FIA makes exception for Alpine: Participation Le Mans 2022 possible
F1 News
- GPblog.com
Alpine will be allowed to compete in the WEC class and Le Mans 24 Hours in 2022 with the same car as this year. There was some uncertainty earlier, as the LMP1 class will be replaced by the Hypercar class. However, the FIA has reached an agreement with the ACO that will allow LMP1 cars to compete, provided they were already competing in the championship prior to 2020.
There is a possibility that the exception may be extended to 2023, Soymotor.com reports. Alpine wants to compete in the Hypercar class from 2024, but has to bridge that time because the team doesn't have a Hypercar at the moment.
WEC wants to make sport more attractive with Hypercars
The French racing team managed to make it difficult for the long-time dominant Toyota in 2021, which probably played a big role in the FIA's decision to make an exception. The Hypercar class was created to make the sport more exciting after many of the major marques dropped out.
Hypercars are prototypes that look more like street cars and are less expensive and complex than the LMP1 cars. With the introduction of this class and the use of Balance of Performance, the sport hopes to make racing more exciting.