Milesi and Alpine looking for the next step forward in Texas
Charles Milesi will once again compete in the FIA WEC in the No. 35 Alpine A424 at the Circuit of The Americas this weekend alongside his teammates Paul Loup Chatin and Ferdinand Habsburg.
The Alpine trio have a best season finish of 7th in the opening race of 2024 in Qatar and another points scoring finish at Spa-Francorchamps.
“We have had some up and downs for sure,” Milesi said when asked how he would sum up the season so far. “A good first race in Qatar second one in Imola was not great. We had a better one in Spa. Le Mans was looking good, but then we had the issue we had on both cars, retiring after less than six hours was a bit difficult to digest.
“Sao Paulo was a race which was mainly to prove to us as drivers, and for the team, that we can do full race and not retire after three or four hours.
So how does Charles Milesi see the rest of the season going, starting this weekend with the Lone Star Le Mans event in Texas? “We know the weak points on the car and also the strong points on it. So, we're trying to work on it.
“We have some upgrades in the in the pocket, but it will be difficult to bring them before the end of the year. We hope that we'll be able to bring them, but it will be difficult, as the season is quite long, and we need to have all the parts ready for the race, not only for one car, but for both cars.
“The team is doing a good job trying to update this. Maybe you cannot really show it, because the results for the moment are not what we want, but we are making progress.”
Looking ahead to the race this weekend, what are Milesi’s thoughts on the 5.5km Circuit of The Americas? “It will be my first time racing at CoTA. I was not in the simulator for this track preparation with Alpine, so it will be full discover for me. I know that the track is quite bumpy, so it will be quite interesting.
“I think the first corner will be interesting because it's quite uphill. And I feel like it will be the same as Eau Rouge, you are looking up and say, well, it's quite high and I think it will be the same there. The first sector will be quite interesting to drive, with the S's and the fact that it's quite bumpy.”
The Lone Star Le Mans event will take place at the Circuit of The Americas in Texas this Sunday (1 September).