French sports car manufacturer Alpine has purchased a minority stake in its current Hypercar service provider Signatech, RACER has learned. This move gives Signatech long-term financial stability while allowing it to continue to operate …
French sports car manufacturer Alpine has purchased a minority stake in its current Hypercar service provider Signatech, RACER has learned.
This move gives Signatech long-term financial stability while allowing it to continue to operate independently going forward. It is a clear statement of intent from Alpine, which wishes to remain in sports car racing for years to come and achieve its ultimate goal of winning the Le Mans 24 Hours in the current era.
For Signatech, which was founded in 1990, this new chapter comes after a longstanding association with Alpine. The link between the two organizations dates back to 2013 when Signatech partnered with the Dieppe-based brand for an LMP2 class attack on the European Le Mans Series. Since then it has been on a successful path, claiming multiple ELMS and FIA WEC LMP2 titles, three LMP2 class wins at Le Mans and a pair of overall FIA WEC victories in the early days of the Hypercar class, which led to Signatech’s current two-car flagship effort for Alpine in the WEC.
Bruno Famin, vice president of Alpine Motorsport, says there is “no limit” on the current program, and with Alpine now a part-owner of Signatech, the collaboration looks set to continue long into the future.
“Alpine is my partner now, and it’s a good signal for the program,” team principal Philippe Sinualt told RACER. “It’s important to note that they are really on board now with what we do. This doesn’t change the way we operate — it is important to keep independence, it keeps us agile and creative. We managed the situation with Bruno (Famin) and that is clear.
“It gives stability to our program. It’s the first time in my life that I’ve been able to look a minimum of four to five years ahead. That’s why this is fantastic.”
Asked whether this stability opens up other doors for Signatech, Sinualt replied: “We are really focused on WEC. This project is so huge and each morning my staff only wake up to win Le Mans. That’s our game and we have no other involvement now in any other programs.”
Alpine’s Hypercar reserve driver Jules Gounon is eager to soak up as much information and track time as possible this weekend in Fuji. The Frenchman – who was thrown in at the deep end as the substitute for the injured Ferdinand Habsburg earlier …
Alpine’s Hypercar reserve driver Jules Gounon is eager to soak up as much information and track time as possible this weekend in Fuji. The Frenchman — who was thrown in at the deep end as the substitute for the injured Ferdinand Habsburg earlier this year at Imola and Spa — is back for a third start in the No. 35 A424 and senses a prime opportunity to impress.
In April when he received the call to race in Italy following Habsburg’s crash in testing, the situation was far from ideal. He lacked track time and the Signatech-run Alpine effort was still finding its feet with its new car.
Now, though, at the back end of the campaign, Gounon rejoins the team at an exciting moment, fresh from its best result of the season just two weeks ago at Circuit of The Americas. There the A424 took a real step forward in performance terms and the No. 35 finished fifth.
“Everything was not ready for my debut, I had only one test day in the car before I arrived in Imola and everything was new,” he reflected in conversation with RACER. “I didn’t adapt to the systems and I didn’t do any work beforehand because I wasn’t expecting to drive. It was difficult, especially as I didn’t have any relevant downforce experience before in single-seaters or anything like that. All I did was one LMP2 test to convince Alpine to give me a reserve role!
“Spa was better, but still hard. All I had was 10 laps in each practice session and then in the races I did 45 minutes in Imola because of the changing conditions and in Spa, I did 50 minutes because of the red flag. It’s not a lot, so I’m definitely not where I want to be yet.
“However, coming back I can see a lot of progress since my last race, definitely,” he said. “Everyone has worked hard and it shows. The car feels much better, more consistent and more natural. The systems are better and that’s the key. There’s still a disadvantage compared to Porsche and Ferrari, who have more cars running and more time to analyze. But we all have the goal of building this.”
Better still, he has had ample time to mentally prepare for this cameo at Fuji in the seat usually occupied by Paul-Loup Chatin. To aid his development, this appearance was written into his contract before the season began, he’s had the weekend circled in his calendar for months.
Alpine photo
What would a strong performance on Sunday mean for his future? Right now, there are no guarantees, but a standout performance would surely improve his chances of securing a full-time Hypercar drive in the future.
Taking that step will not be easy, though Gounon has both the ability and a résumé that speaks for itself. During his time as a Mercedes-AMG factory driver, he has racked up Spa 24 Hours, Rolex 24 At Daytona and Bathurst 12 Hour wins to his name, as well as a pair of World Challenge Europe titles. Now he has an eye on what’s next.
