On November 12, 1995, Michael Schumacher became the F1 World Champion for the second time. On June 23, 1991, the German driver - who clocked the fastest lap in the race - finished in fifth place overall at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Mercedes-Benz C11 along with Karl Wendlinger and Fritz Kreutzpointner.

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The Alpine A424 wrapped up its first year in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with a series of very promising showings. 2024 served as a learning curve for Alpine Endurance Team, but the team finished a commendable fourth in the Hypercar manufacturers’ world championship, behind Toyota, Porsche and Ferrari. The French brand has thus emerged as the best of the newcomers in this ultra-competitive racing class.

<h2>An encouraging start despite the challenges</h2>

The Alpine&nbsp;A424 suffered its fair share of mechanical setbacks, including at the 24 Hours of Le Mans where neither car finished the race. However, the team bounced back to secure a series of noteworthy results later in the season, including fifth place at Lone Star Le Mans, third at the 6 Hours of Fuji, and a strong fourth place at the Bapco Energies 8 Hours of Bahrain. The Alpine&nbsp;A424 thus achieved one podium finish, three top-five finishes, nine top-ten finishes, one fastest race lap and four Hyperpole appearances during its maiden campaign in 2024. A performance that testifies to the car&rsquo;s potential and the team&rsquo;s commitment.

<h2>Constant progress</h2>

Bruno Famin, VP Alpine Motorsports, is optimistic about what lies ahead. For him one of the highlights of the 2024 season was the team work demonstrated by the drivers and the rest of the crew: &ldquo;The individualities have all contributed to the project and have always worked towards the same goal: to help the team improve and develop the potential of the A424, all with a strong team spirit. The season was free of serious incidents, which is invaluable during a learning year. As the season went on, depending on the circumstances, we also saw them distinguish themselves on track when necessary. We saw that again today, and we can be proud of the work done by our seven drivers and the whole team.&rdquo;&nbsp;&nbsp;

<h2>Looking ahead to 2025</h2>

Charles Milesi, one of the drivers who contributed to the #36 Alpine&nbsp;A424&rsquo;s achievements, hailed the progress made over the year: &ldquo;Overall, it was a positive season.&nbsp;We made a lot of progress throughout the year. We know, however, that we still have a lot of work to do to achieve our future goals, and we will focus on our next tests to get closer to the front in 2025.&rdquo;

A studious winter lies ahead for the team headed by Philippe Sinault, as they aim to move up the pecking order to affirm their status as one of the leading Hypercar manufacturers and secure a podium finish in 2025.

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Alpine Endurance Team firmly focused on 2025

As 40 skippers cast off for the start of the 10th Vendée Globe round-the-world, non-stop, single-handed yacht race today (Sunday 10 November 2024), we ask the question: could a driver race solo in the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

It might seem crazy today, but it did almost happen at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in bygone times. The race&rsquo;s history books recount&nbsp;<a href="https://www.24h-lemans.com/en/news/24-hours-stories-louis-rosier-23-out-of-24-hours-at-the-wheel-55804" target="_blank">the tale of Louis Rosier</a>. In 1950, in the Frenchman&rsquo;s third appearance in the race, he accomplished the heroic and unlikely feat of winning the race almost single-handed, having spent more than 23 hours at the wheel. Rosier allowed his son, Jean-Louis, the pleasure of completing a few laps before hopping back into the driver&rsquo;s seat to set what is still a record in terms of endurance. This achievement is worthy of the solo sailors who are setting out to brave the oceans without assistance and will remain forever etched in the annals of the French endurance classic.

<h2>Driving times, an element of race strategy</h2>

Today, such a performance would be simply impossible. The 24 Hours of Le Mans regulations stipulate that all teams must rotate three drivers through the car during the race. The rules are devised to ensure that teams&rsquo; safety and performance are not compromised during such an intense, demanding race. The time spent at the wheel is also restricted to four hours in any six-hour period, and all drivers must have a mandatory break between each stint.

Moreover, in the LMP2 and LMGT3 classes, Bronze and Silver drivers must spend at least six hours in total at the wheel during the race. The team faces a penalty and potential disqualification should a driver fail to complete the minimum driving time. Similarly, the sanction may result in disqualification should a driver exceed the maximum driving time.

