Can Alpine make F1 and WEC investment pay off?

Alpine is investing millions in F1 and WEC to help build its global brand

Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.

It’s the old cliche of motor racing that only partially holds true these days – especially if you’re talking about Alpine. The French brand currently has two high-profile racing programs, competing in both Formula 1 and the World Endurance Championship (WEC) with two-car programs but only offers a single model in its dealerships, the A110 sports car.

It doubled its road car range at the recent 24 hours of Le Mans, revealing the production version of its previously teased A290 electric hot hatch. A spin-off of the re-born Renault 5, this Alpine version is part of the French brand’s plans to turn itself into a global performance division and battle with the likes of Porsche, BMW and Mercedes-AMG both on the racetrack and off it.

The A290 is powered by a 164kW/300Nm electric powertrain that provides enough performance for it to run 0-100km/h in 6.4 seconds, while being less than four-metres long. Alpine is pitching the new model as an “urban sportscar” thanks to its compact dimensions and hatchback shape.

“We conceived the A290 as an ultra-compact variation of the A110, in the purest style of small sports cars or hot hatches,” explained Antony Villain, head of Alpine Design. “A small Alpine with a character that, at first glance, expresses its potential for driving pleasure to appeal to styling fans and performance enthusiasts alike. The A290 incorporates into a production model the directions from 2023 with the A290_β concept, a true concentrate of Alpine.”

It’s just the start of Alpine’s electric plans, with a larger electric SUV coming soon, as well as an electric replacement for the A110, which will do battle against the likes of the upcoming electric Porsche 718 Cayman.

The question is, will this all-electric strategy pay off for the brand, especially with its huge motorsport investment with its two global racing programs? The F1 operation has been mired in poor performance and rumours of potentially leaving the sport, while the WEC program is still in its early days under the latest Hypercar rules.

Alpine was out in full force at Le Mans last weekend, which is the brand’s heartland, but success beyond the French border will be a major challenge. Success in F1 and WEC would no doubt help lift its profile, but it still needs more products and the slow roll-out of this electric range isn’t ideal.

There are reportedly plans to try and tackle the American market, which would be incredibly challenging, but also potentially lucrative, while it’s unclear if a return to Australia is on the cards anytime soon.

But, if Alpine wants to win on Sunday, sell on Monday it will need to both ramp up its racing efforts and get more cars and showrooms.

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