The virtual Alpine A424 LMDh is ready to roll down the Le Mans Ultimate pitlane to hit tracks across the world on the 24 September.
The A424 Hybrid Hypercar, from the French sports car manufacturer Alpine – conjures up the magic and mystique of sports car racing from yesteryear. It’s angular, purposeful looks, complete with vibrant Mecachrome 3.4-litre V6 engine note makes the A424 stand out on the FIA WEC grid.
Alpine have a long and successful road through the history books of sports car racing. From its first participation in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the early sixties – the Alpine name has written several chapters of success. Aligning with parent company Renault – the Alpine brand took on the gruelling challenge of Le Mans, head on in the late seventies, with the top step of the podium in 1979 the fruitful reward.
Following a whole host of class successes at Le Mans, ‘le bleu’ returned to the top-flight in 2021 and scored a podium with its A480 in the first year for the Hypercar category and months later, Alpine made the announcement of a return to the top table in 2024. 2023 was used to keep the team and drivers match fit while competing in the ultra-competitive LMP2 category. A car you can drive in Le Mans Ultimate.
With the competition advancing at a rapid pace, a new car was penned on the drawing board – maximising the potential of a car build from scratch to the class regulations. The car… the A424.
The team unveiled the car ahead of the centenary edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and boasted a formidable line-up of drivers, with Pau-Loup Chatin, Ferdinand Habsburg and Charles Milesi piloting the #35 car while, Nicolas Lapierre, Matthieu Vaxivere and Mick Schumacher take charge of the #36 A424.
Making its debut in the desert of Qatar, the blue rocket finished in seventh overall a stunning debut for the new car – and best of the 2024 machines. A further top ten followed at Spa, before a troubled race on home soil at Le Mans made the French outfit regroup for the second half of the season. A first top ten for the #36 in Brazil was backed up in COTA with the best result to date with fifth for the #35 and ninth for the #36. Japan was calling in September and the best pair of results for a new 2024 car in the season so far came in Fuji with a stunning third overall for the #36 and seventh for the #35.
With one round to go – Alpine will be eyeing a further podium to round out a solid first year back at the sharp end of the sport. Can you help guide them to the first win? Le Mans Ultimate players will be able to get their hands on the Alpine A424 on the 24 September.
Alpine fans – prepare yourself for a festival to celebrate the French marque. Between the 4-6 October – the RaceControl Special Event – ‘Le Bleu’ will see several races at Le Mans using the new Hypercar and LMP2 machines. Be sure to check out the details closer to the time. There might even be a competition on the way too.
The red, white and blue inspired pack two will be available to purchase at an early access price via Steam for just £9.99 / €11.99 / $12.99 on the 24th September. The 2024 DLC Season Pass is also available, allowing players to access the latest content the minute it is ready to be brought into the game. Priced at just £39.99 / €45.99 / $48.99, the pass offers a saving of almost 25% compared to purchasing all four packs individually. The 2024 Season Pass bundles together all four packs, which will include four new Hypercars, four iconic circuits and seven of the closely matched GT3 cars which will come in the two final larger packs.
Players who have already purchased the money saving Season Pass will automatically receive the latest content when they update the game via Steam on the 24th September.