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After a productive winter and a reshuffled calendar, Alpine Endurance Team has finally picked up the thread of its 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship campaign.
At the Autodromo Internazionale Enzo e Dino Ferrari, which hosted the season-opening Prologue, both Alpine A424s showed an encouraging level of competitiveness.
In an even more crowded and fiercely contested field, the arrowed-A brand confirmed one key point above all: on the eve of the A424’s third and final season in the Hypercar class, the programme is entering a far more mature phase.
Alpine Endurance Team: A delayed start, but a revealing one
The postponement of the opening round initially scheduled for Qatar gave the FIA WEC paddock an unusual prelude. It was therefore at Imola, in the singular atmosphere of Emilia-Romagna, that the 2026 season truly came to life.
Old-school, narrow, bumpy and unforgiving, Imola remains a formidable litmus test. At 4.909 km and run anti-clockwise, it demands a delicate technical compromise between agility through direction changes and stability under braking. It is a track where driver commitment often makes the difference, but one where mistakes are rarely forgiven.
For Alpine Endurance Team, this Prologue was part of the continuity of an especially intensive winter. Running at Portimão, MotorLand Aragón and then Spa-Francorchamps allowed the team to explore a wide range of development directions.
The result is an A424 that is more consistent, better understood by its engineers and operated with greater consistency by its drivers. While the car may not yet have reached its performance ceiling, it now seems to be moving beyond its learning phase and into one of fine-tuned optimisation.
The progress is particularly visible in:
- tyre management, crucial on an abrasive track like Imola
- versatility in changing conditions
- overall execution across long runs
Solid pace in an ultra-competitive field
On the timing sheets, Alpine delivered a particularly telling one-two punch:
- 5th place for car #36 in 1:31.872
- 6th place for car #35 in 1:31.876
That is just 0.004 seconds between the two cars. A microscopic gap that illustrates how coherent the work has been on both sides of the garage.
In a pecking order led by Ferrari, with BMW lurking close behind and Toyota comparatively subdued in this Prologue, Alpine clearly positions itself as a credible outsider. Both A424s were among the few Hypercars to dip below the 1:32 mark, within seven tenths of the outright benchmark.
Beyond outright pace, it is the team’s overall solidity that stands out. Across eight hours of running, Alpine Endurance Team completed:
- 377 laps
- more than 1,850 kilometres
Without any major incident. A key indicator in a discipline where consistency often determines the final result.
The weather conditions, typical of an unpredictable Italian spring, provided an ideal testing ground: a damp track in the morning, intermittent showers in the afternoon, then gradual drying conditions. Enough to work across the full tyre operating window and refine the set-up in a variety of scenarios.
Another key element in this early part of the season is the stability and complementarity of the driver line-ups.
Car #35 relies on an experienced trio of António Félix da Costa, Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg, while car #36 pairs Frédéric Makowiecki and Jules Gounon with rookie Victor Martins.
The latter’s integration is a particular point of focus. FIA Formula 3 champion in 2022, Victor Martins is discovering the demanding world of endurance racing and its specific challenges: traffic management, adapting to long stints and the complexity of hybrid systems.
The early feedback has nevertheless been positive, both in terms of his adaptability and his technical involvement.
Imola in sight: time to turn promise into results
While this Prologue validates Alpine’s progress, it is only a first step. The reality of racing, with its strategic demands, full-course interruptions and real-world traffic management, will reshuffle the deck.
Even so, Imola remains favourable ground. Last year, Alpine secured a podium there through flawless execution. In an even stronger field in 2026, repeating that kind of performance would already send a powerful signal.
The foundations are there. Now the task is to turn that potential into results.
THEY SAID
Crew #35
António Félix da Costa
“We made good progress during our testing, and the Prologue allowed us to fine-tune several areas while also strengthening our cohesion as a crew. Despite more than twenty years in motorsport, I was discovering the Imola circuit, a legendary track steeped in history. I really enjoyed it while continuing to learn the Alpine A424. This day was an important step in my preparation.
We will now take the lessons from it so that we can approach the weekend in the best possible conditions. After this first event, we will have a clearer picture of our level and be able to define our objectives more precisely for what comes next.”
Charles Milesi
“We can’t wait to contest the first race of the year. For the Prologue, we were keen to complete a clean programme and get back into a competitive environment. Despite sometimes tricky conditions, we were able to work on several areas, particularly the use of wet-weather tyres and slicks.
We also tried to better understand a few things, especially with qualifying in mind, as that was not our strong point last year. The feeling is positive, and we now have a lot of data to analyse. I think we have what it takes to make a strong start to the season, and now we are eager to see what that will look like this weekend.”