Thus, he is grateful that Mercedes-AMG — a brand that aspires to compete in the FIA WEC but doesn’t currently have a program — has been so accommodating, allowing him to explore a future in Hypercar by adding this reserve role at Alpine to his ongoing GT racing commitments.
“We are definitely in the golden era for endurance racing, with so many factories and pro drivers. I want to be a part of that going forward,” Gounon said when asked about his ambition to race in the WEC’s top class. “At the same time, I still have a contract with Mercedes until the end of next year, so I know I will still be doing GT racing. If one day I get the chance (in Hypercar), I will take it, but I will definitely not stop GT racing.
“For now though, my goal is to not let my teammates down. I know what I can deliver in terms of performance in a prototype like this, but I am not there yet. I’m not seconds off; I just need to find the final few tenths. I don’t feel like I am on trial with the team, instead, I am on trial with myself and I want to show what I can do and impress.
“With the team in the position it is in now, we hope to score more points and make a strong statement. I want to be a part of that. Every weekend comes with new challenges. Hopefully, we can face them.”
Alpine and Honda have both been found to have made procedural breaches of the new Formula 1 power unit financial regulations, the FIA has announced. The cost cap for power unit manufacturers was only implemented for the first time last year, to …
Alpine and Honda have both been found to have made procedural breaches of the new Formula 1 power unit financial regulations, the FIA has announced.
The cost cap for power unit manufacturers was only implemented for the first time last year, to regulate the cost and development of the new power units that will be introduced in 2026. Reporting its findings of the first set of accounts, the FIA’s Cost Cap Administration (CCA), stated that four of the power unit suppliers were found to be compliant — Mercedes, Ferrari, Red Bull Powertrains and Audi — but there were discrepancies from Alpine and Honda that did not relate to an overspend.
“The CCA confirms that although Alpine Racing SAS and HRC (Honda) have both been found to be in procedural breach, neither have exceeded the cost cap level,” the FIA said. “Both Alpine Racing SAS and HRC have acted at all times in good faith and are currently cooperating with the CCA to finalize the matter.
“Considering the nature of the breach, the complexities of the new financial regulations for PU manufacturers and the challenges associated with their first year of implementation it is the CCA’s intention to propose to these two PU manufacturers to settle their respective breaches by means of an Accepted Breach Agreement (ABA).”
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The CCA adds that should an ABA be reached with either of the power unit manufacturers, a summary of that agreement will be published as soon as possible.
The financial regulations for power unit manufacturers are separate to those for teams, and the FIA has announced that all 10 Formula 1 teams were found to be compliant with the 2023 financial regulations.
Alpine Endurance Team reserve driver Jules Gounon is set to make his third FIA WEC start of the 2024 season at next weekend’s 6 Hours of Fuji. Gounon has been called up to race in the No. 35 A424 Hypercar in the seat normally filled by Paul-Loup …
Alpine Endurance Team reserve driver Jules Gounon is set to make his third FIA WEC start of the 2024 season at next weekend’s 6 Hours of Fuji.
Gounon has been called up to race in the No. 35 A424 Hypercar in the seat normally filled by Paul-Loup Chatin and race alongside Charles Milesi and Ferdinand Habsburg. Alpine made the decision before the season began that Gounon would drive at Fuji in place of Chatin as part of his development within the team.
The original plan would have made this his first Hypercar start, but Gounon was called up to race in the No. 35 at both Imola and Spa to stand in for Habsburg. The Austrian was unable to take part after sustaining an injury during a testing incident in March.
Chatin, meanwhile, will rejoin Alpine’s Hypercar crew for the final race of the season in Bahrain.
Alpine’s future in the top class of sportscar racing appears bright as the 2024 FIA WEC season comes to a close. Just last weekend it achieved its best finish yet in the FIA WEC when its No. 35 A424 finished fifth overall, and in the background, …
Alpine’s future in the top class of sportscar racing appears bright as the 2024 FIA WEC season comes to a close. Just last weekend it achieved its best finish yet in the FIA WEC when its No. 35 A424 finished fifth overall, and in the background, work is ongoing to secure a future for the brand long-term, not only in the FIA WEC, but in IMSA too.
First off, Alpine welcomes the recent Hypercar ruleset extension to the end of the 2029 season, as its commitment to the category is open-ended. Beyond that, it is still exploring an expansion to IMSA GTP and holds continued interest in the forthcoming hydrogen regulations that are set to be introduced in 2028.
