Alfa Romeo’s CEO has poured cold water on a potential return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans, in which he shares concerns of the economic climate not being right to pursue building a car to the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar regulations.
The WEC, which hosts the 24 Hours of Le Mans annually in a partnership between the FIA and the Automobile Club l’Ouest (ACO), has attracted several manufacturers to its Hypercar category.
Having succeeded the former LMP1 class, it showcases a diverse selection of the automotive world’s most prominent manufacturers such as Alpine from the Renault Group, Ferrari, Peugeot, Porsche, Toyota and more.
With Isotta Fraschini joining Lamborghini Iron Lynx and Ferrari AF Corse as a trio of Italian marques in the WEC Hypercar field, potential was further trailed onto the Stellantis-owned Alfa Romeo entering after they concluded their Formula 1 commitments at the end of the 2023 season.
With Alfa’s title sponsorship of the Sauber Formula 1 team having now concluded, there were suggestions of a return to Le Mans and sportscar racing. This ignited fan and industry interest in welcoming an iconic name back to the sportscar world.
However, speaking to French automotive website l’Argus, Chief Executive Officer Jean-Philippe Imparato said he is “not convinced by the economic equation”.
Furthermore, he observed the influx of manufacturers in the WEC and Le Mans posing a “trend towards inflation of expenses”, saying €250 million would be necessary to build a car and run a programme.
Alfa Romeo has recalled success at Le Mans in the 1930s, whereby they won the race on four occasions, and their aim to return to endurance racing is a potential focus for their future presence in motorsport.
When the original 33 Stradale was unveiled in the late 60s, they would go onto use the Tipo 33 name to enter sportscar racing over the course of the following decade.
They claimed victories in the World Sportscar Championship, and even finished 1-2-3 in the two-litre class at the 1968 24 Hours of Daytona, or positions fifth to seventh overall.
Their most recent example of a sportscar return was as a potential engine supplier to the former Glickenhaus outfit, before complications regarding Aston Martin’s demands about the power output limit returned repercussions for Jim Glickenhaus’ plans, and thus he sought to Pipo Moteurs to combine two four-cylinder rally engines.
With the bespoke outfit not competing anymore due to the costs, Alfa Romeo will need to look at how to fund a long-term presence on the grid, or if it’s even an option.
All of the Le Mans Hypercar grid in the WEC utilise hybrid powertrains, with it being a mandatory specification for the LMDh cars, as the non-hybrid approach by the likes of Glickenhaus and most recently the ByKolles outfit were unable to pursue competitive form. Ferrari, Peugeot — also Stellantis-owned — and Toyota are the three big car manufacturers competing with cars built to the LMH ruleset, while a number of other manufacturers have built cars according to the cheaper LMDh rules.
Having returned the 33 Stradale name into the 21st century, a step into sportscar racing could be an appealing next step, whether through Hypercar or the widely renowned GT3 formulas.
MotorsportWeek.com has contacted Alfa Romeo for comment and will update this article if or when we hear back.
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