The first Cadillac rolled off the production line in Detroit on 17 October 1902 but it wasn’t until 1950 that the emblematic prestige car lined up on the grid at Le Mans. Owner/driver Briggs Cunningham shared the wheel with Phil Waters and they came a respectable eleventh overall.

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Alpine Endurance Team has received a substantial boost ahead of the FIA World Endurance Championship 2025 season, including the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June). After a 10-year collaboration with Porsche, Frédéric Makowiecki is joining Alpine Endurance Team with a clear aim: winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Makowiecki is a seasoned professional with a reputation for endurance expertise. His enthusiasm&nbsp;at the idea of joining <a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/first-look-at-the-2025-alpine-a424-hypercar-livery-59321">Alpine</a>&nbsp;is unfeigned. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m extremely proud as a French driver,&rdquo;&nbsp;he says.&nbsp;&ldquo;It&#39;s something special to represent a French manufacturer in the FIA World Endurance Championship with the possibility of aiming for an overall victory in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, especially as Alpine has a vibrant motorsport history. I&rsquo;m already looking forward to Qatar!&rdquo;

After returning to the top class of endurance in 2024 with the A424 Hypercar, Alpine fully intends to step up a gear in 2025. The arrival of a driver of Makowiecki&rsquo;s stature is a sign of the team&rsquo;s growing ambitions.

<h2>A convincing project</h2>

The French outfit&rsquo;s dynamic approach and work ethic have pleased the experienced recruit.&nbsp;&ldquo;I was attracted by the way the project came to fruition, the way we work, and above all, the desire,&rdquo;&nbsp;he enthuses. &ldquo;I like efficiency, understanding, and using techniques to get things done. I truly liked the team&#39;s approach and development.&rdquo;

The Frenchman has also teamed up again with Alpine Motorsports VP Bruno Famin, with whom he worked over a decade earlier.&nbsp;&ldquo;He gave me my first LMP1 test back in 2011,&rdquo;&nbsp;he recalls, &ldquo;and we&#39;ve kept in touch ever since. I like his approach and &lsquo;racer&rsquo; spirit, which pushes him to question everything to keep moving forward and trying to make the impossible possible.&rdquo;

<h2>Bringing precious experience to&nbsp;Alpine</h2>

With over a decade of endurance experience and an impressive track record, Makowiecki has tools in his locker that will be invaluable to Alpine in developing the A424. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m arriving with great humility,&rdquo; he says. &ldquo;I was in a sort of routine after ten years with another constructor, so now I have to learn how Alpine works.&rdquo;&nbsp;

His technical development expertise and strategic approach to endurance racing will be highly beneficial to the team. &ldquo;My technical background can also bring a different vision to these very complex prototypes,&rdquo; he insists. &ldquo;The race weekends are short, so we must quickly identify what to do and define priorities and targets. Doing everything better than everyone else will be crucial if we are to get over the final hurdles.&rdquo;

With the Alpine A424 showing constant progress last season, the French team harbours lofty ambitions for 2025. The current frame of mind of both driver and team were revealed when Makowiecki was asked to define Alpine Endurance Team in three words: &ldquo;Potential, French touch and Le Mans target!&rdquo;&nbsp;

His experience, motivation and thirst for performance will be precious assets for his new team.&nbsp; A new adventure that can only delight Makowiecki fans before the real business begins on the racetrack.

Frédéric Makowiecki (Alpine): “I’m arriving with great humility”

The Asian Le Mans Series 2024-25 season continues this weekend with the 4 Hours of Dubai. Two four-hour races are scheduled at the Dubai Autodrome involving 47 cars across three classes (LMP2, LMP3 and GT).

RD Limited will undoubtedly be seeking to follow up on their successful weekend in Malaysia. The French team comes into the third round as leader of the LMP2 class. With 43 points, the #30 Oreca 07-Gibson shared by Fred Poordad, Tristan Vautier and James Allen holds a six-point lead over the #25 Oreca of Algarve Pro Racing, winner of the second round of the 4 Hours of Sepang. Michael Jensen, Malthe Jakobsen and Valerio Rinicella will be determined to bridge that&nbsp;gap.

