Alpine’s Hypercar reserve driver Jules Gounon is eager to soak up as much information and track time as possible this weekend in Fuji. The Frenchman — who was thrown in at the deep end as the substitute for the injured Ferdinand Habsburg earlier this year at Imola and Spa — is back for a third start in the No. 35 A424 and senses a prime opportunity to impress.
In April when he received the call to race in Italy following Habsburg’s crash in testing, the situation was far from ideal. He lacked track time and the Signatech-run Alpine effort was still finding its feet with its new car.
Now, though, at the back end of the campaign, Gounon rejoins the team at an exciting moment, fresh from its best result of the season just two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas. There the A424 took a real step forward in performance terms and the No. 35 finished fifth.
“Everything was not ready for my debut, I had only one test day in the car before I arrived in Imola and everything was new,” he reflected in conversation with RACER. “I didn’t adapt to the systems and I didn’t do any work beforehand because I wasn’t expecting to drive. It was difficult, especially as I didn’t have any relevant downforce experience before in single-seaters or anything like that. All I did was one LMP2 test to convince Alpine to give me a reserve role!
“Spa was better, but still hard. All I had was 10 laps in each practice session and then in the races I did 45 minutes in Imola because of the changing conditions and in Spa, I did 50 minutes because of the red flag. It’s not a lot, so I’m definitely not where I want to be yet.
“However, coming back I can see a lot of progress since my last race, definitely,” he said. “Everyone has worked hard and it shows. The car feels much better, more consistent and more natural. The systems are better and that’s the key. There’s still a disadvantage compared to Porsche and Ferrari, who have more cars running and more time to analyze. But we all have the goal of building this.”
Better still, he has had ample time to mentally prepare for this cameo at Fuji in the seat usually occupied by Paul-Loup Chatin. To aid his development, this appearance was written into his contract before the season began, he’s had the weekend circled in his calendar for months.
What would a strong performance on Sunday mean for his future? Right now, there are no guarantees, but a standout performance would surely improve his chances of securing a full-time Hypercar drive in the future.
Taking that step will not be easy, though Gounon has both the ability and a résumé that speaks for itself. During his time as a Mercedes-AMG factory driver, he has racked up Spa 24 Hours, Rolex 24 At Daytona and Bathurst 12 Hour wins to his name, as well as a pair of World Challenge Europe titles. Now he has an eye on what’s next.
Thus, he is grateful that Mercedes-AMG — a brand that aspires to compete in the FIA WEC but doesn’t currently have a program — has been so accommodating, allowing him to explore a future in Hypercar by adding this reserve role at Alpine to his ongoing GT racing commitments.
“We are definitely in the golden era for endurance racing, with so many factories and pro drivers. I want to be a part of that going forward,” Gounon said when asked about his ambition to race in the WEC’s top class. “At the same time, I still have a contract with Mercedes until the end of next year, so I know I will still be doing GT racing. If one day I get the chance (in Hypercar), I will take it, but I will definitely not stop GT racing.
“For now though, my goal is to not let my teammates down. I know what I can deliver in terms of performance in a prototype like this, but I am not there yet. I’m not seconds off; I just need to find the final few tenths. I don’t feel like I am on trial with the team, instead, I am on trial with myself and I want to show what I can do and impress.
“With the team in the position it is in now, we hope to score more points and make a strong statement. I want to be a part of that. Every weekend comes with new challenges. Hopefully, we can face them.”