As Motorsport.com reports, the 6 Hours of Monza marks the final curtain for a 14-year partnership between Signatech and Renault subsidiary Alpine in the World Endurance Championship. To mark this painful farewell, two Alpine A424 machines joined the historic Renault-Alpine A442B for demonstration laps and a joint photoshoot featuring the entire crew. The iconic A442B, recognized by its distinct glass canopy, famously took victory at the 46th edition of Le Mans 24 Hours in 1978 with drivers Didier Pironi and Jean-Pierre Jaussaud. Meanwhile, the A424 prototype hierarchy followed previous iterations like the A450, A460, A470, and A480, securing a single WEC victory at the 6 Hours of Fuji back in 2025.
This premature exit was announced back in February before the start of the season, resulting directly from a leadership shift at the top of the group where Francois Provost reversed the motorsport-friendly course previously championed by Luca de Meo. Now, the team led by Philippe Sinault faces a deeply uncertain future. After a Geely deal fell through on the home stretch, the operating outfit continues fighting for a solution to remain in the top class with another partner. Crucially, Signatech faces a deadline to seal a deal with an OEM within two weeks from the Monza race, as the registration deadline for 2027 is set for November 23.
Voices from within the garage paint a picture of immense pride mixed with raw sorrow. Former driver and current sports director Nicolas Lapierre admitted that while everyone is focused on securing a strong result, heavy emotions will follow the checkered flag. However, Lapierre firmly ruled out running a privateer entry from 2027 onwards, explaining that the current competitiveness of the Hypercar regulations is simply too strong for a privateer to realistically contest. Jules Gounon shared similar sentiments about exiting the top class, reflecting on how lucky he felt to be brought into the program by Bruno, Philippe, and Alpine without prior single-seater or downforce experience.
Charles Milesi, who spent four formative years with the blue squad after being taken under Philippe's wing at age 21, noted that Monza brings everything full circle for his career. Formula 2 graduate Victor Martins chose to look at the final weekend with a smile, praising the awesome human side of the team after transitioning successfully from single-seaters to endurance racing. Meanwhile, Ferdinand Habsburg turned the spotlight away from the drivers and directly toward the hundreds of unsung engineers and mechanics working tirelessly in Viry-Chatillon and Bourges, praising the dedication of the workforce that built a race-winning machine in a remarkably short period.
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