In LMP3, Ultimate (#35 Ligier JS P320-Nissan) put in a faultless performance in Malaysia, picking up the maximum 52 points. With High Class Racing (#49 Ligier) sitting 16 points adrift, the French outfit will attempt to retain its advantage ahead of the season finale in Abu Dhabi.

<h2>A bumper GT grid</h2>

Five new cars have joined the GT class to bring the total to 30 entries. The pack comprises three Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3s, eight Ferrari 296 GT3s, a Lamborghini Hurac&aacute;n GT3 Evo2, two McLaren 720S GT3s, six Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evos and ten Porsche 911 GT3 Rs. In Dubai, Winward Racing (#81 Mercedes) will defend a seven-point lead over AF Corse&rsquo;s #28 Ferrari and a 10-point advantage over another Ferrari, the #57 of Car Guy.

The 4 Hours of Dubai marks a key stage in the race to the 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series crown, with the LMP2 and GT title winners being guaranteed a slot on the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans grid.&nbsp; 
Race 3 of the season will be held on Saturday 8 February at 10:10 UTC, followed by Race 4 at the same time on Sunday. Both will be shown live with English commentary on the <a href="https://www.youtube.com/@AsianLeMansSeries" target="_blank">Asian Le Mans Series YouTube channel</a>.

Asian Le Mans Series – all eyes on Dubai

The Alpine Endurance Team has taken the wraps off the two Alpine A424 Hypercars set to compete at the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans (11-15 June 2025) and in the FIA WEC World Endurance Championship. The full driver line-up for the French manufacturer’s campaign has also been revealed.

The colour scheme chosen for the Alpine Endurance Team&rsquo;s #35 and #36 A424s reflects the brand&rsquo;s visual identity. Predominantly blue &ndash; the French manufacturer&rsquo;s signature colour &ndash; it incorporates touches of black and white that amplify its aggressive yet refined style. The red highlights and tricolour accents add further contrast while recalling the French team&rsquo;s heritage. A chrome-finished roof protects the cockpit from the sun&rsquo;s rays and affirms the prototype&rsquo;s distinctive visual signature.&nbsp;The result is a sleek, modern aesthetic that perfectly embodies the spirit of the Hypercar class.&nbsp;Note that the photos of these liveries were taken at Monza in Italy, where Alpine has no doubt been testing the car.&nbsp;Proof that the squad, headed by Philippe Sinault, is actively preparing for the season ahead..

<h2>Drivers primed for the challenge</h2>

As well as revealing its liveries, Alpine has confirmed its driver lineup for each car for the approaching season.&nbsp;The #35 Alpine will be driven by&nbsp;Ferdinand Habsburg,&nbsp;Paul-Loup Chatin&nbsp;and&nbsp;Charles Milesi, and the #36 by&nbsp;Jules Gounon,&nbsp;Mick Schumacher&nbsp;and&nbsp;Fr&eacute;d&eacute;ric Makowiecki. A crew of experienced and talented drivers, all determined to propel Alpine to the highest level of the Hypercar class.

After a year gaining valuable experience in endurance racing&rsquo;s top tier, Alpine is ready to apply what it&rsquo;s learnt to rival the best teams on the grid. 
With this new livery and a robust driver line-up, Alpine is approaching 2025 with ambition and determination.

More images of the 2025 Alpine Elf Endurance Team Alpine A424 below.

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First look at the 2025 Alpine A424 Hypercar livery

Two Aston Martin Valkyries will take the start in the 93rd 24 Hours of Le Mans on 11-15 June and in the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship. The British carmaker has just released the names of its driver line-ups as well as first images of the Valkyrie Hypercar.

