Alpine has officially launched their 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship Hypercar campaign in tandem with their FIA Formula 1 World Championship programme at their Enstone factory.
After months of testing their A424 LMDh, which uses a modified turbocharged Mecachrome engine and a chassis developed by Oreca, the Signatech Alpine endurance outfit has unveiled their entrant into the top-tier Hypercar category.
Throughout the testing phase, their two A424s have featured the blue liveries with which it will carry throughout its maiden campaign, now with the respective decals.
Alpine are one of three debuting Hypercar teams in 2024, as Isotta Fraschini and Lamborghini Iron Lynx will each field one Hypercar, and Alpine initially undertook the maiden 2021 and 2022 Hypercar seasons with a ‘grandfathered’ Rebellion R13 LMP1.
“We are writing the next lines of the history of Alpine in Endurance,” said Philippe Sinault, team principal of the Alpine Endurance Team.
“We must be humble, but ambitious for our project. We experienced big changes and a huge step forward as a team.
“To reveal our Hypercar for the 2024 season alongside our drivers is truly a special moment.
“We will learn to use the technical package, rely on our drivers’ experience, be reliable and, of course, finish the races.
“I think it’s difficult to say if we will go for the win this year, but we are hungry for good results, and expecting to shine quickly with everything we have put in place.”
Alpine has confirmed which cars all six drivers will compete in the 2024 FIA WEC season, which includes the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 15-16 June.
In the #35, Paul Loup Chatin marks his return to the French make since winning his first European Le Mans Series title with them 10 years prior, and will join Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg for the venture.
The sibling #36 A424 will feature Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxiviere, and for his endurance racing debut, Mick Schumacher.
Furthermore, GT racing sensation Jules Gounon will join the team as their reserve driver.
Vice-president of Alpine Motorsports, Bruno Famin, added: “It’s a great moment for Alpine Motorsports to come together and officially present its programmes for the 2024 season.
“It is certainly a unique moment to have both the A524 Formula 1 car and A424 Hypercar along with all the drivers in the same room as both projects prepare for what will undoubtedly be a busy and intense 2024 year.
“To see both the real cars here today is testament to all the hard work conducted behind the scenes at our factories from our thousands of talented employees in the United Kingdom and in France.
“The next stage on our journey is deploying everything to the track, applying operational excellence across the board and growing a greater dynamic and mindset from all our teams.
“We are all very much looking forward to continuing the hard work to bring the Alpine name success.”
The 2024 season will begin on 24-25 February with the two-day-long pre-season test, respectively called the Prologue, in Qatar.
On the following weekend, on 2 March, the season-opener will take place with an 1812 km race around the Qatari Losail International Circuit.
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