After several seasons in the LM P2 category, Alpine Endurance Team chose to enter Hypercar by designing an A424 based on an Oreca chassis and relying on a single-turbo V6 developed by Mecachrome.
Very early in the season, questions arose about the reliability of this engine. Used in Formula 2 for several seasons, the block has shown weaknesses. Alpine Endurance Team paid for it the hard way. These worries have put sand in the wheels. The results during the first three rounds of the world championship in Qatar, Imola then Spa-Francorchamps highlighted these difficulties. The best result was achieved in Qatar with the No. 35 where the Chatin/Habsburg/Milesi trio managed to climb to 7e place in an opening event dominated by Porsche.
Suffice it to say that Alpine arrives at the 24 Hours of Le Mans on tiptoe, with no real certainty about its capabilities.
Read also: 24 Hours of Le Mans. Alpine, BMW, Lamborghini… What ambitions for the newcomers in Hypercar?
For the test day, Sunday June 9, 2024, the French team had “a busy schedule” according to Philippe Sinault, the main team. “We had a lot to discover on this specific track. We started with a base of adjustments which we improved. We managed to accumulate as many rounds and data as possible in this rather tricky context. »
This running chart was disrupted by an oil leak on the No. 35 which forced him to spend time at his stand to repair. At the end of the morning session, the #35 only completed 25 laps while during this time, the #36 managed to complete 36 laps.
10 laps completed for Mick Schumacher
Alpine also had to see Mick Schumacher, rookie at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, complete 10 laps to qualify.
During the afternoon session, Alpine revved up. “We worked on the aerodynamic balance, the confidence of the drivers and the three pneumatic compounds at our disposal to have a better view of the behavior of each rubber, summarizes Philippe Sinault. We ended up with new tires on each car to see where we were even though the red flag at the end of the day prevented us from showing it on the timesheet. »
Read also: 24 Hours of Le Mans 2024. Porsche sets the best time of the test day
The two Alpine A424s finished just under three seconds behind the N°6 Porsche, author of the best time of the day
Morning session
20. Alpine Endurance Team n°36 3’32”505 (31 laps)
21. Alpine Endurance Team n°35 3’32”728 (25 laps)
Afternoon session
17. Alpine Endurance Team n°36 3’29”620 (35 laps)
20. Alpine Endurance Team n°35 3’29”828 (34 laps)
