WEC, Alpine: priority on reliability, with help from F1 | FP

By Carlo Platella
With a single launch event, Alpine inaugurated its sporting programs for the 2024 season. The A424 for the WEC had actually already been presented on the occasion of the 24 hours of Le Mans, albeit not yet in its definitive guise, adding little to the project information already known for months. However, the choice to present the endurance team and the Formula 1 team simultaneously is emblematic of collaboration between the two teamswith the Hypercar program which will take advantage of the experience gained in the top formula series.

Reliability objective

Bruno Famin, director of Alpine's motorsport programs as well as Team Principal in Formula 1, was clear. The priority for the first year in the WEC will be to achieve a consistent level of reliability, on which to subsequently develop performance. It is common to say that it is easier to make a fast car reliable than the opposite, but the reality is that the two qualities feed on each other.

A fault-free car can run continuously, without being kept in the pits by technical problems, being able to accumulate precious data to improve the set-up. An excellent example is embodied by Peugeot, which after introducing the new gearbox actuators in Portimao at the beginning of 2023, increased the mileage traveled on the track, focusing on performance and growing in competitiveness. Precisely for this reason Alpine will focus primarily on identifying and removing any possible source of technical problems. The French company has already completed a 30-hour endurance simulation, but i 14,000 kilometers accumulated in the testing phase they are far from the over 24,000 km traveled by Ferrari and Porsche even before their debut in 2023.

Engine development

As known since last June, the A424 is equipped with a Mecachrome single-turbo V6 derived from the version used in Formula 2, where it revealed various fragilities. Furthermore, while in the cadet category the engine releases 620 horsepower, in the WEC the same engine will have to release up to 700 horsepower, therefore being subjected to greater stress. However, Alpine assures that the A424 unit is profoundly modified compared to that of the Formula 2, with the necessary countermeasures having already been put in place.

The work on strengthening and strengthening the Mecachrome engine was carried out internally Alpine engine department of Viry-Chatillon, making use of the same dynamometers on which the Formula 1 power units are developed. The formula team also brings important experience regarding the exploitation of the hybrid. According to the regulations, the components of the LMDh are standard, with the electric motor supplied by Bosch and the battery by WAE. The development of the software, however, is open, a field in which Formula 1 engine engineers have already learned to optimize energy management, reducing consumption to the benefit of stint duration, as well as exploiting the reactivity of the electric motor to correct the behavior in braking, traction and cornering.

The frame

If the reliability of the Mecachrome engine is yet to be demonstrated, there are few doubts hovering around the chassis. The backbone of the A424 is the body made by Oreca, shared with the Acura ARX-06 winner of the 24 Hours of Daytona 2023. The sharing of the chassis is reflected in a certain aerodynamic and aesthetic similarity between the two cars, especially at the front, already underlined by several enthusiasts. However, Alpine and Acura differ in numerous aspects, including the distribution of the flows channeled under the front wing on the sides of the passenger compartment.

The French company debuts in a highly competitive championship, where almost all the participants have at least one year of experience, including BMW, which despite having a different team has a season in IMSA behind it. The first comparison for Alpine will therefore be with the other debuting LMDh, Lamborghinis, which delivered very respectable times in the Daytona tests last December. We then wait to know what the approach to the Balance of Performance will be for the premier category, which the organizers promise will be simplified compared to the controversial 2023 BoP.