Alpine Endurance Team heads to Fuji Speedway for the 6 Hours of Fuji, the circuit where its A424 Hypercar scored its first FIA World Endurance Championship win a year ago. The French squad arrives off the back of its strongest weekend of the A424 era at the Circuit of the Americas, where a third place and a fifth place lifted it to fifth in the Manufacturers’ Championship. Both cars will run two-driver line-ups for the Japanese round, which starts on Sunday 27 September.

Alpine’s endurance programme returns to Japan this weekend with a rare commodity in sportscar racing: form at a track it already knows how to win at. The 6 Hours of Fuji takes place twelve months after the Alpine A424 took its maiden victory in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class at the foot of Mount Fuji.

Two cars, two drivers each

Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi, both part of the trio that delivered that first win last year, share the #35 A424. Jules Gounon and Victor Martins take the sister #36. Alpine has opted for a two-driver line-up in both cars for the Japanese round, a format the six-hour race distance allows.

Momentum from Austin

The timing is favourable. At the Circuit of the Americas just weeks ago, the #35 finished third for the team’s first podium of the 2026 season, while the #36 recovered to fifth. According to the team, the double top-five was its strongest combined result since the A424 programme began. The 25 points on offer took Alpine to 66 in total and consolidated fifth place in the Manufacturers’ Championship.

A circuit with Alpine history

Fuji has featured in Alpine’s endurance story for almost five decades. The A441 won the Fuji 500 Kilometres in 1978, and the marque has collected podium finishes at the track across several eras since, before the A424’s breakthrough win last year. The team also points to a growing base of Japanese supporters as part of the event’s appeal.

Why Fuji is difficult

The circuit is defined by an exceptionally long main straight, which rewards aerodynamic efficiency and punishes cars set up for downforce alone. The tighter second sector asks the opposite question, demanding stability, traction and disciplined tyre management. Weather is the third variable: conditions at the base of Mount Fuji can change quickly, and the race falls within Japan’s typhoon season, which adds a strategic layer to any six-hour event.

Alpine Endurance Team says its priority is finding the right operating window for both A424s early in the weekend.

“Fuji is a special event for us. This is where we claimed the A424’s first Hypercar victory last year, an incredibly emotional moment that demonstrated our ability to win at the highest level against extremely strong competition. We also return to Japan with real momentum after Austin, where we achieved our best overall team result with both cars in the top five. The whole team is approaching Fuji with great enthusiasm and determination to confirm the level of performance shown in recent races. With its long straight, demanding technical sections and often unpredictable weather, particularly with the event taking place during Japan’s typhoon season, Fuji is always a unique challenge. We will need to be ready for every scenario and execute a strong weekend to put ourselves in a position to fight at the front again.” — Philippe Sinault, Team Principal, Alpine Endurance Team

What it means

Fifth in the manufacturers’ standings is a modest return in absolute terms, but the Austin result suggests the A424 is closer to the front-running Hypercars than it was earlier in the programme. A repeat of last year’s Fuji performance would be the clearest evidence yet that the car’s recent pace is repeatable rather than circuit-specific.

Facts: Alpine at the 6 Hours of Fuji

  • Cars: two Alpine A424 Hypercars, #35 and #36
  • #35: Ferdinand Habsburg, Charles Milesi
  • #36: Jules Gounon, Victor Martins
  • Last Austin result: 3rd (#35), 5th (#36)
  • Championship: 66 points, 5th in the Manufacturers’ Championship
  • Race start: Sunday 27 September, 11:00 local time (4:00 CEST)
  • Coverage: live and on demand via FIA WEC+

The 6 Hours of Fuji starts at 11:00 local time on Sunday 27 September, with live and on-demand coverage on the championship’s FIA WEC+ streaming platform.

Source: media.alpinecars.com