Alpine A424 Hypercar likely to disappear from 2027 WEC grid after talks with Chinese manufacturer Geely collapse

The potential acquisition of the current Alpine A424 Hypercar program by Chinese automaker Geely is now almost certainly not going forward.

Following Renault Group’s announcement that its Alpine A424 LMDh program would end after the current season, several parties expressed interest in taking over what is already a race-winning package.

While initial reports identified Chinese automaker BYD as the principal interested party, that proved to be incorrect. BYD has emerged as being significantly more interested in finding a path into Formula 1. Indeed, more than one well-placed source has told RACER that BYD has never held face-to-face discussions at a senior level regarding the Alpine Hypercar program.

Instead, Chinese automotive giant Geely emerged as by far the most likely interested party, with a series of visits and meetings that initially appeared to bode well for the program’s future.

In recent weeks however, multiple issues have arisen. Interested parties cited concerns over intellectual property relating to electronics and control systems, as well as other barriers stemming from ongoing discussions between Geely and Renault Group over existing and future road car collaborations.

More recently, a dispute over what insiders on the Geely side described as a markedly inflated valuation of the program by Renault Group appears to have significantly cooled interest from the Chinese side.

Although discussions between the two sides are still ongoing, the reality is that the motorsport aspects of those talks are effectively off the table.

Realistically, that likely rules out the A424s competing in the 2027 season. The remaining options include finding another automaker willing to step in or, almost equally unlikely, securing sufficient funding to continue as a privately entered operation.

The latter option, which requires a significant eight-figure sum in euros, is known to be under discussion, but the window of opportunity to secure that funding is very short.

The current and future status of Signatech, in which Renault Group is still believed to hold a 49% stake, remains unclear. The French automaker has made no public statement about whether it intends to retain or divest its interest in the company, which remains majority-controlled by founder Philippe Sinault.

There is still interest in the A424, both with and without Signatech support. At present, though, by far the most likely outcome appears to be that the A424s will be parked indefinitely following the WEC season finale in Monza next month.

As for the drivers, with the exception of Antonio Felix Da Costa (known to have a contract elsewhere for 2027) the stop-start nature of developments in this saga has left them in a difficult position. Since late summer, more than one of the drivers affected has offered little positive indication to RACER of their future prospects in Hypercar.