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Teammate Habsburg explains: This is how we beat Mick Schumacher
Teammate Habsburg explains: This is how we beat Mick Schumacher
In the end it was a surprise: Although the Alpine #36 (Lapierre/Schumacher/Vaxiviere) was the better placed car from the Signatech camp for a long time, in the end the #35 (Chatin/Habsburg /Milesi) is ahead. This was made possible by a fuel-saving tactic that allowed a pit stop to be avoided, explains Ferdinand Habsburg.
“It just so happened that I saved a hell of a lot of fuel in the first stint and we decided to carry on like that,” Habsburg tells Motorsport.com , the global sister portal of Motorsport-Total.com .
“That wasn’t the original plan, but it seemed like the right thing to do and it paid off. We knew we didn’t have the pace of the leaders, so we just tried to do one more lap each stint.”
The Alpine #35 only made nine pit stops during the ten-hour race – one on the hour. While the normal stint length in the race with all green is 32 laps, the #35 drove 33 or 34 laps in eight out of ten stints.
But there was still a catch: Charles Milesi had to drive a 35-lap stint at the end of the race. The young Frenchman succeeded and crossed the finish line in eighth place – ahead of a Toyota. “It was a great achievement to cross the finish line with both cars, but having one in eighth place is a real bonus,” he says, without going into detail about his fuel economy.
Habsburg added: “It’s a bit like climbing a mountain from the bottom. As an Austrian, I’ve climbed many and I can assure you that it’s an incredible feeling when you’re at the top. That’s how I feel now !”
“I was a bit nervous, but I knew I was in the right place with the right people. We had an excellent strategy and an almost flawless run to achieve this result, which we are very happy with.”
Paul-Loup Chatin speaks of a “good race, and I’m happy for the team, which has done a great job over the past two years to provide us with a competitive and reliable car from the first race. I don’t think anyone knows how much work goes into it behind the scenes.”
“It was important not to make mistakes and see where it takes us. In the end we were the best of the rookies and eighth out of 19 Hypercars, ahead of some big names in the championship. These first points are just great and reward the effort of the entire team.”
Speed appropriate for the first race
Team boss Philippe Sinault added: “We knew that a 10-hour race on a new track would be a challenge, but we are happy with this performance. We drove a clean race and to finish with both cars, one of them in the top 10 is a great achievement.”
“After these ten intensive days in Qatar, the foundation has been laid. We have taken another step forward, but we know that there is still a long way to go. We must continue to learn and gain know-how and experience in every area. ”
The speed was not yet at the level of the leaders Porsche and Peugeot, which would have been unreasonable in the first race. With 1,070 kilograms and 693 hp peak power, the Alpine A424 was on the heavy side as a new vehicle.
Nevertheless, Milesi gives hope: “Our pace looks promising compared to some other manufacturers. That is promising for the future, even if there is still a lot to learn and understand.”
Habsburg sees it differently: “We have to accept the lack of pace, because that’s to be expected with such a new car. But the positive thing is that we as drivers didn’t make any mistakes and performed strongly as a team.”
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Ferrari warned Lewis Hamilton will cause internal drama
A former Ferrari engineer has criticised the decision to bring in Lewis Hamilton and thinks the Brit’s presence will mean “a lot of potential for drama”.
At the age of 40, seven-time Formula 1 champion Hamilton will form a formidable driver partnership with Charles Leclerc. His big switch comes at the expense of Carlos Sainz, who has performed well for the Italian squad but who was axed so they had room for their blockbuster new signing.
But not everyone of a Ferrari persuasion is convinced that it will go well. Ernest Knoors, who spent many years as an engineer at Maranello, specialising in power units, worries that Hamilton’s presence could do more harm than good for a team that is finding its groove under Frederic Vasseur.
“A big name like Hamilton also brings a lot of politics and if politics within Ferrari are not managed well, then there is a lot of potential for drama,” he told Formule1.nl. “Hamilton has the tendency that if things do not work out, he turns his whole car upside down and starts experimenting.
“Ferrari believes very much in the big personalities and will follow him. But Hamilton is just someone you have to guide a little bit and not give the freedom to rebuild the whole car, because then it will go completely wrong. So I do not know if it is such a smart move, but of course it is nice for the sport.”
