Alpine as challenger and Peugeot in progress

WECHyperCar

Feb 25

Among the main challengers we identified to WEC's favorites (Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari) for this new season, BMW and Cadillac confirmed they had the speed to do so during the prologue. Alpine was not to be outdone with Mick Schumacher's 7th time and Peugeot made progress with its revised 9X8.

Both French manufacturers were happy with the data gathered during the Prologue and view strategy as a key parameter for a successful race.

Alpine Endurance Team as 3rd challenger

Based on the Prologue combined sessions timesheets, we view Alpine Endurance Team as the third major challenger (behind BMW and Cadillac) to last year winners (Toyota - Porsche- Ferrari).

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Endurance Team said: "We identified some important areas for improvement, particularly the tyres. We have two days to analyse everything and learn the right lessons for this long ten-hour race, where strategy will be paramount."

Schumacher 7th with #36 A436.

Among the 4 made in France hypercars, Mick Schumaker succeeded to get his Alpine A436 #36 in the top 10 drivers under the 1:40” mark with the 7th fastest lap in 1:39.505. With Fred Makowiecki and Jules Gounon, both fast drivers, we look at the #36 team a the best challenger among the French cars.

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lusail. #36 Alpine A436.

Mick Schumacher; "These two busy days were positive as we got a lot of laps done and I think we are now understanding the car better and better. There are always some things to fine-tune, but I think we are now getting into a good rhythm to do it pretty quickly. Having a season of experience behind me also makes a huge difference, so I am ready for it and happy to get started!”

Charles Milesi 13th fastest with #35 A436

Charles Milesi did set the 13th fastest lap overall of combined sessions with sister #35: "We have taken a step forward, even if the hierarchy is difficult to read because of the different tyre compounds used. We could do all the tests we wanted to explore several set-up options. Although we are starting from a good base, we won't have much time to make adjustments, as the sessions will follow each other quickly starting Wednesday. The race should come down to strategy. We will also have to stay on the track as we have seen a few cars come off with the gravel. Therefore, we must be alert to seize every opportunity that will arise."

📷 © Luc Warnotte at Lusail. #35 Alpine A436.

Ferdinand Habsburg: "It was nice to start our second season. We feel more confident about aspects such as tyre warm-up and degradation, but I think there is definitely still some optimisation needed. Everybody has used the winter well and is pushing a lot, so we'll need to make sure we are on top of everything. We all have the same motivation within the team, but we remain humble in the face of the competition." Source: Alpine Endurance Team

Peugeot is ambitious

Former Le Mans winning Peugeot starts this new season with lots of ambitions. At the wheel of the PEUGEOT 9X8s, the six drivers of Team Peugeot TotalEnergies covered a total of 3,586 kilometers in different conditions, which allowed them to work on the prototypes’ settings and tyre strategies in preparation for the race. Jean-Eric Vergne (#93) and Stoffel Vandoorne (#94) each completed more than one double stint.

Jean-Eric Vergne 12th fastest driver overall

Jean-Eric Vergne did set the 12th fastest lap of the Prologue in 1:40.138 with #93 Peugeot 9X8.

Jean-Eric Vergne (PEUGEOT 9X8 #93): "The car is behaving quite well. We are in the middle of the grid but we can still improve the car for next week. It could be a good race weekend for us."

Stoffel Vandoorne 25th

Stoffel Vandoorne drove the 25th fastest lap with #94 Peugeot 9X8 in 1:41.261.

Stoffel Vandoorne (PEUGEOT 9X8 #94): “Compared to last year, the feeling is a little different on this circuit with the PEUGEOT 9X8 evolution 2024. We had a good Prologue and we worked well on the car/tyre package to prepare for the race” Source: Team Peugeot TotalEnergies

Qatar 1812 km schedule.

Two 90-minute free practice sessions kick off the race week on Wednesday February 26, including one which ends after sunset. The starting grid will be determined in qualifying and Hyperpole on Thursday (5.40pm local, 3.40pm CET) while the race starts at 2pm (midday CET) on Friday 28 February.