ALPINE TO LEAVE WEC HYPERCAR CLASS AFTER 2026 SEASON
Alpine has announced that it will leave the World Endurance Championship Hypercar class at the end of the 2026 season, bringing its five-year journey in the top category to a close.
The French brand joined the Hypercar class in 2021, the first year of the new rules. Since then, it has competed in every season except 2023. However, results have been limited, Alpine managed just three race wins during its time in the series, and the program has not been financially successful.
The 2026 season was expected to be the year Alpine would finally break even, but the company has now decided to step away. The move is part of wider cost-cutting measures by its parent company, Renault, which has been reducing spending across several motorsport projects.
In Formula 1, Alpine recently shut down its engine project and became a customer team, using Mercedes power units instead. Earlier this week, Dacia, another Renault brand, also confirmed it would not return to the Dakar Rally next year, even after winning the latest edition.
Rumors about Alpine’s possible exit from the WEC had been circulating for some time. Now, the decision has been officially confirmed.
This decision also raises questions about the future of Renault’s Viry-Châtillon facility. The factory was responsible for building Formula 1 engines before that project was stopped. It was later renamed “Hypertech Alpine” to support the Hypercar program. With the Hypercar effort now ending and other projects remaining limited in size, keeping staff at the facility may no longer be financially viable.
Alpine’s exit from Hypercar marks another major change in Renault’s motorsport strategy, as the company reshapes its plans to focus on fewer programs with stronger long-term potential.
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