Alpine A424

Alpine A424

Industry	Automotive racing
Predecessor	Alpine A480, Renault Alpine A442
Area served	FIA World Endurance Championship
Key people	Raphaël Linari (Chief Exterior Designer), Christophe Chapelain (Project Chief Engineer)
Products	Sports prototype racing vehicle
Owner	Automobiles Alpine
Parent	Oreca (constructor)

{{Infobox racing car | name = Alpine A424 | image = Alpine Endurance Team - Alpine A424 -36 (53815731028).jpg | image_size = 300px | caption = The No. 36 A424 competing at the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans | category = Le Mans Daytona h | Constructor = Alpine (Oreca) | predecessor = Alpine A480
Renault Alpine A442 | Electric motor = Rear-mounted spec MGU supplied by Bosch | Team = Alpine Endurance Team | Chassis = Oreca 07-derived carbon fibre monocoque with honeycomb structure | Competition = FIA World Endurance Championship | Engine name = Alpine V634 | Configuration = 90° V6 | Capacity = | Turbo/NA = turbocharged | Engine position = mid-engine, longitudinally mounted | poles = 0 | debut = 2024 Qatar 1812 km | drivers = | designer = Raphaël Linari (Chief Exterior Designer)
Christophe Chapelain (Project Chief Engineer) | races = 11 | wins = 0 | podiums = 3 | fuel = TotalEnergies | brakes = AP Racing carbon discs with AP Racing Monobloc 6-piston calipers | lubricants = Elf | tyres = Michelin slick tyres fitted on OZ one-piece forged wheels, sizes 29/71-18 front and 34/71-18 rear | fastest laps = 0 | Last_event = 2025 6 Hours of Imola | length = | width = | height = | wheelbase = | weight = | power = The Alpine A424 is a sports prototype racing vehicle built to LMDh specifications, developed by Automobiles Alpine and constructed by Oreca. It competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship’s Le Mans Hypercar category, marking Alpine’s strategic pursuit of top-level endurance racing success.

Background

On 5 October 2021, Alpine declared its intention to join the FIA World Endurance Championship starting with the 2024 season, fielding a car designed to comply with LMDh regulations. The chassis for this project was entrusted to Oreca.

On 9 June 2023, during the 2023 24 Hours of Le Mans, Alpine introduced a prototype showcase vehicle named the A424_β ("A424 Beta"). This model incorporates a hybrid drivetrain that merges a single-turbo V6 internal combustion engine based on a Mecachrome design with standardized hybrid elements supplied by Williams Advanced Engineering, Bosch, and Xtrac. The team running the cars will be operated by Signatech, with two entries planned.

The A424 is constructed upon the "next generation" Oreca LMP2 chassis platform. Its power unit is a substantially reworked version of the Mecachrome V634 engine utilized in the FIA Formula 2 Championship, and Alpine has clarified that it shares no connection with the powertrain used in the 2018 Ginetta G60-LT-P1 LMP1 machine. Dyno testing was finalized on 28 June, and the vehicle was first started on 5 July. Initial shakedown runs occurred at Lurcy-Lévis in late August, followed by additional test sessions at Circuit Paul Ricard, Motorland Aragón, Jerez, and Portimão.

The lineup of drivers for Alpine’s campaign in the 2024 World Endurance Championship was announced on 22 November 2023.

Racing history

The A424 made its first appearance at the season opener of the 2024 FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar, joining the field alongside three other debuting manufacturers: BMW, Lamborghini, and Isotta Fraschini. Two A424 entries participated: car #35 piloted by Paul-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg, and Charles Milesi; and car #36 driven by Nicolas Lapierre, Mick Schumacher, and Matthieu Vaxivière. The #35 vehicle secured 7th place, marking the highest finish among newcomers and the sole points earned.

Following an injury to Habsburg during testing, reserve driver Jules Gounon stepped in for him at the subsequent rounds held at Imola and Spa-Francorchamps. At the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans, both A424s suffered early retirements due to severe turbocharger failures despite showing competitive speed. Alpine promptly initiated engine enhancements that were applied by the time of the Lone Star Le Mans, where car #35 achieved a 5th-place finish—Alpine’s best result so far.

At the 6 Hours of Fuji, Alpine earned its inaugural podium with the #36 car finishing in third place. The season concluded with a solid fourth-place finish for car #35 at the 8 Hours of Bahrain, securing fourth place in the manufacturers' championship standings.

In preparation for the 2025 WEC season, Alpine further refined their engine package and revised their driver roster: Vaxivière and Lapierre were replaced by ex-Porsche Hypercar competitor Frédéric Makowiecki and elevated reserve driver Jules Gounon.

Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

(key) Races shown in bold denote pole position; those in italics indicate fastest lap.

Year	Entrants	Class	Drivers	No.	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8	Points	Pos
2024	Alpine Endurance Team	Hypercar			QAT	IMO	SPA	LMN	SAP	COA	FUJ	BHR	70	4th
			Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Paul-Loup Chatin	35	7	13	9	Ret	12	5		4
			Template:Country data AUTTemplate:Namespace detect showall Ferdinand Habsburg		7			Ret	12	5	7	4
			Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Jules Gounon			13	9				7	4
			Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Charles Milesi		7	13	9	Ret	12	5	7
				36								style="background:#DFFFDF;" |9
			Alpine Endurance Team		Hypercar		QAT IMO SPA LMN SAO COA FUJ BHR	34*	4th*

* Season currently in progress.