A Brief History of Alpine

To celebrate its debut in Formula One, as well as its assault on a selection of other high-speed disciplines, Alpine is taking a look back at some of its iconic moments in racing and significant achievements spanning more than five decades.

MONTE CARLO RALLY Renault Communication - All rights reserved — ALPINE A110 of Darniche/Mahe during the Monte Carlo Rally.

For some, the earliest memories of Alpine are of the iconic A110 snaking along snowy Monte Carlo stages high in the Alps, the mountains that inspired the brand’s name. For others, it’s taking on the rocky trails of rallies like the Acropolis and then there’s Alpine’s single-seater racing days, Le Mans or even its rallycross program.

Alpine cars have long taken advantage of their celebrated agility and light weight construction to put French engineering on top, with highlights ranging from the inaugural World Rally crown in 1973 to victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours five years later.

Back on track

ALPINE A480 - TESTS SESSIONS ON THE MOTORLAND CIRCUIT François Flamand — Alpine Team Principal Philippe Sinault

After a long spell away from motorsport, there was a desire to rekindle the flame and taste victory once more. In 2013, Signatech-Alpine Team Principal Philippe Sinault was tasked with leading the manufacturer’s triumphant return to the racetrack.

He explains: “Our adventure with Alpine dates back to late 2012. Groupe Renault approached us to explore ways of bringing the brand back into motorsport as part of its bid to relaunch the Alpine name. It didn’t take long for endurance racing to emerge as the perfect arena.”

Thirty-five years after its triumph at Le Mans, Alpine made its circuit racing comeback in 2013, with an LMP2 prototype.

Sinault describes how the winning instinct is embedded in Alpine’s DNA: “The commando-like mindset we have today is the same as that which helped Alpine to forge its rich heritage in motorsport, frequently running with fewer resources than its rivals but driven by creative thinking and gritty determination.”

On the victory trail

Alpine lost no time recovering its place at the top of the podium. After securing back-to-back European Le Mans Series crowns in 2013 and 2014, Signatech-Alpine stepped up to the World Endurance Championship in 2015, claiming the LMP2 crown in 2016 and 2019, and earning class wins at Le Mans in 2016, 2018 and 2019. This season, it has raised the bar further.

ALPINE A460 AT 2016 LE MANS 24 HOURS DPPI — Alpine A460 Nissan team Signatech Alpine wins the LMP2 class at the 2016 Le Mans 24 hours race. Photo DPPI

“After eight years of success in LMP2, we have set ourselves another challenge for 2021,” continues Philippe Sinault. “It’s the beginning of a new chapter for us because we’re going for overall victory!”

ALPINE A480 - TESTS SESSIONS ON THE MOTORLAND CIRCUIT Florent Gooden — 2021 Alpine Elf Matmut, Alpine A480. Photo Florent Gooden / DPPI

Alpine taking on several motorsport challenges

Beyond Alpine’s switch to the World Endurance Championship’s Hypercar class and its assault on Le Mans in August, Alpine faces numerous motorsport challenges this season, including participating in the Formula One championship for the first time.

Alpine has also re-entered rallying, in which it reaped its first success of the 2021 campaign half a century after the brand notched up its first Monte Carlo Rally victory. The triumph came from a privately entered Alpine A110 Rally, topping the R-GT order on this year’s winter classic, proving that the brand has lost none of its winning DNA.

Significant motorsport achievements

Rallying