THIRD CONSECUTIVE PODIUM FOR ALPINE AHEAD OF THE 24 HOURS OF LE MANS

Second at Spa-Francorchamps and third at Portimão, Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team had every intention of continuing its streak of top-three finishes in Italy while using the maiden edition of the 6 Hours of Monza as a dress rehearsal for Le Mans.

Among the front-runners from free practices despite being hit by another competitor in FP2, Les Bleus fine-tuned the setup of their A480 to the specificities of the "Temple of Speed", which shares similarities to the Circuit de la Sarthe. Qualifying was entrusted to Nicolas Lapierre, who overcame a tricky session interrupted by a red flag to set the third-best time, less than a quarter of a second off the pole.

On Sunday, André Negrão got behind the wheel of the A480 under sunny skies. The Brazilian put in a strong start and overtook the Toyota of Sébastien Buemi before the Swiss driver answered back immediately. Dealing with the traffic that exposed him to the n°709 Glickenhaus, the team took advantage of the first full course yellow to double the stint of André Negrão before he handed over to Matthieu Vaxiviere.

Incisive straight away, the Frenchman moved up to second place after the problem encountered by the #8 Toyota. Although he initially extended his advantage over the Glickenhaus, the intervention of the safety car due to debris on the track benefited his pursuers before Nicolas Lapierre took over shortly after the three-hour mark.

As was the case in qualifying, Nicolas Lapierre set an excellent pace that allowed him to catch up to the leaders. The battle for victory became a duel with less than two hours to go as the Alpine took the lead after the technical issues of the n°7 Toyota and the n°709 Glickenhaus.

With different strategies, the Alpine and the Toyota exchanged first place as they refuelled and changed drivers. With Mathieu Vaxiviere in the car, Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team made its last stop with 40 minutes remaining but their rivals took advantage of the final full course yellow to make a “free” pit-stop giving them a big enough lead to control the race just until the chequered flag was brandished.

Mathieu Vaxiviere, who was almost a minute behind his rival, had no opportunity to make up the deficit in the final 20-minute sprint. Despite another flawless race for the team and its trio of drivers, the A480 had to settle for second place, just over a minute behind the winners. This result sees Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team strengthen its second place in the championship while Mathieu Vaxiviere, André Negrão and Nicolas Lapierre are now just 15 points from the leaders in the drivers' classification.

The next event on the calendar is shaping up to be historic for Alpine, with the brand founded by Jean Rédélé returning to the top-flight category of one of motor racing’s most prestigious events, the 24 Hours of Le Mans (15-22 August).

Philippe Sinault, Team Principal Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team

"The 6 Hours of Monza was a great event and we are very satisfied with this third consecutive podium. Since the beginning of the year, we are confirming our outsiders status and it was once again the case today with a perfect performance from both a technical and sporting point of view. We did a good job to manage the race incidents while pushing our adversaries to the limit, as some of their mistakes show. However, we were slightly less efficient than in Portimão, probably because of the heat. We are still learning and improving in all areas, including autonomy and the amount of energy allocated. Our three drivers did a great job on these aspects today. We are as ready as we can be before the challenge that awaits us at Le Mans. The next few weeks will be tough with a complete overhaul of the A480 and all its components. There will be a lot of pressure, and we can already feel it, but we are looking forward to it."

Nicolas Lapierre:

"This race was a good preparation on a track similar to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Once again, the team did an impeccable job on technical aspects and strategy. It's really nice to see as the challenge of the top-flight category is huge with so many new parameters to manage but the fact that we have run three first races of this quality is a great success. The goal at Le Mans will be to pressure our opponents and capitalise on every opportunity. We are ready to take up this challenge."

André Negrão:

"It was a perfect weekend and this second place feels like a win thanks to the excellent work of the team. We had no problems with the car, we were on the pace, but we were a bit unlucky with the full course yellows and safety cars. The win was close, but we will keep pushing to show that we are here to fight for the victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans."

Matthieu Vaxiviere:

"As in Spa and Portimão, we ran a flawless race and this is tremendously positive heading to Le Mans. We have made further progress on tyre degradation and the balance between performance and fuel consumption and we keep finding other areas for improvement with each stint. I'm having a lot of fun in the cockpit and with the team, but we're focused on the next few races. The aim will be to keep the momentum going and spring a surprise in the upcoming events, starting with the 24 Hours of Le Mans."

CLASSIFICATIONS

6 Hours of Monza

1. Toyota Gazoo Racing n°7 – 204 laps

2. Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team n°36 +1:00.908s

3. United Autosports n°22 + 4 laps

4. Glickenhaus Racing n°709 + 4 laps

5. Team WRT n°31 + 4 laps

FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar

1. Toyota Gazoo Racing – 90 points

2. Alpine Elf Matmut Endurance Team – 60 points

3. Glickenhaus Racing – 13 points