Meet the Legends: Alpine
In the second instalment of our new ‘Meet the Legends’ series – digging deep into the backstories of the FIA World Endurance Championship’s magnificent manufacturers – we turn true blue, as we find out what makes famous French brand Alpine tick...
Established by Jean Rédélé in 1955, motorsport has always run through Alpine’s veins, with the company’s founder a keen competitor himself. Priding itself on its core values of ingenuity and innovation, Alpine’s lightweight sportscars achieved near-instant success on race tracks and rally stages – and now, with a presence at the highest level in both Formula 1 and WEC, it is very much a big-hitter on the international scene.
Alpine returned to the grid in 2013 following a long absence from competition, since when, Les Bleus have gone on to clinch two WEC LMP2 crowns – in 2016 and 2018/19 – a brace of victories and multiple podium finishes in the championship’s headlining Hypercar category and three class triumphs in the 24 Hours of Le Mans, a race in which the manufacturer prevailed outright back in 1978.
In Formula 1, there was a win for Esteban Ocon in Hungary in 2021, the Frenchman driving for BWT Alpine F1 Team. And then only a fortnight ago, Ocon and stablemate Pierre Gasly sped to a podium double in São Paulo.
In ‘No Challenge is Too Great’, the latter reveals what Alpine means to him, with similarly insightful insights from Alpine Endurance Team racer Ferdinand Habsburg, Alpine Academy driver Sophia Flörsch, Alpine CEO Philippe Krief, Alpine Motorsports Vice-President Bruno Famin and FIA WEC specialist, Sam Smith.
Indeed, on the topic of the people behind the projects, Stephan Kandler, CEO of Orient Express Racing Team, explains why this most Gallic of brands has dipped its toe into the water in sailing’s America’s Cup in a bid to conquer an altogether different type of race – and with it, the world’s oldest sporting trophy.
Such a venture is entirely characteristic of Alpine’s visionary nature and indefatigable spirit, using sport as a vehicle to enhance its reputation, transfer pioneering technologies to its ever-expanding road car range and showcase its skill on a global scale. Competition is embedded in the company’s DNA – and will clearly remain so for many years to come...
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