The Alpine Endurance Team has officially unveiled its A424, the LMDh hybrid prototype with which it will return to action in the first category of the FIA World Endurance Championship.
The shapes of the car were shown last June and from the summer of 2023 the car began to take its first steps by carrying out tests and trials of all kinds to present itself ready for its debut in the Hypercar Class.
The French company did things in a big way on the day in which it also chose to present the A524 Formula 1 single-seater to the world, with the drivers of the two World Championships reunited in a historic event, where the new liveries created by the artist Felipe stand out first and foremost Pantone.
For the hybrid prototype, the beautiful blue with black central insert and the tricolor flag of France represented faded on the rear is confirmed.
The transalpines have also defined the crews that will board the two cars prepared and managed on the track by Team Signatech: on the #35 we will have the young and confirmed Charles Milesi together with the two new additions, Ferdinand Habsburg and Paul-Loup Chatin, while the # 36 will see the highly anticipated Mick Schumacher at work, supported by the experts Nicolas Lapierre and Matthieu Vaxivière.
Jules Gounon, one of the best drivers in the GT scene, has been chosen for the reserve role, and will share duties with Mercedes, where he has been confirmed for the programs with the AMG GT3.
Alpine A424 Hypercar
Photo by: Alpine
“We are writing the next lines of Alpine's history in Endurance, we must be humble, but ambitious for our project. We have experienced great changes and a huge step forward as a team. Unveiling our Hypercar Class car for the 2024 season together with the our drivers is truly a special moment”, declared Philippe Sinault, Team Principal of Signatech, who will take care of the A424 on the track.
“We will learn to use the technical package, to rely on the experience of our drivers, to be reliable and, of course, to finish the races. I think it is difficult to say whether we will aim for victory this year, but we are hungry for good results and we expect to shine quickly with everything we have put on the field.”
“We aim to gradually improve our performance over the course of the season. We are returning to the premier class after an intense year of development and racing. Some of our rivals will have the advantage of previous experience and we need to join that group as quickly as possible.” .
“We all aim to grow, but we do not underestimate the magnitude of the task. We must be reliable, consistent and efficient to get maximum points and optimize our package. Alpine has always forged its legend in opposition and adversity. And I know our team has done an extraordinary job of preparing.”
“Now we are all looking forward to the debut of the A424. I feel it has huge potential and I believe we have made the right choices, it should allow us to show what we are capable of doing. We have been fully involved from the start of the project” .
“We had the opportunity to participate in meetings, highlighting doubts and taking part in decisions to better understand the package available to us. This translated into development, where we grasped and integrated operational aspects more quickly, saving us all a 'enormous amount of time'.
Group photo of Alpine pilots
Photo by: Alpine
Sinault then smiled proudly when he called on stage the seven drivers who will be part of the team for 2024.
“The lineup perfectly reflects our desire for alchemy and the consideration of the human being as one of the essential elements and one of the keys to the success of the project. We made no compromises and our first draft line-up came to fruition. Talk It was a pleasure with Bruno Famin and we got along immediately.”
“They are all high quality drivers, with experience, commitment and high expectations. I believe we have made the right choices and I have faith in this team, which for us is ideal to write this new chapter for Alpine in the Hypercar Class.”
“There is an interesting mix of loyal, long-standing and team-based drivers, and others who have surprised us in recent years. Being a French team, we are also happy to have several drivers from our country on board. Now we are at complete and we can't wait to entrust them with our beautiful A424s.”
“We have to be humble but ambitious; humble because we are going through significant changes and we are taking a huge step forward as a team, learn to fully exploit this technical package, be reliable and finish the races.”
“However, given our potential, we also have to be ambitious because we represent the Alpine name at the highest level. I think it is difficult to say whether we can win this year, but soon we will be hungry for good results with everything that the Alpine Endurance Team has put in place”.
Alpine A424 Hypercar
Photo by: Alpine
Bruno Famin, Vice President of Alpine Motorsports, adds: “It's fantastic to return to the premier class of endurance racing with an aesthetically and technically advanced prototype and we can't wait to see our two A424s battle it out on the track. The entire team has carried out an enormous amount of work during the genesis and development of this project.”
“We have come a long way since the first races in August 2023 and the A424 has covered more than 15,000 kilometers without any significant problems interrupting our programme, but now only the verdict on the track matters. Everyone involved is doing their best to make sure we are as ready as possible for Qatar, but we will face the first race with the utmost humility.”
“We had valuable expertise available at every level, from power unit development to energy management and the impact of the hybrid system on the car's performance and on-track operations. The aim was to create a real osmosis , and it was refreshing to see the different people involved form one team.”
“As a result, we were able to work hard to develop this new generation of prototypes in an extremely short time. Finally, we were keen to recruit drivers who were not only fast and reliable, but who also demonstrated team spirit and excellent driving technique competition to best represent the Alpine brand”.
“We are absolutely delighted to have these seven guys with us and we count on the fact that each of them will bring their own individual qualities to the project, be it their youth, competence or experience of the highest level.”
“The development period has allowed us to refine our package and improve in all aspects with the team that will work on the program. Despite this, the competition remains the definitive point of reference.”
“We will have to capitalize on our respective experiences to make progress in all areas and refine our knowledge and tire management. But also demonstrate a good level of reliability, a crucial aspect in Endurance racing.”
Watch: WEC Videos | Alpine presentation: the A424 LMDh
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