Alpine has confirmed this morning that its Hypercar reserve driver Jules Gounon will make his second FIA WEC race start of the season at Spa this weekend.
The Frenchman will compete in the #35 A424 once again, standing in for Ferdinand Habsburg, whose recovery from his injury sustained in testing is still ongoing and “progressing well” according to the team.
“Jules will join us again while Ferdinand continues his recovery, which should only be a few days more,” said Philippe Sinault, Alpine Endurance team principal.
This weekend’s six-hour encounter at Spa comes after a challenging race for the team at Imola last month. There its pair of A24s finished 13th and 16th in Hypercar.
“We knew that the previous race at Imola would be difficult because of the track characteristics. This week, we are back at a more familiar venue, more like the circuits we will encounter for the rest of the season. This week’s target is clear: we want to build upon what we’ve learnt from the first two races to know more about where we stand technically and operationally after the race,” Sinault continued.
“It is an important moment in our project and a veritable run-through, as it’s one of the last opportunities for us to fine-tune the package and operating systems we will have at Le Mans. We’ve done a lot of work in the run-up to this race, which should also serve to rally the team and prepare it for the long home stretch before we head to the Sarthe.”
In addition to competing in the FIA WEC race this weekend at Spa, Alpine has also revealed that it will unveil the first rolling version of the Alpenglow, its hydrogen-powered concept car. Unveiled at the 2022 Paris Motor Show, the Alpenglow now features a new design and a hydrogen-powered internal combustion engine.
The car will be presented statically on 10 May and “dynamically” on 11 May in Belgium.
Image courtesy of Alpine
