Saturday, August 21, at 4 p.m., when the lights go out on the starting grid of the 89e edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the French public will finally find an opportunity to shiver. Fifty thousand motorsport fans will be able to fill the stands after a year 2020 behind closed doors.
Above all, a good part of them will once again be able to dream of a French victory. Thanks to Alpine’s commitment to the premier endurance category (Hypercar), a French team is likely to play the leading roles in the legendary event, for the first time since Peugeot retired in 2012.
The announcement by the Renault subsidiary of its integration into the Hypercar category of the world championship fell in September 2020, like an oasis in the middle of the desert of French endurance. “This move to the premier category responds to a form of sporting logic”, assures Philippe Sinault, boss of the Alpine Elf Matmut team.
Since arriving in endurance racing in 2013, the firm had won everything in LMP2, the equivalent of the second division: two European titles, two world titles and three successes at the 24 Hours of Le Mans (2016, 2018 and 2019).
“The logic was to take an additional step. LMP2 is a magnificent category, but the absolute Holy Grail is to be eligible for the overall victory. It was our quest and we took our chance. “
A unique opportunity
Access to the highest level of the discipline was also a question of opportunity. Enacted in December 2018, the Hypercar regulations, which entered into force this season, allow LMP1 cars (former premier category) to compete for an additional year thanks to a performance balance guaranteeing the balance of forces involved.
“Being eligible for victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans does not appear every day in the history of a manufacturer”
Philippe Sinault thus submitted the idea to his management and it did not take long for her to support him. “Being eligible for victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans does not appear every day in the history of a manufacturer, in the history of a lifetime”, argues the 55-year-old leader. “Alpine has rushed into the breach and we are very happy about it, since the team has an extremely rich history with Le Mans”, welcomes Pierre Fillon, president of the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the association that created and organized the Le Mans event and the world championship.
In the team of around forty people at Alpine Elf Matmut, whose head office is located in Bourges, we can clearly sense additional pressure. Philippe Sinault explains:
“The show is incredible, the media and fans are starting to dream of a win in blue. It’s like climbing Mont-Blanc and suddenly it’s Everest. “
Remembering 1978
The last French success dates back to 2009 thanks to Peugeot. But it is from 1978, the date of his only general victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, that Alpine wishes to draw inspiration. “Having the opportunity to make your childhood dream come true after forty-three years without winning for Alpine is an issue that appeals to us enormously”, admits the boss of the stable.
The good story is that the drivers Nicolas Lapierre, André Negrao and Matthieu Vaxiviere imitate the victorious heroes of 1978, Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, who died in July and to whom Alpine paid tribute during the test day, Sunday August 15.
Our drivers are in good company .. – Our drivers are in good company ? #alpine #alpineracing # A480… https://t.co/PD7U5VW0Vn
Facing Toyota, Alpine looks like an outsider with long teeth
Faced with the Japanese ogre Toyota, winner of the last three editions, which presents two cars – like the novice American team Glickenhaus -, Alpine does not appear to be a favorite but an outsider with long teeth.
“We always have fear and restraint to say that we are there to play for the win, recognizes Philippe Sinault. But if we are at the start, it is because we imagine we can win. ” The mark at the A arrow was not ridiculous in free practice and in qualifying: it will start in third position on the starting grid.
A builder in full revival
A victory at 4 p.m. on Sunday would be as much a surprise as it would be another clear success for Alpine, just three weeks after Esteban Ocon’s first place in Formula 1 at the Hungarian Grand Prix.
The latter, as well as his teammate Fernando Alonso, will also be present at Le Mans for a demonstration behind the wheel of the various Alpine competition cars. A weekend in blue which symbolizes the return to the foreground of the manufacturer founded in 1955.
“Very good news (…) for the public at Le Mans, who are 70% French”
“What happiness and what a wonderful dynamic, relishes Philippe Sinault. We were the founding players in the brand’s return with its commitment to endurance racing in 2013. ”“ To see Alpine again at the highest level, this is really great news for the field but also for the Le Mans public, which is 70% French ”, rejoices Pierre Fillon.
Whatever the result, the French firm could soon announce its longer-term commitment to endurance racing. Something to dream of from next season of a duel with Peugeot, whose official return is scheduled for 2022. “It would not be only a Franco-French opposition”, affirm in unison Philippe Sinault and Pierre Fillon.
In addition to Peugeot, Porsche, Audi and Ferrari have already announced their participation in the 2023 World Endurance Championship, the centenary of the 24 Hours of Le Mans with “Perhaps the most beautiful plateau in history”, according to the president of the ACO. The French are no longer excluded and Alpine intends to prove it this weekend.