Latest news with #JulesGounon
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alpine 'struggling to understand' its issues after Le Mans practice
After a very promising test day, Wednesday turned out to be a mixed bag for Alpine. Reliability is no longer a concern at the French outfit and both A424s secured their spots in the Hyperpole 1 session after the first round of qualifying. However, behind the scenes, some head-scratching is going on. When the LMDh prototype hit the track again early Wednesday afternoon, both driver crews were surprised not to find the same performance level they had shown just three days earlier. Advertisement "It wasn't smooth," Frédéric Makowiecki, teammate to Mick Schumacher and Jules Gounon in the #36, told "There are a few things we're struggling to understand. Is it the temperature? Is it the evolution of the track? We're not where we thought – and should – be. It's up to us to analyse the situation, but time is short." Alpine did make "some changes" to the car's setup, but the team clearly expected a different outcome from those adjustments. Alpine can't afford any mistakes if it hopes for a good result at Le Mans Alpine can't afford any mistakes if it hopes for a good result at Le Mans "We weren't too happy with some behaviours, especially when it came to bumps," Makowiecki added. Advertisement "We tried to improve that, and strangely, it's not giving us the results we expected, even though it's something that had worked previously in different contexts. We need to dive into the data, dig deeper, and figure out if maybe the conditions have thrown us off in how we're interpreting things." This second appearance at Le Mans with the A424 is a crucial one for the French team, which is led in endurance by Philippe Sinault. While Alpine now has a far better understanding of its car, it's clear the prototype hasn't yet revealed all its secrets in such specific conditions. Asked by what the team had learned over the past year, Sinault listed several layers of progress: "It's everything — the setup, tyre knowledge, software management, all the sensors, the traction control... 'We've done a lot of simulations and adapted the baseline package with the data we had.' No room for error #36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Mick Schumacher, Frederic Makowiecki, Jules Gounon #36 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Mick Schumacher, Frederic Makowiecki, Jules Gounon Between free practice and the evolved Hyperpole format, there's little to be learned outside of raw single-lap pace until race day. During test day, Alpine had made a strong impression on long runs - but doubt began to creep in again on Wednesday. Advertisement "It's been tricky because from the start of the week, a lot of teams have been focused on qualifying, which now carries a bit more weight,' Makowiecki said when asked about the expected hierarchy. 'So, it's hard to judge. "We clearly had strong long runs during Test Day, and now we don't. Overall, we're missing a bit of performance, so we need to get back to what we know we can do." With Thursday marking the final opportunity to refine their setup, the focus now turns fully to race preparation – and the team already knows what will make the difference. "It'll be the team that makes the fewest mistakes that comes out on top," said Sinault. Advertisement Read Also: Le Mans 24 Hours: Toyota tops second practice after Kubica Ferrari loses best time Le Mans 24 Hours: Cadillac sets blistering pace in opening practice to head Ferrari "There are so many chances to slip up — even more so these past two years with the level of competition and the gaps involved. The smallest mistake, a penalty, and it can completely change the course of the race. 'We can't afford errors — and above all, we must stay on the lead lap." To read more articles visit our website.
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Automotive
- Yahoo
Alpine Leads at the Halfway Mark of the 6 Hours of Spa
The three Ferraris dominated qualifying to start first through third, but their qualifying dominance has not been followed by complete race dominance. The N0. 50 Ferrari 499P of Nicklas Nielsen led until the final pit cycle before the halfway mark. The No. 36 Alpine has had a wildly good start to the race, taking the lead on lap 63 on pace after starting in sixth. Frederic Makowiecki took the start for Alpine and moved to second through the first two and a half hours, first making the move for fifth on the opening lap and to fourth by lap eight by passing the No. 94 of the Peugeot with Loic Duval behind the wheel at the time. On lap ten, Makowiecki set his sights on the Ferrari's first passing the No. 83 of Hanson and then moving to second by passing the No. 51 of James Calado down the Eau Rouge. Makowiecki was the first group of leaders to pit as the No. 50 of Nielsen stayed out to extend the opening segment the longest of the leaders. Two laps later, when the lead Ferrari pitted, the Alpine with its new driver, Jules Gounon, on hot tires was making his way around the circuit, and the No. 50 narrowly made it out of the pits ahead. With the speed and warmed tires, the Alpine was able to take the lead from Ferrari at pace to lead the next 30 minutes before, just a minute before the official halfway mark, the No. 95 United Autosports McLaren was turned in a high speed crash at the exit of turn six to bring out the second safety car of the race. The No. 50 and No. 51 Ferraris run second and third at the half, with the No. 51 battling back after falling to fifth early. The No. 20 BMW M Team WRT is the first car outside the podium position in hypercars as they continue to run after the half behind the safety car. The No. 93 and No. 94 Peugeot TE's briefly held third and fourth as they battled the second Ferrari before falling back to fifth and sixth, respectively. The No. 7 Toyota Gazoo shortly was running in second behind the N0. 50 Ferrari as one of the last leaders to pit. Toyota had an abysmal one-lap pace in qualifying with the No. 7 starting 16th. After Mike Conway completed the first pit, the Toyota was still able to hold on to a top-ten at the half, running in seventh. The NO. 38 Cadillac HTJ made a move by the No. 5 Porsche Penske on lap 74 to take eighth, and it's sister car of the N0. 12 rounded out the top ten. You Might Also Like You Need a Torque Wrench in Your Toolbox Tested: Best Car Interior Cleaners The Man Who Signs Every Car