These rules are strictly monitored by the Stewards to prevent overtiredness and safeguard the competitors. Unlike the Vend&eacute;e Globe skippers, the drivers in the 24 Hours of Le Mans must therefore share the burden and each one plays a decisive role in the quest for victory.

Rosier&rsquo;s achievement remains a unique feat in the history of motor racing and bears witness to an era where limits were tested differently to today. In 2024, the essence of the 24 Hours of Le Mans is teamwork, coordination and collective strategy, whereas the Vend&eacute;e Globe skippers can only call on their inner strength and motivation when the going gets tough.

Can a driver race “single-handed” at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Motorsport history is peppered with mythical cars that have never taken the start in a race The Porsche LMP 2000, originally destined to dominate the LMP900 category at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, existed in secret for nearly 25 years. This prototype was never given the opportunity to demonstrate its potential in competition. Now, thanks to the work of Porsche's Heritage and Museum team, this "ghost of Weissach" is seeing the light of day once again.

<h2>Like a Unicorn</h2>

The Porsche LMP 2000 was developed as&nbsp;a&nbsp;top contender at the&nbsp;24 Hours of Le&nbsp;Mans. Only two well-known drivers, Bob Wollek&nbsp;and three-time winner&nbsp;Allan McNish, were given a&nbsp;chance to take the wheel of the&nbsp;LMP 2000 on the testing track in&nbsp;Weissach, covering barely&nbsp;80 km. The project was abruptly scrapped and the car garaged, a well-kept secret at&nbsp;Porsche.

The&nbsp;LMP 2000 recently hit the track again thanks to experts at Porsche Heritage Experience run&nbsp;by Alexander E. Klein:&nbsp;&quot;For those of us at&nbsp;Porsche Heritage and Museum, it was a very special&nbsp;moment without a doubt.&nbsp;Exactly&nbsp;25 years after the LMP 2000 project&#39;s first laps, we found ourselves back in Weissach Flacht to run the car once again. This&nbsp;car is like a unicorn in the history of racing. No one ever saw it in competition, and that is why we were thrilled to show it off.&quot;

<h2>Unique Sound and Unforgettable Experience</h2>

After taking the wheel for the occasion, Allan McNish: &quot;It&#39;s like I was 25 again. It was fantastic to hear this&nbsp;V10 again. Going down the back straight, pedal to the metal, and listening to the engine roar above 7,000 rpm. It is a magnificent sound.&quot;&nbsp;The Scottish driver&#39;s enthusiasm underscores the raw power and heart of this car never seen in-race.

For&nbsp;McNish, the testing session was as much&nbsp;about driving as it was about going back in time: &quot;It was like a class reunion, seeing the engineers and mechanics with whom I used to work. What people don&#39;t realize is through these projects, you become sort of a family and it felt a bit as&nbsp;if I had come home.&quot;

Current Porsche CEO Thomas Laudenbach remembers that period as a turning point:&nbsp;&quot;I was a young automotive engineer when I joined the project. We were a tiny team. We all worked on everything, from mechanical&nbsp;development to application. That was great for me because it was the first time I worked on a motorsport project and particularly one that started with a blank slate. The learning curve was incredible. I was just starting out and it was a privilege to work for&nbsp;Porsche who won Le Mans in 1998.&quot;

Bringing the Porsche LMP 2000 backwill offer 24 Hours fans a rare&nbsp;opportunity to discover a hidden gem in&nbsp;Porsche&#39;s history. This&nbsp;resurrection makes us wish we could have witnessed the&nbsp;prototype take&nbsp;on the Audi R8, the Cadillac Northstar LMP, the&nbsp;Panoz LMP01, the&nbsp;Courage C60, the&nbsp;Dallara SP1 and the&nbsp;Dome S101, all the LMP 2000&#39;s rivals of the LMP900 category era.

Check out the Porsche LMP 2000 prototype that has never done the 24 Hours of Le Mans

The return of the Porsche LMP 2000

Découvrez la Porsche LMP 2000, le prototype qui n’a jamais couru aux 24 Heures du Mans

At the age of 36, Kévin Estre has added the Hypercar World Endurance Drivers’ Championship trophy, shared with Laurens Vanthoor and André Lotterer, to a cabinet already crammed with GT awards. A satisfying conclusion to the season thanks to outstanding teamwork and dogged determination to maximise the potential of the Porsche 963 in the face of stiff competition.

