Alpine has been one of the manufacturers that has committed to the LMDh category for 2024. Meanwhile, with the FIA and ACO exemption for LMP1 prototypes, the French firm will remain in the WEC premier class in 2022. In fact, the Alpine Endurance Team will not change the ingredients of its project from last season, the first year of the structure at the top of the World Championship. This means that the Gibson-powered Alpine A480 will be piloted for the second consecutive year by Nico Lapierre, André Negrao and Matthieu Vaxivière.
Although Alpine has very little chance of being competitive in the hypercar category against the LMHs of Toyota, Glickenhaus and Peugeot, the French firm understands that its permanence in the queen class of the WEC has its benefits at the marketing level while developing a prototype adapted to the LMDh regulations. Signatech will continue to operate the Alpine program in what will be their tenth year competing side by side after a 2021 season in which the association between both structures garnered one pole and six podiums, including a third place at Le Mans.
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Philippe SinaultTeam Principal of the Alpine Endurance Team, said: “As we enter what is our tenth year with Alpine, it was important for us to have the same trio of pilots on the A480. Nico, Andre and Matthieu embody what this project is. They, like all of us, have done their best to continue our collaboration this year. We have found a great balance between all of us, something fundamental in resistance. The three feed the spirit of our team and that gives us a lot of serenity.
In this line, the person in charge of the Alpine project in the queen class of the WEC has added: «The trust that exists between the three is very solid., which also saves us time. The preseason has been short, but we have worked to improve the team. With the arrival of new competitors in the premier class, it is likely that we will have more problems to achieve good results. With everything, we have to be ambitious and give our best every day to be up to this prestigious and exciting challenge».
If the Alpine Endurance Team driver line-up has not changed, neither has the livery worn by the Alpine A480-Gibson. The French brand’s LMP1 prototype sports a practically identical decoration for 2022 to the one it already showed in 2021. There are also no changes at a technical level in a vehicle that is reaching the end of its competitive life. and that it has very little room for evolution after competing in the first place as the Rebellion R13 before being renamed with its current name.