Ferdinand Habsburg
“Imola is one of my favourite circuits in the world, and starting the season here is a real pleasure. The Prologue gave us some first benchmarks, including against the competition, and we worked in a methodical way to collect valuable data.
It was a mixed day, with positives but also areas to improve. And those are exactly what we need to build on, because they clearly show where we can still make progress and take another step forward. It is now up to us to use those lessons to optimise our package, close the gap to the front-runners and start the season in the best possible way.”
Crew #36
Frédéric Makowiecki
“After a long winter, it feels great to be so close to the first race. The team has worked tremendously hard over the past few months, and the Prologue allowed us to lay solid foundations in many key areas.
The conditions were changing and sometimes tricky, which meant we were not fully able to explore every direction we had planned, but we still got important answers on several topics. We now hope to turn that work into a strong result at Imola, a demanding circuit where execution will be decisive.”
Jules Gounon
“The afternoon was productive, with a full programme including qualifying simulations, long runs and wet running. We were able to explore a wide range of conditions, and I felt very comfortable behind the wheel. This season also marks Victor’s arrival in the crew. We have already had the opportunity to train and work together, and the chemistry is very good. We are now eager to put that into practice on track and we hope to enjoy a strong season.”
Victor Martins
“I am very happy to be back racing after several months of preparation. The Prologue allowed me to continue discovering the car while working with the team in real conditions. I was able to drive on a wet track, a drying track and then a fully dry one, while testing the different tyre compounds.
It was a very instructive day to better understand the approach required in this discipline, especially in traffic. I am gradually finding my bearings with the systems, the engineers and my team-mates. As a rookie in endurance racing, I am trying to learn as much as possible every time I’m in the car so I can keep progressing. There is still work to do, and we will analyse the data so that we can come back even stronger this weekend.”
Management
Axel Plasse, VP Alpine Tech
“I am truly excited to support the team and to be by its side at Imola. The Prologue marked a key milestone after a particularly intense winter: we validated the progress made over the off-season, gathered essential data and identified new areas for performance gains.
But beyond the numbers, it is the strength of the collective that makes the difference. The commitment, cohesion and mindset of the entire team are real assets for what lies ahead. We are approaching the start of the season with humility and determination. Our guiding principle is clear: stay united, keep learning and execute with the utmost discipline in order to achieve the best performances together.”
Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team
“We were really looking forward to starting this season. We missed the reality of the track, and the postponement of Qatar only increased our desire to go racing again and measure ourselves against the competition. The testing carried out over the winter and the two days spent at Spa-Francorchamps were encouraging. The new package developed during the off-season seems to confirm that we are continuing to make progress.
Imola is an atypical circuit, narrow and twisty, where it is essential to find the right compromise to have a car that is agile, effective over the kerbs and efficient under traction. The Prologue was crucial in allowing us to work in depth on those aspects while optimising the balance. The varied conditions we encountered, on both dry and wet track, enabled us to gather valuable data, and we are satisfied with the work completed. The drivers’ and engineers’ feedback has been positive; we believe we made the most of the available track time and laid solid foundations. Last year, we secured a podium at Imola thanks to an excellent strategy.
Naturally, we want to do just as well, but the challenge remains immense in an even more competitive and extremely strong field. It is up to us to do everything possible to deliver a good result. The Prologue was the first step, and we are now fully focused on the race.”
Nicolas Lapierre, Alpine Endurance Team Sporting Director
“We are very happy to be back at Imola to start the season. The revised calendar allowed us to refine our preparation, notably with a productive session at Spa. The Prologue was a key stage, even if the changing weather conditions made the programme more complex.
Even so, we managed to cover the essential parts of our work plan by exploring different scenarios and putting all of our drivers in the car. We were able to deepen our understanding of the car and the new Michelin compounds while showing a good level of performance, including on a wet track, which was important for us compared with last year. Overall, it was therefore a productive Prologue.
The mood within the team is positive, the drivers are focused and fully committed, and we are now eager to see how the race unfolds. Everyone is ready and determined to give their very best to secure a strong result.”
FAQ
Can Alpine target victory at Imola right away?
It is not impossible, but the most realistic scenario still looks like a podium given Ferrari’s current dominance.
Is the A424 at the end of its development cycle?
Yes, 2026 is its final season. The upgrades are now targeted and pragmatic.
What is the main area of progress?
Versatility: the car is now competitive in all conditions.
Is Victor Martins ready for the WEC?
His integration has been viewed very positively. He is still in a learning phase, but he is progressing quickly.
🔗 Also worth reading on Les Alpinistes
Alpine A424: genesis and technical development
Alpine’s victory in the 6 Hours of Fuji: analysis of a breakthrough win
Future Alpine electric models (Alpine A390, Alpine A110)
Source: Alpine Endurance Team