Aston Martin THOR Team, fielding two&nbsp;Valkyries this upcoming season in the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC), revealed the livery of its Hypercar, thrilling expectations with the&nbsp;iconic&nbsp;British&nbsp;Racing Green. Design&nbsp;touches of fluorescent yellow&nbsp;on the mirrors, fender edges and aerodynamic contours&nbsp;add to the overall effect on the&nbsp;#007 and #009. The&nbsp;logo The Heart of Racing&nbsp;will also feature,&nbsp;the American team&nbsp;running the two Valkyries in the FIA ​​WEC and&nbsp;IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (the North American endurance championship).

<h2>A&nbsp;100% Brit Driver Line-Up at the 24 Hours of Le Mans</h2>

Aston Martin has also confirmed&nbsp;its driver line-ups. The&nbsp;#007 will be shared&nbsp;by&nbsp;Harry Tincknell (LMGTE Pro winner at the 2020&nbsp;24 Hours with&nbsp;Aston Martin Racing) and&nbsp;endurance rising star&nbsp;Tom Gamble. The sister car will be entrusted to Marco S&oslash;rensen (LMGTE Am winner at&nbsp;Le Mans with&nbsp;TF Sport) and Spanish driver Alex Riberas.

In the&nbsp;IMSA,&nbsp;Ross Gunn&nbsp;and&nbsp;Roman De Angelis&nbsp;will share the sole Valkyrie fielded. Gunn will join the duo Tincknell/Gamble for the&nbsp;24 Hours as&nbsp;De Angelis forms a trio with&nbsp;S&oslash;rensen/Riberas.&nbsp;Adrian Hallmark, Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin Lagonda:&nbsp;&ldquo;This is a proud moment for Aston Martin. To be returning to the fight for overall honours at the 24 Hours of Le Mans exists at the very core of our values and marks a key milestone in our motor racing heritage. As the only Hypercar born from the road to challenge at the top of sports car racing in both the WEC and IMSA, the Valkyrie is an embodiment of our enduring sporting ethos, one that has defined the brand for more than century.&quot;

<h2>15,000 km of Testing</h2>

In the wake of first test&nbsp;sessions with the&nbsp;Valkyrie in July&nbsp;2024, The Heart of Racing committed to an extensive testing and development&nbsp;programme, surpassing a stunning&nbsp;15,000 km. The tests kicked off in the U.K. at&nbsp;Donington Park at&nbsp;Silverstone followed by more track time at&nbsp;Vallelunga in Italy and Jerez in Spain, as well as at&nbsp;Bahrain,&nbsp;Qatar,&nbsp;Road Atlanta,&nbsp;Sebring and&nbsp;Daytona.

The goal was to measure capability&nbsp;on sample tracks to get a feel for what awaited the Aston Martin THOR Team in the&nbsp;FIA WEC and&nbsp;IMSA. Ian James: &quot;You can always be further up the road, but I&#39;m happy with how the programme has progressed and with the reliability we have shown. The whole team, from design to AMPT, from the manufacturing element to the race team, I couldn&#39;t be happier in terms with how everything is integrated.&quot;

Aston Martin won the 24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans in 1959 with a DBR1 driven by&nbsp;Carroll Shelby and&nbsp;Roy Salvadori.

Before seeing the two Aston Martin Valkyries hit the track at&nbsp;the 24 Hours of Le Mans, check out the livery of the British Hypercar in&nbsp;this&nbsp;photo gallery below.

Aston Martin THOR Team unveils Valkyrie livery

Where does the name Cadillac come from? From its birthplace! The city of Detroit was named in the 18th Century, after its founder Antoine de la Mothe Cadillac. At the time, Detroit was part of New France, which was conceded in 1763 and later formed part of Canada, Acadia and Louisiana.

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Photo of the Day - 1950: the first Cadillac at Le Mans

Related News

Frédéric Makowiecki (Alpine): “I’m arriving with great humility”

Asian Le Mans Series – all eyes on Dubai

First look at the 2025 Alpine A424 Hypercar livery

Aston Martin THOR Team unveils Valkyrie livery

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