Nicolas Lapierre: From Driver to Sporting Director

Why did you stop racing in 2024?

It was the right time. I had just celebrated my 40th birthday and ending my career with a world championship podium is the perfect way to go out for any driver, isn't it?

Speaking of careers, yours has spanned close to thirty years!

I started karting in 1993 before switching to open-wheel racing, competing in Formula Renault, Formula 3, then GP2 Series and A1GP. In 2007, I made my début at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in a Saleen GT1 for Team Oreca.

From then on, you concentrated solely on Endurance racing

The FIA WEC hadn't been created at that point, but between 2008 and 2012, I competed in the Le Mans Series, the Intercontinental Le Mans Cup and of course, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Olivier Panis and I won the 1000km of Silverstone in 2009 in an Oreca prototype. In 2010, we won the 1000km of the Algarve and then the 12 Hours of Sebring in 2011 in a Peugeot 908 HDi FAP for Team Oreca-Matmut, which was backed by Total.

In 2012, the year the FIA WEC was created, you joined the Toyota works team

Yes, at the 6 Hours of São Paulo, Alex Wurz and I secured Toyota’s debut win in the World Endurance Championship. We also won in Fuji, at Toyota’s home round, and in Shanghai. Total was a Toyota Racing partner at the time.

In 2016, you joined Alpine to compete in the LMP2 class of the FIA WEC

With Team Signatech-Alpine, we topped the LMP2 class at the 24 Hours of Le Mans and won three other FIA WEC races to claim the 2016 FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams. In the 2018/2019 season, we won the 24 Hours of Le Mans twice and the FIA Endurance Trophy for LMP2 Teams. It was a great experience with a wonderful team, supported by our loyal partner ELF.

And you stayed with Alpine for the Hypercar programme, still in partnership with ELF

In 2021, we competed in the new Hypercar class but with the “old” Alpine A480 (formerly used in the LMP1 class). We won the 1000 Miles of Sebring and Alpine twice finished as runner-up in the world championship, in 2021 and 2022, behind Toyota. We dropped back to the LMP2 class in 2023 as we prepared to return to the elite category in 2024 with the new A424 Hypercar, the development of which I was involved in.

You are now Sporting Director of the Alpine Endurance Team. Aren’t you itching to get back out on track?

No, not to all. I didn't even renew my racing licence for this year! I haven't driven the Alpine 424 in 2025, not even in a shakedown or in testing. I’m fully focussed on my new role. I'm still settling into the job.

What do you do as a Sporting Director in the FIA WEC?

During races, I focus particularly on relations between the drivers and the engineers. I really enjoyed talking with the engineers when I was a driver so I like to maintain this relationship. I attend various meetings on race strategy. Outside of the racing weekends, I represent the team at meetings with the FIA and the ACO. I’m also in charge of recruiting drivers and with the large number of manufacturers already involved and those set to join the championship, the driver market is very volatile at the moment! Being involved in the European Le Mans Series has been instrumental in uncovering many talented young drivers.

Speaking of which, you are also the principal of CLX Motorsport in the ELMS, Michelin Le Mans Cup and at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, also in partnership with ELF

Yes, I split my time between Alpine and CLX Motorsport, although my priority remains Alpine. The European Le Mans Series, the Asian Le Mans Series and the Michelin Le Mans Cup lie at the base of the Endurance pyramid, before moving up to the FIA WEC and the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Competing in these series means that we can have young drivers in the line-ups and therefore spot talents of the future in the category. CLX has been invited to take part in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class.

TotalEnergies has supported you throughout pretty much your entire career in Endurance

Yes, that’s true. Total was one of the Oreca-Matmut team partners in the 2010s, and also a Toyota Racing partner in 2012 in the FIA WEC. The ELF brand is one of Alpine’s longstanding partners and backed me from 2016 onwards. I was proud to enjoy success with Total and ELF and now I'm still proud to be displaying ELF colours in the paddock. It’s a brand that shares our values and love for motor racing. The relationship between TotalEnergies and Alpine is also a technical partnership since the A424 Hypercar prototypes use Excellium Racing 100 fuel and our engines use ELF oils and lubricants exclusively.

Any thoughts about the forthcoming FIA WEC season?

Well, speaking about engines, we have an upgrade coming this year that is primarily about reliability. The FIA WEC is extremely competitive with eight manufacturers contesting the Hypercar class. We have a good package and we ended the season with some promising results and a podium finish in Fuji. We need to build on the momentum we established at the end of 2024… we recently held an endurance test session as part of our preparations for the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We didn't have any major technical issues, which augurs well for the rest of the season.