Ferdinand Habsburg (Alpine): “Time is running out”

Like his colleagues at Alpine/Signatech, Ferdinand Habsburg is waiting for news regarding the team’s future. “There’s nothing new yet. But we know that a lot of hard work is going into securing the future with another car manufacturer,” says the Austrian.

Although time is running out, Habsburg is not giving up hope: “We’re a big team with three years’ worth of development work on the hypercar. It would be a shame if all that were to disappear.” And he knows that time is running out: “The problem is the timeframe: there are deadlines for homologation, regulations, entry deadlines and so on. All of this has to be sorted out, and time is running out.”

His focus is clearly on staying in the WEC, says the Salzburg-born driver. “To be honest, I don’t yet know how it can work out. It’s also clear that IMSA remains an option.” He was back in action for Era at the Road America Grand Prix last weekend and, having finished third in the previous race at Watkins Glen, was disappointed this time because, following some problems, he could only manage tenth place.

Commenting on the situation at Alpine ahead of the Lone Star Le Mans in Austin in a month’s time, Habsburg says: “We’re giving it everything we’ve got and holding nothing back. Our problem is that sometimes we’re really quick and sometimes we’re not, because our operating window isn’t wide enough. We run into trouble when the tyre compound is right but the temperature changes and it simply stops performing optimally. That’s why our aim is to maximise our potential – and thereby secure the team’s long-term future.”

The 29-year-old is also impressed by how quickly WEC newcomer Genesis has closed the gap on the leading teams: “We need to look at how Genesis is doing it. They’re not yet strong in every area, but it’s impressive how quickly they’ve closed the gap. They’re having a sensational rookie season.” As well as the remaining WEC races, Habsburg’s schedule also includes the ELMS rounds at Spa, Silverstone and the Algarve.