After a podium finish in the 24 Hours of Le Mans on its return to the top-flight category, Alpine continues its ascent by entering the Hypercar class in 2024.
Alpine has opted for the LMDh regulations. The team will rely on Signatech's savoir-faire and synergies with Alpine F1 Team to excel at the highest level of endurance racing.
Alpine remains loyal to endurance racing, a discipline in which the brand has enjoyed some of its greatest successes, with victory in the 1978 24 Hours of Le Mans and the LMP2 world titles in 2016 and 2019.
Forty-three years after its historic win and a few weeks after its podium finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Alpine confirms the extension of its endurance programme. The brand will compete in the premier class from 2024 in LMDh.
Since Alpine's return to endurance racing in 2013 in partnership with Signatech, the victories have come one after another. First in the European Le Mans Series (ELMS) with the drivers' and teams' titles in 2013 and 2014. Then on the world stage in the FIA WEC, with two titles (2016 and 2019) and three wins at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the very competitive LMP2 category (2016, 2018 and 2019), plus a podium in the Hypercar category this year.
More than ever, Alpine wants to add new entries to its list of achievements. From 2024 onwards, Alpine will enter the LMDh, one of the two regulations of the Hypercar category. Alpine will field two cars designed around an Oreca chassis and, above all, an Alpine engine developed at Viry-Châtillon. The power unit will benefit from all the expertise acquired in Formula 1.
The complementarity between endurance racing and Formula 1 is an important asset of Alpine's new endurance programme. In addition to the engine, the bodywork will benefit from Enstone's expertise in aerodynamics, a central element in motorsport. This engine, chassis and bodywork combination will benefit from all the technical expertise of Signatech and Alpine F1 Team to achieve a level of performance that will allow it to fight at the sharp end of the order.
Laurent Rossi: "Alpine's Endurance programme highlights the brand's commitment and ambition to motorsport. By competing in both Formula 1 and Endurance, Alpine will be one of the rare brands competing in both of motorsport's pinnacles. We will get the best out of Formula 1 and Endurance racing through technical and technological synergies to get the edge over prestigious rivals."
Entering the LMDh fits both a sporting and economic reasoning for Alpine. Thanks to the new regulations established by the ACO, Alpine will compete on equal terms with its rivals for the overall victory. The LMDh economic model is virtuous, as it facilitates the sale of cars to customer teams. This scheme allows Alpine to secure its commitment to endurance racing for four years.
Philippe Sinault: "Signatech is extremely proud to have been chosen by Alpine for its entry into LMDh. It represents the culmination of a joint project that began eight years ago. More than ever, we have great ambitions and we are happy to take our collaboration to another level. After a 32-year career in motorsport, I am looking forward to challenging the most prestigious constructors in the world with Alpine, a brand that conveys passion and only lives for victory."
Awaited by fans worldwide, this entry into the top endurance category is in keeping with the brand's DNA. Alpine took part in the 24 Hours of Le Mans eleven times between 1963 and 1978. While the "Arrowed A" brand was an outsider, it won the Index of Thermal Efficiency in 1964, 1966 and 1968, and the Index of Performance in 1968 and 1969. In addition, Alpine claimed ten class victories and most importantly, the overall win in 1978 with the Alpine A442B driven by Jean-Pierre Jaussaud and Didier Pironi.
Alpine and its partner Signatech have started thinking about the continuation of the Endurance programme until 2024. The brand wants to remain involved in the FIA World Endurance Championship in order to best prepare for its arrival in LMDh in 2024.