<h2>Performance through collective endeavour</h2>

&ldquo;We have done a lot of work together,&rdquo; Estre says, when prompted to lift the lid on this memorable season. &ldquo;There were a few changes within the team and we also benefited from a year&rsquo;s experience with the 963,&rdquo; he adds. The season&rsquo;s opener in Qatar gave an immediate indication of what lay in store with a Porsche 963 already showing greater performance. The team has continued to improve race after race, backed by top-drawer engineers and stimulated by technical choices that have boosted the car&rsquo;s capabilities.

<h2>Natural complicity and strong bonds</h2>

On top of the technical preparation, the alchemy between the three drivers has been a decisive factor. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re a strongly bonded crew,&rdquo; Estre stresses. &ldquo;We all have the same ideas about endurance. No-one looked to step into the limelight because, above all, we complemented one another,&rdquo; he adds. With such solidarity and complementarity, strategic decisions to get the best out of every situation could be reached without any risk of friction. &ldquo;We&rsquo;ve never put anyone&#39;s nose out of joint due to the choice of setup, tyres or strategy. We&rsquo;ve always kept an open mind and there has never been a need to tread carefully to avoid stepping on anyone&rsquo;s toes.&rdquo;

This ability to optimise performance was crucial in winning the title. &ldquo;We weren&rsquo;t the quickest, but we managed to pick up more points than our rivals,&rdquo; Estre points out. Although the Frenchman and his two teammates brilliantly won two key races in Qatar and at Fuji, they especially showed remarkable consistency. Where others made mistakes, the trio of Vanthoor/Lotterer/Estre managed to fight their way onto the podium despite a lack of pure speed. &ldquo;When our performance perhaps merited a Top 5 position, we succeeded in climbing onto the podium. We always struck while the iron was hot, whereas others sometimes missed opportunities.&rdquo;

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<h2>A major title to crown an unforgettable season</h2>

&ldquo;We&rsquo;re world champions. It&rsquo;s my biggest title and we&#39;ve seen off some mind-blowing competition too,&rdquo; Estre insists, aware of the scale of the achievement. This season, where the competition has never been so ferocious, will remain etched in the racer&rsquo;s memory. Now a two-time world champion after adding the Hypercar title to his GT success, Estre looks to the future with determination. Winning the 24 Hours of Le Mans outright &ndash; his dream since starting out in endurance in 2015 &ndash; is still his goal.

In 2025, he will defend his title alongside de Vanthoor, with Matt Campbell joining the pair for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The schedule will be intense as it will also include the showpieces of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship such as Daytona, Sebring and Petit Le Mans. 
Estre and his teammates have shown this season that cohesion and consistency in this discipline are as precious as pure speed. Their exemplary 2024 campaign marks a new page in the history of international endurance.

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Kevin Estre (Porsche Penske Motorsport): “We always struck while the iron was hot”

Many drivers have begun their careers in single-seaters before heading to endurance, but&nbsp;Michael Schumacher is a notable exception since he competed in the 24 Hours of Le Mans before going into&nbsp;F1. Indeed, during the 1990 season of the World Sportscar&nbsp;Championship, the Sauber-Mercedes outfit decided to train three young drivers: Germans&nbsp;Heinz-Harald Frentzen and&nbsp;Michael Schumacher, and Austrian driver&nbsp;Karl Wendlinger. The following year, the latter two competed in the full season of the championship successfully with a win in Japan at&nbsp;Autopolis...before moving on to F1&hellip;

Photo:&nbsp;(Copyright - Christian Vignon/ACO): Michael Schumacher (at left) and&nbsp;Fritz Kreutspointner (at right) pose&nbsp;on their&nbsp;car.

24H LE MANS

Today's Photo Story - Michael Schumacher at the 1991 24 Hours of Le Mans

Related News

Alpine Endurance Team firmly focused on 2025

Can a driver race “single-handed” at the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Check out the Porsche LMP 2000 prototype that has never done the 24 Hours of Le Mans

Kevin Estre (Porsche Penske Motorsport): “We always struck while the iron was hot”

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