Alpine is hopeful that Ferdinand Habsburg will overcome the injuries caused by an accident during testing, allowing him to compete in the upcoming Spa race of the World Endurance Championship.
During the last weekend's WEC race at Imola, Alpine representatives suggested that Habsburg is likely to rejoin Charles Milesi and Paul-Loup Chatin in the #35 Alpine A424 LMDh for the 6 Hours of Spa on May 11. "We anticipate encouraging news from Ferdy this week," stated Philippe Sinault, director of the Signatech team that manages the Alpine vehicles. "We wish for him to rejoin us as soon as possible. Both his personal and medical situations are favorable," he explained.
Regarding Habsburg's participation in the competition in Belgium, Sinault indicated that a decision is imminent. "By the end of this week, we will have clearer details," he said. Although Habsburg's name will appear on the participant list for Spa, to be revealed this week, this does not confirm his presence in the vehicle for the third round of the WEC. He is currently awaiting medical clearance to return to racing after suffering fractures in two lumbar vertebrae at the MotorLand Aragón circuit at the end of March.
Prior to the Spa event, a series of assessments were scheduled to evaluate Habsburg's recovery from the accident, which occurred after a direct crash at Turn 7 of the Spanish track. Habsburg is not considered ready to compete a week before Spa at the Paul Ricard round of the European Le Mans Series, where he is contracted to the Cool Racing LMP2 team.
Chatin took his place in the Cool ORECA-Gibson 07 LMP2 at the ELMS opener in Barcelona this month, and then Jules Gounon, Alpine's official reserve driver, replaced him in the A424 at last weekend's Imola 6 Hours WEC round. Sinault confirmed that Habsburg's accident was due to a technical issue and not driver error. "Although we are still investigating, we identified a technical problem. Everything is under control now, and we have made substantial progress after the accident," he concluded.
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