Alpine A424

Alpine A424

A424_β show car on display at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans
Category	LMDh
Constructor	Alpine (Oreca)
Designer(s)	Raphaël Linari (Chief Exterior Designer) [1] Christophe Chapelain (Project Chief Engineer) [2]
Predecessor	Alpine A480 Renault Alpine A442
Technical specifications
Chassis	LMP2-based carbon fibre monocoque with honeycomb shell
Suspension (front)	Double wishbones, pushrods with power steering
Suspension (rear)	Double wishbones, pushrods
Length	5,000 mm (196.9 in)
Width	1,998 mm (78.7 in)
Height	1,058 mm (41.7 in)
Wheelbase	3,148 mm (123.9 in)
Engine	Alpine V634 modified 3.4 L (207 cu in) 90° V6 turbocharged mid-engine, longitudinally-mounted
Electric motor	Rear-mounted 50 kW (68 PS; 67 hp) spec MGU supplied by Bosch
Transmission	Xtrac P1359 7-speed sequential manual [3]
Power	500 kW (680 PS; 671 hp)
Weight	1,030 kg (2,271 lb)
Fuel	TotalEnergies
Brakes	AP Racing carbon with AP Racing Monobloc 6-piston calipers
Tyres	Michelin slicks with one-piece forged alloys, 29/71-18 front and 34/71-18 rear
Competition history
Competition	FIA World Endurance Championship
Notable entrants	Alpine Endurance Team
Notable drivers	Paul-Loup Chatin [4] Ferdinand Habsburg [4] Nicolas Lapierre [4] Charles Milesi [4] Mick Schumacher [4] Matthieu Vaxivière [4]
Debut	2024 Qatar 1812 km
Races Wins Podiums Poles F/Laps 1 0 0 0 0

The Alpine A424 ^[5] is an LMDh sports prototype racing car designed by Automobiles Alpine and built by Oreca to compete in the Le Mans Hypercar class in the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Background

On 5 October 2021, Alpine formally announced an entry into the FIA World Endurance Championship starting from the 2024 season, using an LMDh-compliant racing design. ^[6] It was also confirmed on the same day that Oreca was chosen as the chassis supplier for their LMDh contender. ^[7]

Alpine unveiled a prototype show car, named the A424_β (pronounced "A424 Beta" ^[8] ), on 9 June 2023, at the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans. It was also announced that the car would use a hybrid powertrain, consisting of a Mecachrome V6 single turbocharged internal combustion engine and standardized hybrid drivetrain components provided by Williams Advanced Engineering, Bosch and Xtrac, and that Signatech would run two cars. ^{[5] [9]}

The car is built on the "next generation" Oreca LMP2 chassis. ^[9] The A424's engine is said to be a "heavily modified" version of the Mecachrome V634 engine used in the FIA Formula 2 Championship; Alpine confirmed that the car's engine was unrelated to the engine briefly used in the Ginetta G60-LT-P1 LMP1 car in 2018. Dyno tests for the engine were completed on 28 June. ^[10] The car was first fired up on July 5. The aim for the program is to complete 2 shakedown tests at Lurcy-Lévis at the end of August, following which the car will embark on its first test. The test programme will involve running at Circuit Paul Ricard, Motorland Aragón, Jerez and Portimão. ^{[11] [3] [10]} The car will compete in 2024 as the A424. ^[5]

Alpine unveiled their driver lineup for 2024 on 22 November 2023. ^[4]

• 
  Right-side view of the A424_β showcar at launch
• 
  Frontal view of the A424_β showcar at launch
• 
  Showroom view of the A424_β showcar at launch

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) Races in bold indicates pole position. Races in italics indicates fastest lap.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

Year	Entrant	Class	Drivers	No.	Rds.	Rounds								Pts.	Pos.
						1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
2024	Alpine Endurance Team	Hypercar	Paul-Loup Chatin Ferdinand Habsburg Charles Milesi	35	1 1 1	QAT 8	IMO	SPA	LMN	SAP	COA	FUJ	BHR
			Nicolas Lapierre Mick Schumacher Matthieu Vaxivière	36	1 1 1	QAT 12	IMO	SPA	LMN	SAP	COA	FUJ	BHR

References

1. Taylor, James (18 June 2023). "Alpine A424 Le Mans hypercar makes public debut". Evo . Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
2. "Christophe Chapelain (Alpine A424): "The best LMDh while anticipating future BoP changes"". en.endurance-info.com/. 18 June 2023. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
3. Chilton, Chris (9 June 2023). "671-HP Alpine A424_β Hypercar Is On Track For Le Mans 2024". Carscoops. Archived from the original on 9 June 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
4. "Schumacher: A new chapter beginning for me with Alpine". Grand Prix 247. 22 November 2023. Archived from the original on 22 November 2023. Retrieved 22 November 2023.
5. Oakley, Phil (9 June 2023). "Alpine launches 2024 Hypercar, the A424_β, at Le Mans". Motorsportweek. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
6. Baldwin, Alan (6 October 2021). "Renault's Alpine announces new endurance entry from 2024". Reuters . Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
7. "Alpine chooses an ORECA chassis to compete in LMDh starting in 2024". Oreca . 6 October 2021. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
8. Staff (18 June 2023). "Alpine A424_β endurance racer revealed". Drive. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
9. Klein, Jamie (9 June 2023). "Alpine launches A424 Beta LMDh car for 2024 WEC campaign". Autosport . Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
10. Oakley, Phil (16 June 2023). "New Alpine A424 Hypercar will use 'heavily modified' version of F2 engine". Motorsportweek. Archived from the original on 13 July 2023. Retrieved 13 July 2023.
11. "First Shakedown Imminent For Alpine A424 LMDh | dailysportscar.com". www.dailysportscar.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2023. Retrieved 1 August 2023.