In the end, the victory healed all wounds. At Fuji Speedway, Alpine achieved its breakthrough with its LMDh challenger thanks to a clever strategy.
However, the joy was soon overshadowed by the news that Alpine’s Hypercar programme in the WEC will be axed after 2026.
Perhaps it was this very win that prevented a surprise exit after 2025—a move that, according to various media reports regarding the potential end of the programme, was a distinct possibility.
When examining the Balance of Performance figures of the Alpine A424, one aspect must always be kept in mind: the car is designed for extremely low drag.
While all hypercars must fit within a specific performance window, there is room within this window. Alpine bet everything on top speed, as far as the regulations allowed.
Apparently, the Renault subsidiary intended to use a special «Le Mans car» to catch the competition off guard at the Circuit de la Sarthe. However, this was immediately prevented by the introduction of the two-stage BoP even before the 2024 24 Hours of Le Mans.
To make matters worse, Alpine was hampered by engine issues at Le Mans 2024 and failed to see the chequered flag anyway.
The two-stage BoP effectively neutralised the A424’s main advantage. While an update for 2026 is planned to help the car generate more downforce, it competed in its original configuration throughout 2025.
Due to its characteristics, this meant it consistently received a favorable BoP below 250kph but a significantly poor one above that threshold.
Keeping this in mind, the power-to-weight ratio for the season opener at the Qatar 1812 km was surprisingly poor, at 2.055kg/kW below 250 kph. Both the BMW M Hybrid V8 and the Cadillac V-Series.R got a more favorable BoP.
At the Lusail International Circuit, where downforce is king, the blue cars were completely on the back foot and finished the weekend with zero points.
Missed opportunity at Spa
Things changed massively for Imola. With a power-to-weight ratio of just 2.008 kg/kW below 250 kph, Alpine was able to match the pace of its rivals, whose BoP had changed much less compared to Qatar.
The only misfortune for Alpine was that Ferrari’s progress had not yet manifested in the BoP. The advantage over the 499P was only 0.049 kg/kW, and Ferrari dominated the second race in a row.
Nevertheless, a clever strategy allowed the #36 Alpine to the podium. At Spa-Francorchamps, the Alpine A424 received its best rating of the season—both nominally and relative to the field—at 2.006kg/kW below 250 kph.
Promptly, the #36 was in the hunt for the win until a bitter puncture for Mick Schumacher shattered all hopes the Signatech outfit had. After the race, team principal Philippe Sinault calculated that the #36 would have won without the puncture.
In the WEC, failing to convert speed into results is particularly painful, as the points are lost while the BoP for future races is still based on the pace shown in the race regardless the result.
Three tough races from Le Mans to Austin
Before that, however, the one-off Le Mans BoP was on the agenda. Surprisingly, in the range above 250kph—which on normal tracks isn’t really critical but Le Mans being the great exception—Alpine received the fourth-best rating at 2.044 kg/kW, placing it in the midfield.
For comparison: during regular races, their power-to-weight ratio above 250kph typically fluctuated between 2.1 and 2.7kg/kW, so on paper, it looked really good.
In exchange, their advantage in the lower speed range vanished. While 2.010kg/kW was nominally the third-best ratio, other cars were rated much more favorably compared to the rest of the season.
Alpine’s advantage shrank to just 0.02 to 0.04 kg/kW, whereas at other races, manufacturers like Toyota and Ferrari often had to carry up to 0.15 kg/kW more.
The result: Alpine was completely outmatched. Philippe Sinault stated after the race that with a flawless performance, which both cars failed to deliver, a fifth or sixth-place finish might have been possible.
However, the analysis of the 60 per cent fastest laps showed the A424s in 11th and 16th. Among the full-season WEC entries, only Peugeot and Aston Martin were slower.