After a summer of testing at Circuit Paul Ricard in France, attention turned to Aragon, Spain, where the Alpine and Signatech teams worked on further developments to the A424.

Finalising the car’s management software was the main item on the agenda in France and these new features were tested during work days in the simulator, followed by work on the track. Along with this, the running provided an opportunity to fine-tune the brake systems and differential systems, with the car clocking up 780km overall during two days of testing.

Last Wednesday, the Alpine A424 crossed the border to Spain where it began a new development session at Motorland with another two-day programme. Feedback from drivers provided valuable information for engineers who put the car through its paces with long runs in order to learn about the endurance of the Michelin WEC 2024 tyres and short runs designed to adjust the aerodynamic balance, weight distribution and the hybrid system deployment. Day one concluded with 758km being driven by Nicolas Lapierre, including two 36-lap runs. On day two, in-depth work was done on the mechanical set-up of the car.

The Alpine A424 will return to Spain, this time 900km south in Jerez from the 17th to 19th of October for two more days of testing ahead of the first endurance session in mid-November. However, before that, the A424 will return to Alpine’s base in Viry-Châtillon, France, for fine tuning from engineers - including the fire-up and analysing of electrical components.

Philippe Sinault, Alpine Endurance Team Principal: "The tests went well. The positives from the tests at Circuit Paul Ricard were confirmed at Motorland and the car continued to display a healthy behaviour. It was a pivotal stage in the programme because, after completing the shakedown tasks, we started to get all the car's elements to work together: the hybrid system, engine and chassis. Matthieu and Nico put in a series of stints over more than 1,500 km, sometimes even double stints, with no reliability issues, so it was quite satisfying and constructive. During this stage, we could really begin our operating role, with a particular emphasis on understanding the car and getting the right setups. The smooth running of the team was palpable on the human side, which genuinely encouraged discussions ahead of the big challenge ahead. We still have a lot of work ahead of us, but we're on the right track."

With the homologation phase fast approaching, the race against the clock is now on for Alpine to complete its testing ahead of the 2024 World Endurance Championship.

Words: Mike Booth
Pictures: Alpine