[WEC] Alpine Hypercar Discussion

[AndrewCherry]

I think they should be pretty happy with that as a first outing. Decent enough pace, reliable, organised (OK this one should be a given, they're not a new team) - and some pretty presentable finishing positions. Definitely a platform to work from, and they're certainly not currently "worst of the rest" behind Porsche, Toyota, Ferrari.

[J Jay]

Given the breadth and depth of the field, to have both cars finish with one in the top half is commendable.

Compare and contrast to Lamborghini/Isotta Fraschini, and Alpine have done really well.

[TF110]

Best of the newcomers is what I predicted. Looks like they are on their path to do just that. Hopefully they keep it going

[GT3_Fan]

This car from Alpine looks awesome. I wish the actual Le Mans Hypercars looked like this, as well as the original Toyota GR Supersport and AM Valkyrie (we may still get that at least).

https://sportscar365.com/lemans/wec/...rogen-concept/

[TF110]

Another good race for the Alpine. I think they're going to be more towards the front in the 2nd half of the season. Let's see what happens next month during the test day and the big race!

[Mike E]

In the manufacturers championship they are best of the rest behind Porsche/Toyota/Ferrari. I reckon they would take that in year 1 of the program.

[joeb]

Just throwing this out there.......

The Oreca Lmdh chassis has shown great pace and reliability with the Acura motor, could Alpine license that for next season? Would be an interesting way to get Honda to Le Mans!

[Gerard C]

it won't happen for obvious reasons, Renault is investing tons of money in your region to sell cars. Many actual Renault models have Alpine badges on the front fendrfes/wings and Alpine just introduced a new model.

[tomcug]

A more possible idea would be to badge the VRX30A as Alpine. Very good motor that'd do perfectly fine in the LMDh.

[chernaudi]

Not to mention that Honda and Nissan are rival companies. Honda owns Acura and Nissan has a tie-in with Renault.

[JoeW04]

Surely they can’t continue with the mechachrome? The chassis is clearly very good.

[FIRE]

Ignoring the broken engines they did well.

[Gerard C]

Re the engines, de Chaunac suggested a new batch of parts just delivered and some troubles with quality control, time missing. The team is good, chassis as well and drivers consistent.

[tomcug]

Originally Posted by FIRE

Ignoring the broken engines they did well.

For a new car they were doing great. That thing has lots of straight line speed, just needs a reliable engine.

[grantp]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Re the engines, de Chaunac suggested a new batch of parts just delivered and some troubles with quality control, time missing. The team is good, chassis as well and drivers consistent.

Not unheard of in the past BUT rather unusual to get into that position in current times.

Still, even airlines seem to have similar problems at the moment ... not necessarily with engines in all cases ...

[J Jay]

Originally Posted by Gerard C

Re the engines, de Chaunac suggested a new batch of parts just delivered and some troubles with quality control, time missing. The team is good, chassis as well and drivers consistent.

Peugeot 2010 flashbacks for de Chaunac...

A great debut otherwise, looking forward to the rest of Alpine's season.

[veeten]

The chassis is good, and it IS the same one that Acura(Honda) uses. The outer body styling and powertrain is the only difference between the two.

It was the smart move for Alpine to retire the old car, take the step down to P2 while working on this one to be ready for this year. Things like the engine having issues is standard with a new entry. You learn more from what happens in actual racing than in test sessions. Give it time...

[TF110]

I think there were a few here that said they would possibly encounter issues with the mechachrome engine. Sadly this looks to be the case. I think they should be ok for the rest of the season, but if this happens again there's gotta be questions asked.

[Articus]

Originally Posted by TF110

I think there were a few here that said they would possibly encounter issues with the mechachrome engine. Sadly this looks to be the case. I think they should be ok for the rest of the season, but if this happens again there's gotta be questions asked.

They had some previous failures with the engine. At the prologue in Qatar, Spa hyperpole, and Le Mans, and then in 2023 testing.

An updated engine is being prepared for the COTA race according to someone that is familiar with the subject. The issues are surrounding the valve train.

[Sodemo]

The engine they are using is it an older design?

[PhilipR]

We are so used with seeing new cars almost 100% reliable and immediately on the pace that it is weird to see 2 engine failures on the same car and team.
But hey first year and first Le Mans - they could make it reliable enough for next year. They do have pace in the car and the old saying is: better to have a fast car that is unreliable then a slow car that is reliable (Peugeot had neither)

Interestingly enough, the Cadillac has had quite a few reliability issues that are not talked about too much (Sebring 2023, Le Mans qualifying 2023, Daytona 2024, Le Mans 2024)

[FIRE]

Originally Posted by joeb

Just throwing this out there.......

The Oreca Lmdh chassis has shown great pace and reliability with the Acura motor, could Alpine license that for next season? Would be an interesting way to get Honda to Le Mans!

ALPINE COULD ABANDON RENAULT ENGINES AND BECOME F1 CUSTOMER TEAM IN 2026
French manufacturer in talks with rivals about customer engine deals amid suggestions it could abandon Renault works unit

...

https://www.motorsport.com/f1/news/a...2026/10624346/

If the F1 team can do it...

[PascaLM]

A joke from the FFL (French Federation of Lose) :
"No F1 this week-end, it's Le Mans 24 Hours.
- super, the FFL will not talk about us !
..."

[veeten]

Kinda like the situation that McLaren got themselves into with the F1 GTR.

The Formula 1 team was licenced Mercedes-Benz engines, but the F1 GTR was built with BMW 6L V12 engines, the same ones that would not only power the race version to a Le Mans win, but would later power BMW's own V12 LMR to a winning season, including Le Mans.

Mercedes did not take to that very well.

As for Alpine, this could lead to some serious problems, as if the power train you're using is not based on what your production uses. In the past, there were those that a team/manufacturer could use as a temporary solution, as present in F1. Now, it might take some checking in the sporting or technical rules to find if there's anything similar for WEC, IMSA, or ACO.

[veeten]

Originally Posted by Articus

The issues are surrounding the valve train.

Sounds like the valve train isn't engineered to take that increase in volumetric input from forced induction, as this is an N/A based F2 engine. You just can't slap a turbo on an engine, and expect it to just push out to without knowing what the internals can handle, or the rate of possible breakdown.

Kinda makes you wonder what the F1 team's engines have been dealing with over the last couple of years...