Alpine reserve driver Jules Gounon will replace Paul-Loup Chatin at the Signatech-run team for the Fuji 6 Hours round of the World Endurance Championship.
Alpine made the announcement on Friday ahead of next week’s race, explaining that plans for Gounon’s outing had been made prior to the season with the team's sole motive being giving the 29-year-old Frenchman more experience.
“Jules Gounon will exceptionally take the wheel from Paul-Loup Chatin to join Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg during the #6HFuji,” the team said in a statement on social media.
“Agreed upon even before the season started, this switch gives the team’s reserve driver the opportunity to continue his Hypercar training.
“Paul-Loup Chatin will naturally rejoin the No. 35 crew for the 8 Hours of Bahrain.”
Having raced in GTs since 2016, Gounon has less sportscar experience, although his only full-time season in IMSA was successful.
Taking place last year in the GTD Pro class at the wheel of a WeatherTech Racing-run Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo, the campaign yielded the championship’s runner-up spot for Gounon and his team-mate Dani Juncadella.
Furthermore, Gounon has already taken part in two WEC races with Alpine this year, having stood in for an injured Ferdinand Habsburg at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps after the Austrian fractured two vertebrae in a testing crash.
Alpine achieved its best result of the 2024 WEC season so far last weekend at the Circuit of The Americas, courtesy of the #35 car shared by Chatin, Milesi and Habsburg finishing fifth.
Meanwhile, the sister A424 was ninth under the chequered flag, with Nicolas Lapierre, Mick Schumacher and Matthieu Vaxiviere recording just their second points score of the year.
“It's been a surprisingly positive weekend, given all the other teams tested in Austin,” Habsburg said following the Austin race. “Despite our lack of experience, there was good communication between the drivers and engineers, which led us to make some sound decisions on strategy and set-up.”
“There are a lot of positives to take from fifth place in such a tough field, but there's still a lot of work to do if we want to win,” Chatin added. “Let's savour the moment without forgetting about our future goals.”
