Three weeks after the resumption of the season in Texas, the FIA WEC crossed the Pacific Ocean for the penultimate round of 2025 at Fuji Speedway.

 

 

Alpine Endurance Team began overhauling the A424s on Monday, which had arrived directly from Austin. The team then completed 254 laps in free practice before tackling qualifying with Charles Milesi (#35) and Frédéric Makowiecki (#36). The former made it to the Hyperpole to take ninth place on the grid, whilst his teammate finished 16th, less than nine-tenths of a second a drift of the fastest time.

 

 

Under threatening skies, Ferdinand Habsburg (#35) and Frédéric Makowiecki (#36) avoided the pitfalls of the first lap at the beginning of their double stints. Fifteen minutes into the race, the Austrian was involved in an incident with the #8 Toyota, forcing him to change the front end at the next pit stop and, more importantly, resulting in a five-second stop-and-go penalty that relegated him to 17th place. Meanwhile, the Frenchman made a strong comeback to climb into the top ten before also being involved in an incident with a GT car.

 

 

Paul-Loup Chatin (#35) and Jules Gounon (#36) took over shortly before a full course yellow, followed by a safety car period after the violent crash of the #15 BMW. #35 had refuelled just before the neutralisation, which allowed it to move into second place when the race restarted. Shortly afterwards, the #36 received a drive-through penalty following its earlier contact with the GT.

 

 

Charles Milesi took over from Paul-Loup Chatin with just over two hours to go. A three-way battle then ensued with the #93 Peugeot and the #6 Porsche.

 

 

Charles Milesi held on to second place until the final pit stop, where the team opted for a two-tyre strategy while the competition changed four. The time saved allowed the #35 car to take the lead, which it held until the finish thanks to Charles Milesi's perfect management of the situation.

 

 

Already delayed, the #36, where Mick Schumacher had taken over from Jules Gounon, was further delayed by the need for an emergency refuelling during a safety car period and finished in 14th place.

 

 

Buoyed by this first victory against many prestigious manufacturers in endurance racing's premier class, Alpine Endurance Team now turns its attention to the season finale: the 8 Hours of Bahrain from 6 to 8 November.

 


Crew #35


Ferdinand Habsburg
"It's hard to find the words. This victory comes a year after losing a superb result in the final sprint. It shows how much we have learned and how we have bounced back together. To win with Charles and Paul-Loup, who are not only two great drivers but also two friends, is simply incredible. I owe them a great deal because they have always supported me, even during the most difficult times. I would also like to thank Philippe, Bruno, and Nicolas for their faith in us, as well as the entire Alpine team for making this possible. I had been envisioning our first victory for a long time, and achieving it today is a dream come true."

 


Paul-Loup Chatin
"It's a magnificent and well-deserved victory. It started badly with a collision, but we remained patient and seized the opportunities to get back into contention. The team made the right decisions, and each driver contributed to the overall effort. We've been working together for over two years, and today it all paid off. It is our first victory together, the first for the Alpine A424. Ten years after my first podium here with Alpine in LMP2, winning at Fuji with this team is incredible. Thank you to Philippe and the entire team for their confidence and their tireless work."

 

 

Charles Milesi
"It's hard to believe, almost surreal... After a difficult start to the race, two penalties and almost a lap down, no one could have imagined such an outcome. The team did an incredible job, the car was fast and consistent, and the strategy made all the difference. A safety car period brought us back into contention, and then the decision to change only two tyres enabled us to take the lead ahead of Peugeot and Porsche. The last few laps seemed endless, but the pace was there and we managed to hold on until the end. It's fantastic to achieve this today, alongside my teammates with whom I've been working since the development of the A424 in 2023. We were a little lucky at the right moment, but you also have to make your own luck. This first victory is particularly special."



