WEC: Da Costa firmó un contrato con Alpine Endurance Team

WEC: Da Costa firmó un contrato con Alpine Endurance Team

      António Félix da Costa regresa al WEC tras un paréntesis de dos años: el piloto portugués de 34 años ha firmado un contrato con el equipo oficial Alpine y la próxima temporada pilotará uno de sus hipercoches.

      No es la primera vez que compagina las actuaciones en la Fórmula E, donde se incorporó a Jaguar, con las carreras de resistencia; además, antes lo hizo con bastante éxito y en 2022, junto con Jota, ganó el campeonato mundial en la categoría LMP2. También pilotó un coche de ese equipo británico de una categoría superior: en 2023 ya fue el hipercoche Porsche 963, por lo que la tecnología de la categoría LMDh también le es familiar.

      António Félix da Costa: «Estoy feliz de unirme al Alpine Endurance Team. Volver al campeonato mundial de carreras de resistencia era uno de mis objetivos principales, y me hace mucha ilusión hacerlo con un equipo oficial ambicioso que ahora compite en el WEC por resultados destacados.

      Este equipo compite a un nivel muy alto y recientemente logró la victoria debut con su hipercoche A424, así que ahora es el momento ideal para comenzar nuestra colaboración.

      Todo el mundo conoce mi apasionado amor por las carreras de resistencia. He trabajado duro para convertirme en un piloto de WEC completo y, tras ganar el campeonato mundial en LMP2, mi tarea ahora es contribuir al éxito de Alpine en la máxima categoría Hypercar».

      Se supo de las negociaciones de da Costa con Alpine ya en verano, dado que en la estructura del equipo oficial del grupo Renault se están produciendo cambios. Del equipo sale el piloto francés Paul-Loup Chatin, y también está en duda la continuidad de Mick Schumacher, que recientemente realizó pruebas en la serie IndyCar.

      António ya pilotó el Alpine A424 en los test de ayer, celebrados en Le Mans en el trazado Bugatti, y también está prevista su participación en las pruebas de novatos de noviembre, que se celebrarán en Baréin.

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I think the most important part of the race was the first stint, when I managed to create a small gap, because after the pit stop everything mostly stabilized and I simply drove to the finish. I think it was very important to manage the tyres correctly, and that wasn't easy, because on some laps there were some odd sensations related to balance and grip. Overall, it was one of those days when you just have to try not to make mistakes, drive as consistently as possible and avoid the bumps. But we won again, and that can be considered an incredible achievement. Question: You mentioned tyre work: after the sprint you said you couldn't confidently judge the intensity of their wear. How did the tyres perform over the 56-lap Grand Prix distance? Max Verstappen: I think today the tyres worked somewhat better, although perhaps still not as well as I would have liked. But nevertheless we won, and that's of course the most important thing. Question: How much harder do you think it would have been if Charles Leclerc hadn't passed Lando Norris at the start? Max Verstappen: I think the battle would have been extremely tight. In my view, whenever the track ahead of Lando was clear, we ran at practically the same pace. Maybe at certain moments he was quicker. Overall, at the finish the gap between our cars would have been minimal. Question: Considering the speed your car is now capable of, and the fact that you beat Oscar Piastri by 30 seconds at this circuit, what do you think about the remaining rounds of the championship? Max Verstappen: I think that to have a chance at the title we must execute all the remaining races perfectly. Yes, we have significantly reduced the deficit, but since the difference in car performance is very small, each weekend you have to try to do everything as correctly as possible — that's exactly what we are trying to do. Question: Over the last four rounds you have taken 64 points back from Oscar, who leads the championship. On which of the remaining five tracks are you most likely to be able to fight for wins? Max Verstappen: I don't know. As I said, the rivalry is getting very fierce, and you just have to pay maximum attention to all the details — that's what the end result depends on. Each weekend you must try to set the car up as best as possible and also avoid mistakes. That's exactly how we're trying to operate. Question: Next up is the Mexican Grand Prix, and the Autódromo Hermanos Rodríguez is located at high altitude and the weather is expected to be very hot. How well do you think your car will cope with those conditions? Max Verstappen: We'll find out the whole truth next weekend. I'm not thinking about it yet. You can speculate, but I don't like doing that. Question: After the Zandvoort round you were 104 points behind Oscar, the championship leader. 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WEC: Da Costa firmó un contrato con Alpine Endurance Team

WEC: Da Costa firmó un contrato con Alpine Endurance Team