Alpine: between past and future, the present is the A424
- Camilla Coletta
- Mar 18, 2024
- 2 min read
Alpine is one of the constructors who joined the WEC this year and did so with the LMDh A424, presented at Le Mans on 9 June 2023.
The History
Alpine is not a new face in the WEC, not even in the Hypercar category, in which they participated in 2021 and 2022 remaining with a LMP1 car (category ancestor of the HYP). The #36 numbered LMP1 was on track with a Gibson engine driven by Negrao, Lapierre and Vaxivierre. The 2021 car had a blue and white livery with the French tricolor crossing the hood and on the rear.
The team then retired at the end of the 2022 season to work on the LMDh project, a project that looks to the future, also useful for the development of hydrogen-powered cars of the future. In fact, Alpine, like other manufacturers, is working on the concept of the car that will take to the track and the road, approximately, in 2026, the concept of the French house is called Alpeneglow.
Body and engine lines
The prototype of the Transalpine House is 5,088m long, 1,992m wide and just over 1m high for a standard weight of 1030Kg. The body and chassis of the A424 are made of carbon honeycomb while the engine is a V8 9º biturbo 3.4L with a Bosch hybrid standard system. The transmission is X trac with the gear shift at the steering wheel with 7 gears plus reverse.
The livery
The livery of the A424 was presented together with the F1 livery, both designed by the Argentinian artist Felipe Pantone known for his graffiti and his analog-digital street art. The livery of the LMDh is dominated by the Alpine blue, decorated with the French tricolor on the lateral back part. The rear was, instead, left black with the logo of the House in white. Details were not left to chance, in fact, the rear lights have the shape of an A for the Alpine brand.
The team, numbers and drivers
The team that will manage the prototypes will be Alpine Endurance Team, at the wheel of the cars #35 and #36 there will be respectively: Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi on the first and Mick Schumacher, Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxivierre on the second. The reserve pilot will be Jules Gounon.
"By combining famous names, an unparalleled experience and the vigor and speed of youth, Alpine’s strength fears nothing and no one." You can read about its drivers on the Alpine website.
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