After double abandonment in Miami, then-CEO of alpine, Laurent Rossi said tough decisions have to be made and changes have to be faced For the team to regain the positions it aspired to. What he probably didn’t know was that he was involved in a carousel of sackings, dismissals and departures “by mutual consent” with Otmar Szafner (main team), Alan Parmane (sporting director) and Pat Fry (technical director, moving to Williams) Will go , Renault president Luca di Meo has once again changed Alpine’s leadership with the appointment of Frenchman Philippe Cruyff as CEO of the sports division and Bruno Famin as vice-president of competition.Viry Chatillon factory head and interim head of the Formula 1 team.
The situation is critical in the Enstone household. To begin with, on June 26, an American conglomerate became a shareholder. The decision was between Ryan Reynolds or Michael B. Hidden in the details was the investment of Hollywood actors like Jordan, but for all intents and purposes this is a partial sale of 24% of the capital. From there, a lack of results has led to proper team changes.
They are sixth in the World Cup, expected to have the advantage of the big four but the emergence of McLaren in recent weeks has left them in midfield. Because he has 57 points, one more than sixth (Williams, 11) and one less than fourth (McLaren, 103). Ocon finished third in Monaco and is tenth in the World Cup (35 points). Gasly is 12th (22 points). There is no rhythm to more than this.
In recent weeks, Formula 1 has been considering allowing Renault to make performance improvements to its power unit to bring it on par with Honda, Mercedes and Ferrari. He argues that engines are frozen from 2021 and there is a “noticeable disadvantage” in the Frenchman’s case. The F1 commission made up of the teams, the championship and the FIA appreciate this request which will give the Alpine a certain sporting airiness, as with more power more aerodynamic weight can be used (they are usually among those who have At least have wings) able to defend themselves on straight lines) etc. Will get benefit. Although not all teams will be in favor of helping out if they approach rivals such as McLaren or Aston Martin in this way.
Budkowski, Prost, Alonso…
As a constructor, Alpine was fifth in 2021 and fourth in 2022 with Alonso. Ocon won the Hungarian GP two years ago and Fernando was on the podium in Qatar. But the movements in the dome were constant: Budkowski had left in January last year to enter Szafnar. Furthermore, Prost left his position as non-executive director due to irreconcilable differences with Rossi. (Who came to replace Abiteboul in 2021, not too long ago). And Fernando himself, possibly the team’s biggest asset, signed for Aston Martin last summer without a renewal offer.
Now Famine will ‘pilot’ that reconstruction process. He says that Szafnar and Parmane did not agree on a “time frame to fight for victory again”. The French leader was in charge of the Peugeot competition division at Le Mans and Dakar before becoming the FIA’s director of operations and then joining Renault. Famin calls the launch “the second phase of the project”, as the first rocket with Szafnar and Permane has burned up. “We want to win and fight for the title as soon as possible, that’s the expectation,” he says of a particular team. “Our strategy is not just F1, the team is fully involved with the brand and other racing programmes.” It’s not very clear whether Alpine, or Renault, are laying the new foundation for a better racing team, or paying a future sale to whoever is interested in forming a new team. Read Andretti and Cadillac.