A heavy accident brought an abrupt end to the World Endurance Championship tenure of the #35 Alpine during the Monza 6 Hours when Charles Milesi suffered a massive off at Parabolica.
The Frenchman, sharing the #35 entry with Ferdinand Habsburg, was tracking a three-way battle involving the #20 BMW, the #83 Ferrari, and his sister #36 car when the rear snapped, prompting an immediate overcorrection.
The crash was eerily reminiscent of Charles Leclerc’s accident at the exact same spot during the Formula 1 Italian Grand Prix in September.
While the #35 Alpine was eliminated on the spot, Milesi emerged from the wreckage unhurt, though visibly bewildered by the shunt.
“It was 20G, so it was quite a big one. I’m a bit disappointed that we finished this race like this. That’s not the way I wanted to finish the program, and it looked quite promising for us,” Milesi said.
Asked whether dirty air played a role in the accident, he replied: “I don’t know exactly, I don’t really remember what happened in the car. I think I just lost the car when I was behind [the three other cars]. Maybe I lost a bit of downforce or something. Those cars are quite sensitive, so when you’re on the edge, you can easily lose everything.”
#35 Alpine Endurance Team Alpine A424: Ferdinand Habsburg, Charles Milesi
Photo by: Jakob Ebrey
Milesi acknowledged he would need to review the data to understand the cause, stating he is fully prepared to take the blame if it was a driver error: “That’s racing, but I’m a bit disappointed. We have to check what happened, but if it’s myself, I’ll be a bit disappointed with myself.”
Milesi and Habsburg had been fighting their way back from an 11th-place start, making steady progress while the sister #36 car battled at the sharp end of the field. Milesi was on the verge of closing in on the fight for the podium positions when the crash occurred.
Reflecting on Alpine’s final WEC appearance, Milesi added: “I would have preferred to have the two cars see the chequered flag and try to party a bit in a better way. We’ll still try to enjoy the last two hours of the race, and hopefully, we can get a podium with the #36.”
At the front, Victor Martins and Jules Gounon remain deeply entrenched in the fight for victory, locked in a battle against Cadillac, Ferrari, BMW, and Peugeot.
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