News of Hamilton’s planned move broke on February 1, coinciding with football’s Transfer Deadline Day. That the back pages of many newspapers were dominated by the decision of Hamilton to swap Mercedes for Ferrari was testament to the magnitude of the announcement.
Sainz was not surprised as he had been informed by his team of the plan ahead of it being made public. But the Spaniard responded well with two victories to date this season and five further appearances on the podium, on the way to what looks likely to be a fifth-placed finish in the championship – two spots and 54 points ahead of Hamilton.
Sainz has signed for Williams next year and, after several years of running at the front of the grid, will focus on his new challenge of helping restore one of the grid’s most historic teams to its former glory. But Knoors believes he should have been kept on by Ferrari instead.
The Dutchman added: “I see Lewis Hamilton’s arrival at Ferrari more as a PR move. With all due respect, Hamilton is not going to take that Ferrari from P6 to P1. He will get the most out of it, but what Ferrari has to do is make that car faster. And if you make that car faster, you can easily drive at the front with the current line-up.
“Besides, as a team you have to look further on the horizon. If Hamilton becomes champion in the coming years, he and Ferrari will become immortal. But if you want to build a team with talent for the next five years, are you going to build on Hamilton? No, because he will really be finished after two or three years. That is why I would have kept the very strong line-up that Ferrari has now.”
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Listen to Chase Elliott, No. 9 team react to pace car crash at Phoenix in 2024
Chase Elliott had a front-row seat for one of NASCAR’s most bizarre moments of the 2024 Cup Series season. At the start of Stage 2, the pace car dove onto pit road in front of Elliott; however, it was a tad too late. The pace car made contact with the sand barrels at the entry of pit road and caused a red flag for cleanup.
Initially, there was some speculation on the NBC Sports broadcast, even from the No. 9 team, that Elliott made contact with the pace car. Fortunately, the pace car didn’t slide across the No. 9 car’s nose, but it undoubtedly provided one of NASCAR’s craziest red flag moments in recent memory.
Below, you can listen to Elliott and the No. 9 team react to the pace car crashing into the sand barrels on pit road at Phoenix during Championship Weekend!
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Dale Earnhardt Jr. Exposes NASCAR’s Hidden Truth: The Pressure Turns Champions Miserable
Reflecting on the recent retirement of 2017 NASCAR Cup Series champion Martin Truex Jr., Earnhardt didn’t mince words about the toll NASCAR takes on its drivers. Speaking candidly, the two-time Daytona 500 winner admitted that the pressure to perform every week left him feeling miserable for most of his racing career—a sentiment he believes is shared by many of his peers.
“Right or wrong, racing made me a miserable person 90% of the time,” Earnhardt confessed. “And him too. I mean, ask Kyle Busch, ask anybody—unless you’re winning, you’re not happy.”
For these elite drivers, the sport is a relentless grind. A podium finish might bring temporary relief, but anything short of victory is often a source of frustration. The immense effort poured into preparation and execution rarely feels like it pays off unless the checkered flag is theirs.
Earnhardt highlighted the mental toll of falling short, explaining how the relentless focus on winning can overshadow the joy of simply competing. Even a solid performance feels hollow compared to the euphoria of a win.
“Unless you’re winning, you’re not happy at all,” he said. “You’re okay with a good run, but for the most part, all the effort it takes just to run good—it doesn’t weigh out.”
For drivers, the stakes are sky-high every week. Sponsors, fans, and teams demand nothing less than excellence, leaving little room for error or personal satisfaction in anything less than a dominant performance.
Earnhardt also shared insights into his friendship with Martin Truex Jr., who recently announced his retirement. While the two often spend time hunting together during NASCAR’s off-season, Earnhardt noted that the stress of racing even creeps into their leisure activities.
“When I’m with him during hunting season, it’s always in the back of his mind,” Earnhardt said. “It’s that stressful part of the year when he’s as miserable as he’s going to be.”
Now, with Truex stepping away from the track, Earnhardt looks forward to seeing a lighter, happier version of his long-time friend. Without the weight of weekly competition hanging over him, Truex might finally be able to relax and enjoy the outdoor lifestyle he cherishes.
“It’ll be fun to see him loosen up,” Earnhardt added.
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