24h Le Mans
On the eve of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Alpine Elf Team manager Philippe Sinault shares his strategy for a race that could be won by any of the five Hypercar contenders. The #36 Alpine A480-Gibson will start the race in third place on the grid, behind the two Toyota GR010 Hybrids. Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrão and Matthieu Vaxivière share the wheel of the French Hypercar.
“We are banking on one more pit stop than Toyota per stint. Slow zones and safety car periods may affect that gap. We spent a lot of time improving our fuel consumption this winter and we think the car is the best it can be in that respect. The new TotalEnergies 100% renewable fuel is not an issue. It’s not something we even think about."
“Nicolas Lapierre will be in the cockpit for the start of the race. It’s always a decision made between the three drivers. It’s a mutual agreement and as we all know each other well, there is never much debate. The choice is based on strong points and current form. Then we draw up a race plan and it usually changes ten minutes in [laughing].”
"We managed to put pressure on Toyota in Hyperpole. The idea is to do the same in the race, and force them to make errors, while we concentrate on producing a good clean run. We know the car better now and we are better prepared this time round.”
“I was surprised by Glickenhaus’ performance in qualifying. I thought them capable of clinching pole position. They have come a long way and the car looks reliable. They are a serious contender. Last year we were neck and neck all night and this year they are in an even better position. So, it really is anybody’s game!"
“We haven’t yet decided on a plan for next year, but we do know we’ll be back, just not with this car or in this class. We want to keep the same driver crew ready for our Hypercar entry in 2024.”
