Alpine’s Endurance racing program is, along with Formula 1, the foundation of its brand image. And Fernando Alonso would be the perfect complement to attack the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the future.
The sports history of Fernando Alonso Since its inception, it has been closely linked to Renault, a brand with which it began to forge its legend in Formula 1 and to which it owes its two world titles. She now defends the colors of the French automotive group through Alpine, which is in charge of representing it in sports competitions.
the activity of Alpine in racing it is based on two important championships: Formula 1 and the WEC. The latter is an old acquaintance of Fernando Alonso, since he already participated in it during his absence from F1 with Toyota. At that time, he had time to win the Le Mans 24 Hours twice (2018 and 2019), as well as the world title alongside Kazuki Nakajima and Sebastien Buemi.
Not only that, but the Spanish driver won the 24 Hours of Daytona aboard the Wayne Taylor Racing Cadillac, sharing the wheel with Renger van der Zande, Jordan Taylor and Kamui Kobayashi in 2019.
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Alpine wants Alonso in the WEC
With such a track record and Alpine’s aspiration to also succeed in the WEC, as well as in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in which he already won in 1978, it is not surprising that the presence of Fernando Alonso in the near future has begun to be negotiated.
“Yes, it has always been part of the conversation. Last year, even when we were discussing the renewal for this year, we talked about the fact that Fernando is a legend of the sport, but also a legend of the Renault Group»said Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine Cars.
“For us, he is that champion and he will always have a seat in the LMDh (WEC category). The day he changes (from F1 to another championship), he will be welcome, it is his team. So obviously this is part of the negotiation. In fact, we made that decision also thinking about it in the first place »expands Rossi.
At the moment, Fernando Alonso’s aspirations are focused on Formula 1, since it is the category that most attracts him and he feels fully competitive. Meanwhile, Alpine competes with a long-term program in the WEC premier class against the hyper car from Toyota and Glickenhaus, using an Oreca chassis and a Gibson engine.
Things are not exactly going badly for Alpine, who this year have won at Sebring and Monza and lead the standings with two tests to go with a 10-point advantage over the first of the Toyotas.
Starting in 2024, Alpine will enter a new LMDh powered by an Alpine engine currently under development at the Renault Sport headquarters in Viry-Chatillon, again using an Oreca chassis. This will coincide with the renaissance of the WEC, which Peugeot has just arrived at and so will Porsche, Audi and Ferrari in the near future.
Fernando Alonso has already confirmed on several occasions that wants to return to the Resistance and the Dakar in the future, almost completely ruling out a return to the Indianapolis 500. Of course, both challenges will have to wait, since the Spaniard wants to continue in Formula 1 for at least two more years.
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Photos: Alpine F1 Team