Alpine, the French carmaker, has revealed the appearance of its A424 Hypercar at its Enstone headquarters in the United Kingdom for this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship. The brand’s top-level programs were launched simultaneously with the unveiling of its latest Formula 1 car, the A524.
Renault’s sporting brand, Alpine, is making a comeback in the Hypercar class of the FIA WEC with two A424s operated by the Signatech team. The A424 is a prototype based on an LMP2 chassis from ORECA, equipped with a 3.4-liter turbo V6 Mecachrome engine.
During the conference, Bruno Famin, vice president of Alpine Motorsport, introduced the two cars to the media and fans via a live stream. He expressed his pride in Alpine being one of only two manufacturers, along with Ferrari, to have cars in both Formula 1 and endurance racing.
The A424 is scheduled to make its global racing debut at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar next month, marking the beginning of the 2024 WEC season. Unlike other LMDh prototypes, it will not compete in IMSA’s GTP class this year.
For this season, the No. 35 car will be driven by Paul Loup Chatin, Charles Milesi, and Ferdinand Habsburg, while Nicolas Lappiere, Mick Schumacher, and Matthieu Vaxiviere will be behind the wheel of the No. 36 car.
Jules Gounon has been appointed as a reserve driver for the program. He was recently announced as a factory driver for Mercedes-AMG, primarily participating in GT3 competitions. Gounon’s role could be crucial as Mick Schumacher, who is also a reserve driver for the Mercedes-AMG Formula 1 team, will prioritize his duties with Mercedes-AMG over his commitments with Alpine in the WEC.
