The new Alpine A424 was put through its paces for three consecutive days at Paul Ricard this week, following an initial rollout on 2 August and a shakedown at Le Castellet Airport on Monday.
WEC stalwart Nicolas Lapierre completed the first runs in the car on Monday and Tuesday before handing over the driving duties to Matthieu Vaxiviere on Wednesday. Vaxiviere and fellow Frenchman Charles Milesi took turns driving the A424 on the final day of Paul Ricard testing on Thursday.
The purpose of the test was to get to grips with the car and begin operational work on main components, including gearbox, brakes and the cooling system. A lot of work was also put on mapping of its hybrid engine.
By the end of running on Thursday, Alpine had racked up over 1000km in its LMDh prototype and reported no major issues.
The French manufacturer has planned several more tests with the car in the coming months, including in Spain in September, before the car joins the WEC field in Qatar for the first round of the 2024 season on 2 March.
“For the first time in our history, we have the opportunity to be involved in such a large-scale project right from the start,” Alpine team principal Philippe Sinault said.
"Seeing the A424 take to the track for the first time was a real thrill. This project also brings its share of challenges, as the Alpine Racing teams and our own [Signatech] are working together to get the most out of the Alpine A424.
Source: Autosport