The future of Alpine in the top class of sportscar racing appears bright, with an open-ended commitment to the FIA WEC’s Hypercar class, the potential for an expansion to IMSA GTP and continued interest in the forthcoming hydrogen regulations.
With the A424’s first season of competition coming to a close, and its best finish yet coming just last weekend, the current focus for Alpine is twofold: finish the current campaign on a high and ensure it is best positioned to take a big step in year two.
The most pressing challenge in recent months has been to find a solution to the engine issue that led to a double retirement on its first Le Mans 24 Hours with the car. Signatech boss Philippe Sinault told DSC at São Paulo that the problem was being ‘managed’ and that a permanent fix was being worked on.
Now, with the summer break over and the final stretch of the season in progress, Bruno Famin – the vice president of Alpine Motorsport – says it is close to a permanent solution.
“We have implemented some modifications and we will keep working on it,” he explained to DSC at COTA. “We have reduced the level of risk but we still have to work on it. We are still negotiating to see if it will be an Evo (Joker) or not. We have (new) parts on the car, but not all of them.”
Famin wouldn’t been drawn into the specifics of what the fix entails, but he did confirm that the ultimate solution is not to introduce an entirely new engine. “There is no reason for a change,” he said.
Looking further ahead Alpine continues to have an eye on an expansion of its top-class effort in the future.
IMSA president John Doonan has long touted the French manufacturer as a prime example of a brand which could utilise an IMSA GTP programme to assist a launch into the US market.
“They want to come to the U.S. and sell road cars,” he told DSC. “If you bring the racing programme as part of the brand launch, it’s an authentic way to launch a brand.
“To do that you need lots of elements, retail locations and a distribution network, but you need awareness more than anything else. What better way to get that than via showing the public what you can do on track?”
And it appears that Alpine is still taking a long, hard look at what a GTP programme with the A424 would look like in the wake of the recently announced extension for the ruleset through 2029.
“We always said there would be no limit to our programme. We have no problem with the Hypercar rule extension and we have no limit,” he said.
“IMSA is a potential scenario we are considering. But for the time being it’s just potential. What is not a secret is that the Alpine brand wants to return to the US in the coming years and the development of the Alpine brand awareness is based on its motorsport programmes. So considering an IMSA programme is something we may think about.
“Nothing is done yet in terms of schedule, but we are considering it.”
Famin added that any GTP programme would likely be a collaborative effort with a private team rather than a pure factory effort funded and managed entirely by the OEM.
“It would be a US-style programme, where the factory is involved but the cars would be managed by a private team. It’s the business model in the USA and IMSA. We have been in a few talks but nothing very recently. We need to confirm first when Alpine would be ready to come back to the US. Once we have certainty about that we will come back to talking to the team.”
This evaluation coincides with the formation of the future regulation set for hydrogen-powered prototypes, which after its most recent delay is expected to come into play in 2028.
Alpine, Famin explained, remains interested in competing with the new technology but recognises that any transition from its current Hypercar programme to an effort with hydrogen would need to be managed carefully.
“What we need to consider is whether you make a new car or not and with which category and with technology,” he said. “But we are happy. Hypercar is developing and has stability with potential newcomers in 2026.
“(Hydrogen) It’s something we are considering. We are working on the hydrogen technology. In Le Mans we had the Alpenglow complete a lap before the start and we are working hard on that. At the Paris Motor Show, we will show off a new version of that car.
“And if the regulations are clear and affordable we would be happy to consider it. No decision has been taken but everyone, the ACO, the FIA, knows we are very active on this technology and we may consider it for sure.
“What we know is that we won’t be able to do both programmes in parallel. It will be a traditional car with traditional technology or a Hydrogen car. We will not do both.”
Alpine isn’t the only current Hypercar manufacturer facing this dilemma. Toyota is also invested in hydrogen technology and recently reaffirmed its intentions to compete with it in the future.
However, unlike Alpine, its plan would be to compete with the GR010 Hypercar and a hydrogen prototype simultaneously when the two regulation sets first overlap.
Bruno Famin image courtesy of Alpine
