"Motor racing is sometimes a cruel sport": Alpine team principal reacts after the brand's disastrous 24 hours of Le Mans campaign
Alpine team principal Bruno Famin claimed that the world of motorsport could be 'cruel' after the French team suffered heartbreak at the Le Mans 24-hour race. The iconic race was held on 15-16 June at the Circuit de la Sarthe and is one of the three events in the 'Triple Crown' of motorsport.
The French team entered the event in their hypercar setup (LMDh) for the first time this year with #35 and 36 featuring the likes of Mick Schumacher, Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatini and Charles Milesi.
However, it was a disaster for the Alpine team as both their cars retired from the event just before the six-hour mark when first Habsburg in #35 had a mechanical failure and later Nicolas Lapierre in the #36 came into the garage due to lack of power.
As per Soy Motor, Alpine F1 team boss Bruno Famin shared the team's disappointment with the result and said:
"We knew that this was something that could happen in first participation [in LMDh] in the 24 Hours and we have to take into account that it is only the fourth race of the A424. So we expected to encounter some problems. Obviously, this is part of the learning process, but that doesn't make us feel any less disappointed."
"Motor racing is sometimes a cruel sport. But seeing these faces, I am convinced that our team will be able to come back and fight for victory in the future. I must thank everyone for the effort they have put into this race and in its preparation," he added.
Mick Schumacher gives his take on driving for Alpine in the Le Mans
Former Haas F1 driver Mick Schumacher stated that the hypercar was fast until the issues arose and showed good pace in the first five hours.
Speaking with RacingNews365, the German driver said:
"I think we've come to a point now where we didn't quite get over the six-hour mark. had an engine issue, which led us to retire both cars, unfortunately. But again, I think not to have too much focused on the bad sides, but actually more focus on the positives."
The Mercedes reserve driver added that he was happy with his stint in the #36 Alpine hypercar in his first experience at the iconic Le Mans 24-hour:
"We really moved on from them to get to a point where we were fighting for pole, we were fighting for good positioning in the race, up to that point. And also, personally, my stint was very positive. So I'm really, really happy about that."
The German driver is currently in P25 on the WEC standings and is yet to score a point in the series after four rounds of racing.