Regarding IMSA, it sees GTP as a potential platform to expand its commitment to top-end sportscar racing and help give the brand visibility in North America at a crucial time.
This is something that IMSA president John Doonan spoke with RACER about earlier this summer. He believes the French manufacturer is a prime example of a brand which could utilise an IMSA program to assist the launch of its road cars into the U.S. market.
“They want to come to the U.S. and sell road cars,” he said “If you bring the racing program as part of the brand launch, it’s an authentic way to launch a brand.
“To do that you need lots of elements, retail locations and a distribution network, but you need awareness more than anything else. What better way to get that than via showing the public what you can do on track?”
And it appears that Alpine is indeed taking a long, hard look at what going GTP racing with the A424 would look like, with Alpine Motorsports vice president Bruno Famin telling RACER at COTA last week that an expansion to IMSA remains on the table.
“We always said there would be no limit to our (WEC) program. We have no problem with the Hypercar rule extension and we have no limit,” he said.
“And IMSA is a potential scenario we are considering. But for the time being it’s just potential. What is not a secret is that the Alpine brand wants to return to the US in the coming years and the development of the Alpine brand awareness is based on its motorsport programs.
“So considering an IMSA program is something we may think about. Nothing is done yet regarding schedule, but we are considering it.”
Famin added that any GTP program would likely be a collaborative effort with a private team rather than a pure factory effort funded and managed entirely by the OEM.
“It would be a US-style program, where the factory is involved but the cars would be managed by a private team. It’s the business model in the USA and IMSA.
“We have been in a few talks but nothing very recently,” he added “We need to confirm first when Alpine would be ready to come back to the U.S. Once we have certainty about that we will come back to talking to the team.”
This evaluation coincides with the formation of the future regulation set for hydrogen-powered prototypes, which after its most recent delay is expected to come into play in 2028.
Stars, stripes, and French sports cars could become a more familiar combination. JEP/Motorsport Images
Alpine, Famin explained, remains interested in competing with the new technology but recognises that any transition from its current Hypercar program to an effort with hydrogen would need to be managed carefully.
“What we need to consider is whether you make a new car or not and with which category and with technology,” he said. “But we are happy. Hypercar is developing and has stability with potential newcomers in 2026.
“(Hydrogen) It’s something we are considering. We are working on the hydrogen technology. In Le Mans we had the Alpenglow complete a lap before the start and we are working hard on that. At the Paris Motor Show, we will show off a new version of that car.
“And if the regulations are clear and affordable we would be happy to consider it. No decision has been taken but everyone, the ACO, the FIA, knows we are very active on this technology and we may consider it for sure.
“What we know is that we won’t be able to do both programs in parallel. It will be a traditional car with traditional technology or a Hydrogen car. We will not do both.”
Alpine isn’t the only current Hypercar manufacturer facing this dilemma. Toyota is also invested in hydrogen technology and recently reaffirmed its intentions to compete with it in the future.
However, unlike Alpine, it would plan to compete with the GR010 Hypercar and a hydrogen prototype simultaneously when the two regulation sets first overlap.
In the meantime, Alpine is fully committed to improving the A424 and building momentum for its second season of Hypercar competition in 2025.
A big part of that has been to work on a permanent solution to the engine issue that led to a double retirement on its first Le Mans 24 Hours with the car back in June.
Signatech (Alpine’s WEC Hypercar service provider) boss Philippe Sinault told RACER in São Paulo that the problem was being ‘managed’ and that a permanent fix was being worked on.
And with the summer break over and the season’s final stretch in progress, Famin now confirms it is close to a permanent solution.
“We have implemented some modifications and we will keep working on it,” he explained to RACER.
“We have reduced the level of risk but we still have to work on it. We are still negotiating to see if it will be an Evo (Joker) or not. We have (new) parts on the car, but not all of them.”
Famin wouldn’t been drawn into the specifics of what the fix entails, but he did confirm that the ultimate solution is not to introduce an entirely new engine.
For the two French manufacturers in Hypercar – Peugeot and Alpine – the final leg of the 2024 WEC season presents a significant opportunity. Both are looking to generate some positive momentum ahead of what looks to be a crucial off-season for their …
For the two French manufacturers in Hypercar – Peugeot and Alpine – the final leg of the 2024 WEC season presents a significant opportunity. Both are looking to generate some positive momentum ahead of what looks to be a crucial off-season for their programs.
