Paul-Loup Chatin from France, Ferdinand Habsburg-Lothringen from Austria, and Charles Milesi from France will be driving for the #35 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424 in the FIA World Endurance Championship. The event will take place in Doha, Qatar on March 1, 2024. Alpine reserve driver Jules Gounon will be replacing Ferdinand Habsburg for the 6 Hours of Imola, as confirmed by the French team. Habsburg suffered back injuries, specifically fractured lumbar vertebrae, during testing at Aragon. Although he is expected to fully recover, he is not yet fit to race at Imola. The reason for the crash has not been disclosed by Alpine.
Gounon is well-known for his achievements in GT racing. He has won the Spa 24 Hours in 2017 and 2022, the Bathurst 12 Hour in 2020, 2022, and 2023, and the GTD Pro class of the Daytona 24 Hours in 2023. He has also been a two-time GT World Challenge Europe Endurance Cup title winner. However, the race at Imola will be his first time driving a prototype car. Gounon will be joining his fellow countrymen, Paul-Loup Chatin and Charlies Milesi, in the #35 Alpine A424. In their debut race, with Habsburg, Chatin, and Milesi finished seventh and scored points for the team.
Philippe Sinault, the team principal of Alpine Endurance, expressed his thoughts on the situation, saying, “Ferdinand will be on our minds. It is a difficult setback, but it is part of the life of a team. We have made arrangements to ensure that he can still be with us through modern communication methods. We have decided to replace him with Jules at Imola. It is never easy to make your debut in such circumstances, but Jules was chosen and signed for this role, although we did not anticipate it happening so soon. He is fundamentally prepared, but there is still much for him to learn, despite his impressive track record in GT racing. We have fine-tuned his preparation during our recent tests with his six teammates and in the simulator to familiarize him with all our processes. This weekend will be incredibly educational for the entire team.”