and Mecachrome on the V6 unit, which put reliability front and center, thereby enabling the pursuit of performance—as evidenced by this year’s improved results.
Standings
8 Hours of Bahrain – Alpine Endurance Team Classification
| Position | Car | Drivers | Time / Gap | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11th | Alpine Elf Endurance Team No. 35 | Habsburg / Chatin / Milesi | +1 lap | 0 |
| 12th | Alpine Elf Endurance Team No. 36 | Gounon / Makowiecki / Schumacher | +1 lap | 0 |
FIA World Endurance Championship – Hypercar Drivers 2025
| Rank | Drivers | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Calado / Giovinazzi / Pier Guidi | Ferrari AF Corse | 133 pts |
| 14 | Chatin / Habsburg / Milesi | Alpine Endurance Team | 37 pts |
| 16 | Gounon / Makowiecki / Schumacher | Alpine Endurance Team | 36 pts |
FIA World Endurance Championship – Hypercar Manufacturers 2025
| Rank | Manufacturer | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ferrari | 245 pts |
| 2 | Toyota | 218 pts |
| 3 | Porsche | 197 pts |
| 4 | Cadillac | 141 pts |
| 5 | BMW | 104 pts |
| 6 | Alpine | 86 pts |
| 7 | Peugeot | 74 pts |
Rookie test: the future starts tomorrow
The day after the race, the team stayed on track for the Rookie Tests, before extending with private testing during the week. The objective: to approach 2026 with an even stronger technical base and more refined tire management—key factors in today’s WEC.
The next appointment is already set: Losail, Qatar, from March 22 to 28, 2026, for the opening of a season in which Alpine intends to mix it regularly in the fight for the podium.
Bahrain Rookie Test – Hypercar Classification (Top 10)
| Rang | Pilote | Voiture / Équipe | Temps | Tours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Antonio Félix da Costa | Alpine A424 n°36 | 1:49.214 | 85 |
| 2 | Nick Cassidy | Peugeot 9X8 n°93 | 1:49.376 | 59 |
| 3 | Lilou Wadoux | Ferrari 499P n°51 | 1:49.926 | 55 |
| 4 | Charles Weerts | BMW M Hybrid V8 n°20 | 1:50.012 | 51 |
| 5 | Oliver Gray | Ferrari 499P n°50 | 1:50.045 | 76 |
| 6 | Mattia Drudi | Aston Martin Valkyrie n°009 | 1:50.097 | 97 |
| 7 | Kelvin van der Linde | BMW M Hybrid V8 | 1:50.180 | 41 |
| 8 | Alexander Quinn | Peugeot 9X8 | 1:50.214 | 45 |
| 9 | Dorian Boccolacci | Porsche 963 / Proton Comp. | 1:50.314 | 35 |
| 10 | Alessio Rovera | Ferrari 499P | 1:50.330 | 74 |
Voices from the paddock
Car #35
Ferdinand Habsburg
“We finished the season simply by 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 were aware the start of the race would be tricky before a more favorable finish. The first caution played in our favor, the last one a bit less. That’s racing. I also want to thank the whole team for the work done this season.”
Paul-Loup Chatin
“It was a good race from the whole team. Sometimes it all comes down to very little. We lacked a bit of luck when a top five was within reach. It’s a bit frustrating because we delivered a very strong performance, with two cars really on the pace.
We optimized everything and there was a solid result to go for. It’s a bit of a shame, but that’s the reality of the sport. I want to thank the entire team for the work done over the past two and a half years. It’s what allowed us to get here and already experience some great moments.”
Charles Milesi
“It was a complicated race, as we could expect with tire degradation. The caution in the final hour didn’t allow us to finish in the position we deserved.
That doesn’t erase the great moments this year, including our win at Fuji. We know our strengths and weaknesses. The goal now is to do everything during the off-season to improve where necessary. See you in 2026!”
Car #36
Frédéric Makowiecki
“First of all, I’m proud of the team after this first season together. We showed some great things, but also some weaknesses. It’s up to us now to do everything to come back stronger.
There’s a big step to take if we want to reach our real objectives, but we’re capable of it. Qatar is coming quickly, and the off-season will be short, so we’ll have to work hard all together, but I’m happy to be here and I have full confidence in us.”
Jules Gounon
“It was a learning day. We improved in some areas, but there’s still work to do in others. The car has been reliable all season, and now we need to focus on performance to keep gaining competitiveness.
We took two podiums at the start of the year, which is very positive. I hope we can get more in the future and I want to thank the whole team for its efforts and work throughout the season.”
Mick Schumacher
“The season is now over and we hoped to finish it on a more positive note. Despite that, it was a great experience. We improved a lot, both in terms of performance and development.
We can be happy with what we achieved—much more than we expected at the start of the year—with two podiums as well as a win. The team can really be proud.”
Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team
“We knew we had good race pace, so the strategy was to save the tires for the final hours. That’s what we did, and we were in a position to aim between fifth and seventh before the last hour.
That was very satisfying given our starting positions. Then there was the Virtual Safety Car and the safety car intervention. It’s part of the game. It’s obviously frustrating not to be rewarded with a better result, but the big satisfaction remains the pace we showed.
We saw that we could fight with everyone in an extremely tight field, and that we were capable of doing something good. There’s still a lot of work to do, but it’s encouraging.”
Nicolas Lapierre, Sporting Director Alpine Endurance Team
“We did a good race, climbing back hour after hour to place our two cars in the top ten on merit, ahead of our direct rivals.
Unfortunately, the last Virtual Safety Car ruined our strategy and put us in a difficult situation. It’s very frustrating because our pace was strong and allowed us to make up for a tricky qualifying.
The team did an excellent job in the pits, the drivers were faultless, but circumstances went against us and we have to settle for this result.”
Bruno Famin, Alpine Motorsport Director
“The final classification doesn’t reflect the quality of our race, which concludes a season where we showed flawless reliability by consistently bringing the cars to the finish.
We also made significant progress in performance, taking strong results with three podiums, including a win.
We also know there were too many average results to hope for more in the championship, so our objective next season will be to keep improving in order to be more consistent in performance.”
Credits : Alpine Endurance Team