There’s no doubt about it, it’s been a challenging season for both, but for different reasons. These are two programs at completely different stages, fighting to make their mark racing in what is by far the most competitive top class in WEC history.
Peugeot TotalEnergies appears to be under the most pressure. It is coming to the end of its second full campaign with the 9X8, and despite switching to its 2024-spec car at Imola, has regularly struggled to compete at the sharp end of the field.
The new-look challenger, with its shift in aerodynamic concept and tire sizes, made its debut at Imola after a highly encouraging but ultimately heartbreaking Swansong for the old car in Qatar. There, the No. 93 fought for victory before hitting trouble in the closing minutes.
At that time things were looking up, the start of the season was head-turning and the promise of a new and improved 9X8 was reason for optimism. However, since the switch, Peugeot’s fortunes haven’t changed and the results of its development work over the off-season have been mixed at best.
On one hand, the 9X8 is more reliable and the drivers feel it gives them more confidence behind the wheel – it’s a more predictable car to drive. On the other, the team has struggled to extract outright pace and find consistency over a full race distance. Through four races the new car has a best finish of eighth in Sao Paulo.
Back in May, Linda Jackson – Peugeot’s CEO – praised the marketing value and return on investment that the WEC presents, referencing a spike in road car sales before, during and after the centenary Le Mans 24 Hours in 2023. But the harsh reality is that programs like this one will not be signed off by board members indefinitely if the results aren’t there.
Expectations at Peugeot are sky-high for its Hypercar project, yet it has been winless since it joined the grid at the tail end of the 2022 season.
“For the fans, for us, for the return on investment, to be honest, we need to win something,” Jackson said. “It’s time to deliver. It’s a very important investment. And, we decided to focus on the WEC we are not present elsewhere. Now is the time.”
The 2024-spec car’s journey so far featured Le Mans, the most important race for the team due to its prestige and location. Peugeot hoped its work to update the 9X8 would vault it into contention on home soil and see it compete for a fourth overall win.
But it didn’t work out that way and while both 9X8s finished the race, they failed to make an impact, coming home 11th and 12th, two laps down. That performance and subsequent struggles at Sao Paulo resulted in further frustration for its drivers.
Jean-Eric Vergne, who drives the No. 93, was both deflated and frustrated when he spoke to RACER after failing to make Hyperpole that weekend. He made it clear he feels that Peugeot needs more than just a favorable BoP change to become a contender.
“We don’t have performance,” he said. “We did the best we could. Set-up wise, plan wise, we are doing our best but we are just slow. We are losing time everywhere.
“It’s not getting better. It’s very frustrating and I don’t really know what to say. There’s no reason behind our extremely poor performance. We just aren’t quick enough.
“Our performance has nothing to do with Sao Paulo. Le Mans wasn’t great, Spa wasn’t great, Imola wasn’t great. It’s very difficult and it’s hard for the guys that do such a good job in our team. It doesn’t matter who you put in the car, you can’t go faster than this. It’s not the mechanics, drivers or engineers that are at fault.
“We need a better car. The car needs to change, 100 percent. There is nowhere to hide anymore.”
Peugeot has struggled in relation to its Hypercar rivals. JEP/Motorsport Images
A day later, the race itself proved to be kinder to the 9X8s, but still, they were no match for the likes of Porsche and Ferrari and certainly not Toyota, which dominated the race.
The No. 93 ran towards the front – but out-of-sequence – for much of the race before finishing eighth. So, with the race at CoTA just days away and visits to Fuji and Bahrain looming, where does Peugeot go from here?
Peugeot managed to test in Austin ahead of Lone Star Le Mans over the summer and took part in the Michelin tire test focused on the new Hypercar compounds, which were due to debut in 2025 but have been delayed to 2026
Peugeot has also announced another tweak to its driver roster ahead of what it hopes will be a more fruitful 2025 season. Gone is Nico Mueller who is off to Porsche (via Andretti in Formula E) for a fresh start, in is Malthe Jakobsen, who has been promoted rapidly from junior, to reserve and now a full-time driver.
The young Dane will become a Hypercar factory driver next year at age 21 and if his performances in an LMP2 car over the past two years are anything to go by, he will serve as an injection of fresh, positive energy.
Olivier Jansonnie, Peugeot’s technical director, knows that turning the program around will not be easy though. It needs to do more than freshen up its driver roster.
While there are no opportunities to debut any further updates to the car before the end of the current season due to the logistical constraints caused by the flyaways, developments are being explored for the 2025 season.