Crew #36


Frédéric Makowiecki
"The start went pretty well without any major collisions, unlike last year. I tried to stay calm and avoid getting into trouble. We were quick once the field settled down, and we gradually moved up the order. We chose not to change tyres during our first pit stop under virtual safety car conditions. It was the right thing to do because we gained several positions while maintaining the same pace as those who had changed two or four tyres. That could have given us an advantage late in the race, but fortune wasn't on our side."

 

 

Jules Gounon
"We were twice unlucky. Unlike the #35 car, we couldn't make a pit stop before the full course yellow and lost considerable ground. As for my second stop, we'll have to analyse whether we could have done another lap, but I think we were really pushing the fuel limit. That's how motorsport is sometimes. We'll debrief on everything to continue learning and identify areas for improvement for next time. Congratulations to the sister car, which managed to take a well-deserved debut victory for the entire team."

 

 

Mick Schumacher
"We showed that our car was more competitive in race conditions than in qualifying, and if we had been able to stay in the lead group, we would have been in contention for a good result. Unfortunately, a collision led to a drive-through penalty being imposed more than two hours after the incident. It becomes much harder to reorganise your strategy when a penalty is delivered so late. The sister car was able to take advantage of favourable circumstances with a neutralisation that allowed it to pit at the right time, whereas we were not so lucky. That's the reality of motor racing: sometimes luck is on your side, sometimes it's not."

 

 

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team
"It's a fantastic day, and we're immensely proud to celebrate the Alpine A424's first victory. We knew we had a good car over the course of a stint, even if we still need to improve on pure single-lap performance. The race was chaotic from the start, and we had to stay focused, seize opportunities, and that's what we did with two decisive strategic choices. It was a well-thought-out decision, and our drivers managed it perfectly to make it happen. After three difficult races, this result proves that we never stopped working in an extremely competitive championship. The entire team is being rewarded today, as is the No. 35 car, which has experienced a lot of bad luck. The No. 36 car deserved better and also showed its potential. It's a wonderful achievement, and I want to congratulate every member of the team sincerely."

 

 

Nicolas Lapierre, Sporting Director Alpine Endurance Team
"It's hugely satisfying. A year ago, I stood on the podium for the last time as a driver, and today I'm celebrating my first victory as a sporting director. We knew we had a good car, with solid pace and strategy. The team made an excellent call late in the race and did an incredible job. We quickly had to deal with penalties and were on the defensive, but we reacted and struck at the right moment, managing to hold off the competition to the finish. This victory is important. We made a strong start to the season, but faced some more challenging rounds recently. This race at Fuji was shaping up to be decisive, and the result is a welcome boost for all our hard work. This first success in Hypercar proves that we can win at this level. The goal now is to maintain this momentum and continue to improve so that we can fight at the sharp end more often, with ever-higher ambitions."

 

 

Bruno Famin, Alpine VP Motorsport
"This victory is hugely satisfying and rewards all the hard work that has gone into the programme since its launch. Achieving such a result in only our second season against such high-calibre competition is extremely gratifying for everyone involved in the project. The race didn't get off to an auspicious start, with a collision and penalties that quickly put us in a difficult position. A well-executed neutralisation allowed us to get back into contention, and we were able to seize every opportunity in what was a particularly eventful race. The second half of the race was much more strategic, with some bold choices, such as the early pit stop that put us back in the running, and then the gamble of changing only two tyres during the final pit stop. It was risky against opponents who had taken on four new tyres, but Charles was able to contain the pressure and maintain the advantage. We chose to aim for victory rather than play it safe, and it paid off. It's a team victory, the result of everyone's commitment, and it feels excellent."

 


CLASSIFICATIONS


6 Hours of Fuji
1. Alpine Elf Endurance Team #35
14. Alpine Elf Endurance Team #36


Hypercar World Endurance Drivers Championship
1. Calado / Giovinazzi / Pier Guidi – 115 points
13. Chatin / Habsburg / Milesi – 37 points
14. Gounon / Makowiecki / Schumacher – 36 points


FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturer's Championship
1. Ferrari – 204 points
5. Alpine – 84 points