WEC: Da Costa has signed a contract with Alpine Endurance Team

WEC: Da Costa has signed a contract with Alpine Endurance Team

      António Félix da Costa returns to the WEC after a two-year break: the 34-year-old Portuguese driver has signed with the Alpine factory team and will drive one of its hypercars next season.

      It is not the first time he has combined competing in Formula E, where he moved to Jaguar, with endurance racing; in the past he did so very successfully and in 2022 won the world championship in LMP2 with Jota. He also drove a car from that British team of a higher class: in 2023 it was already the Porsche 963 hypercar, so LMDh machinery is also familiar to him.

      António Félix da Costa: “I am happy to join the Alpine Endurance Team. Returning to the World Endurance Championship was one of my main goals, and I am very pleased to be doing it as part of an ambitious factory team that is currently fighting for strong results in the WEC.

      This team competes at a very high level and recently took its maiden victory with its A424 hypercar, so now is the perfect time to start our collaboration.

      Everyone knows about my passionate love for endurance racing. I have worked hard to become a well-rounded WEC driver, and after winning the world championship in LMP2 my task now is to contribute to Alpine’s success in the top Hypercar category.”

      News of da Costa’s negotiations with Alpine emerged back in the summer, as changes are taking place within Renault’s factory team. French driver Paul-Loup Chatin is leaving, and Mick Schumacher’s further participation is also in doubt, as he recently carried out tests in the IndyCar series.

      António already drove the Alpine A424 in yesterday’s tests held at Le Mans on the Bugatti circuit, and his participation in the November rookie tests in Bahrain is also planned.

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"To be completely honest, it's not something I'm focused on at all," the Frenchman stated. "This is the right approach for McLaren. I don’t have an opinion on it—it's up to them." Verstappen's commanding performance in Texas has reduced Piastri's lead to just 40 points, with Norris also closing the gap. However, Piastri dismissed the notion of elevating one driver over the other. 

"I don’t think that's the case," the Australian said. "We're still incredibly close, and we've both expressed a desire to compete for the championship because we both deserve it. It’s too tight to start favoring one driver over the other." Team principal Andrea Stella concurred, indicating that McLaren will only interfere if the situation calls for it mathematically. 

"If a decision needs to be made, it will be purely based on the mathematics," Stella confirmed. "I can recall the years 2007 and 2010, where the third-place driver ended up winning the championship on the last race. We won't shut the door unless the math dictates it." 

Verstappen’s recent performance—gaining 23 points on Piastri in Austin alone—has added pressure on McLaren, with Dr. Helmut Marko suggesting that Red Bull has "another car update in the pipeline." Nonetheless, Stella emphasized the need for the team to remain composed. 

"First and foremost, I need to keep calm myself," he said. "What we’re currently experiencing—an intense battle for wins and the Drivers' Championship—is precisely what Formula 1 represents. It was unusual for us to achieve P1 and P2 so easily in Barcelona, Bahrain, and several other venues. Now it's about adapting to this level of pressure and managing it with maximum intensity but minimal stress." 

He added, "We don’t want to lose the enjoyment of what we do. It’s a privilege to be in this position, one that is the result of the hard work from the team and both drivers. Our approach going forward is straightforward: continue performing well, and the results will come." 

Despite Verstappen’s efforts, Stella refuted suggestions that McLaren is losing grip in the battle. "The fact that we still have five races and two sprints means we could potentially widen the gap to Verstappen," he noted. "We view the upcoming races as an opportunity to extend that gap." Despite Max Verstappen's title challenge intensifying the championship race, McLaren remains steadfast in their stance that neither Oscar Piastri nor Lando Norris will be designated as the 'number 1' driver. Red Bull’s Laurent Mekies commented after the Austin race that McLaren’s consideration of this issue is "exactly what they should be doing." "To be completely honest, it's not something I'm focused on at all," the Frenchman stated. "This is the right approach for McLaren. I don’t have an opinion on it—it's up to them." Verstappen's commanding performance in Texas has reduced Piastri's lead to just 40 points, with Norris also closing the gap. However, Piastri dismissed the notion of elevating one driver over the other. "I don’t think that's the case," the Australian said. "We're still incredibly close, and we've both expressed a desire to compete for the championship because we both deserve it. It’s too tight to start favoring one driver over the other." Team principal Andrea Stella concurred, indicating that McLaren will only interfere if the situation calls for it mathematically. "If a decision needs to be made, it will be purely based on the mathematics," Stella confirmed. "I can recall the years 2007 and 2010, where the third-place driver ended up winning the championship on the last race. We won't shut the door unless the math dictates it." Verstappen’s recent performance—gaining 23 points on Piastri in Austin alone—has added pressure on McLaren, with Dr. Helmut Marko suggesting that Red Bull has "another car update in the pipeline." Nonetheless, Stella emphasized the need for the team to remain composed. "First and foremost, I need to keep calm myself," he said. "What we’re currently experiencing—an intense battle for wins and the Drivers' Championship—is precisely what Formula 1 represents. It was unusual for us to achieve P1 and P2 so easily in Barcelona, Bahrain, and several other venues. Now it's about adapting to this level of pressure and managing it with maximum intensity but minimal stress." He added, "We don’t want to lose the enjoyment of what we do. It’s a privilege to be in this position, one that is the result of the hard work from the team and both drivers. Our approach going forward is straightforward: continue performing well, and the results will come." Despite Verstappen’s efforts, Stella refuted suggestions that McLaren is losing grip in the battle. "The fact that we still have five races and two sprints means we could potentially widen the gap to Verstappen," he noted. "We view the upcoming races as an opportunity to extend that gap." Formula 1 | Ferrari team principal Frederic Vasseur expresses his appreciation for John Elkann's public endorsement—not due to a need for validation, but because it should (…)

WEC: Da Costa has signed a contract with Alpine Endurance Team

António Félix da Costa returns to the WEC: the 34-year-old Portuguese driver has signed a contract with Alpine's factory team...