Nicolas Lapierre (sports director Alpine) : “This role suits me well”

Nicolas lapierre, how is your first week of racing going in your new role as sports director ofAlpine Endurance Team ?

It's super interesting. I'm not discovering the universe, because I already knew it, but I'm still discovering the tasks I have to accomplish. It's a new role in the team, tailor-made. This role suits me well. I'm the link between the drivers and the technical team with a car that I know well for having participated in the development. I'm in a familiar environment.

What are your tasks in the garage during the race and other sessions?

Before the sessions, I decide with the technical team the drivers' program, how to distribute the technical choices on the cars, as well as the choice of which driver will do the qualifying and the Hyperpole. I am in contact with the drivers to know how they feel, what is their feeling with the car. In the race, I will be an integral part of the strategy with my driver's eye.

Don't you miss it too much when you see the car running on the track?

I'm too busy for that! It was pretty clear in my head that I wanted to turn the page when I was going to stop, in order to really focus on these tasks. To tell you the truth, I didn't even take out a driver's license again for this year! I really enjoyed this role with my own team (CLX Motorsport. Ed.) and that's why I decided to take this turn so early in my career.

How do you judge your drivers' approach for this new season?

The overall dynamic of the team has changed a bit. One of the missions of the winter was to put everyone in the same frame. The first year was very positive, especially the second part. This season, we want to aim higher and for that everyone must pull in the same direction. The choice of crews also took this into account with six drivers who are really concerned as well as a reserve driver who knows the car well (Matthieu Vaxiviere. Editor's note) and ready to replace one of the regulars. The balance is good. The contribution of Frédéric (Makowiecki, defector from Porsche. Ed.) is also very important. He has a great motivation and desire to do well. He was my perfect replacement.

Frédéric Makowiecki is lined up in the n°36, the one which probably has the least Endurance in sport-proto with Mick Schumacher (only one season in Hypercar) and Jules Gounon (four races in Hypercar last season), was it a desire on your part to place him in a role of road captain?

The choice of crews was rather made by focusing first on the n°35 (Charles Milesi, Ferdinand Habsburg, Paul-Loup Chatin), which had a superb season last year. They were not necessarily in the spotlight, but they drove very well, without making any mistakes and they finished ahead of the n°36 in the championship. The idea was not to break their dynamic. That is what dictated our initial choice. On the other car, we felt that the three personalities were very compatible.

You brought a joker to the car during the off-season, did the Prologue corroborate what you have tested in recent months?

All the improvements made are paying off so far. It was a good Prologue, without any technical issues. It allowed us to cover a lot of ground. It is difficult to draw conclusions from these tests with changing conditions and without really knowing what the competition is doing.

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