Speaking with RACER after the race in Brazil, Jansonnie gave a pragmatic assessment of the current situation.
“We didn’t have the pace to be at the front (in Sao Paulo). We knew tyre strategy would be paramount. But overall we executed a good strategy and we got the best out of our package,” he reflected. “That’s a positive. But we have to find more performance in the car. That’s for sure.
“There’s no reason why we can’t extract more pace. We are missing grip overall, that’s clear and we have ideas and options to fix it. We just need time to test.
“It’s difficult to improve during race weekends because practice is short and when you go to new circuits you are learning. I agree that we need to find pace in most areas. But I believe that will come from testing and set-up work.
“When you look at the timing of the season, the races are close so it’s unlikely we can bring something new for this season. But for sure we are thinking about what we can do during the winter in time for next season.
“For now we look to the final races.”
Meanwhile, at Alpine, the mood surrounding the program has its similarities and differences. Like Peugeot, its home race in June was a huge disappointment, but this is a younger project and it feels like there’s plenty more to come from the A424 ahead of its sophomore season next year. In general, there is more optimism to be found.
Of the new crop of Hypercar factories in 2024, you could argue that Alpine has shown the most promise. Look at the standings and the full-season No. 35 duo of Paul-Loup Chatin and Charles Milesi sit 15th, ahead of the two BMW crews and both the Lamborghini and Isotta trios, after points scores at Qatar and Spa.
There is still work to be done before Alpine can contend for race wins, and the disastrous outing at Le Mans has posed questions about the team’s engine package that still require answers. But, there is quiet optimism in the camp that the 2025 campaign will be a stronger one, with the French marque aiming to follow in Porsche’s footsteps and take a big step after its first year of competition.
Speaking with Alpine Endurance Team boss Philippe Sinault ahead of Alpine’s first race with the A424 in the USA, he made it clear he feels the team’s performances this year have been in line with his pre-season expectations – Le Mans aside.
Reliability has been a weakness for the A424, and the car has proven to be sensitive to different circuit styles. Sinualt rightly pointed out though that it is still early days for the project, which made its debut in Qatar after a test program that wasn’t as comprehensive or lengthy as he would have liked.
Nevertheless, the French brand is here with an ORECA-based challenger that looks the part, sounds the part, and has real potential to turn heads in the not-so-distant future.
“The expectation stays the same, even though Le Mans was not like we expected,” Sinault said ahead of the final leg of the 2024 season, We have to keep optimizing the time we have on track to build up knowledge and understanding of the car to be ready to fight at the front in 2025.
Reliability has been Alpine’s Achilles heel. JEP/Motorsport Images
“It’s not a lack of ambition, we are just growing step by step. We are closer to the others now, the gap is six, seven-tenths, and if we want to progress we have to keep finishing races.
“It’s important to understand that we had two options with a new car and a new program,” he continues. “We could have either tested alone to understand the car or enter it immediately for competition. We made the second choice, we were brave and we have to accept that sometimes we have issues. We feel the best way to understand a car and progress is to compete. That’s why we are here.”
While the car’s debut at Qatar was its most impressive showing so far, with the No. 35 finishing an impressive seventh overall and in the points, the opening phase of the 2024 Le Mans 24 Hours, unfortunately, lives longer in the memory.
Alpine headed into Le Mans with high hopes, but these were quickly dashed when terminal engine issues saw both of its cars retire with the same root cause before 10 pm on Saturday night.
“It was huge, it was intense,” Sinualt reflected. “We learnt the most about the car there, even though we finished the race so early. We took a lot of experience from the week before, during testing and practice.
“It’s a young project, we identified that our issue could happen. We had issues of this type before but not before 24 hours of testing, not that early. It surprised us that after five hours we had these issues.
“We identified the trouble. Now we will react with some inputs into an update but it’s too soon to say if it will be in a joker loop or not. We can’t make changes now, we just have to adapt the way we use the engine.
“Le Mans is key to the project, the foundation is there. After Le Mans, we remain convinced that the package is perfect.”
Sinault explained that the problem has been identified and is being managed. A permanent fix is being evaluated, and the determination needs to be made if it requires a ‘Joker’ (update). Depending on how it all comes together, the change will be made in either “September, October or 2025.”
“Everyone has worked hard to prevent this issue from happening again,” he says. “It’s too early (now) to make big changes and play ‘Jokers’. The main part of the improvements to the car will be on this side with the team.
“The package and the base are really good. We are close to the others with very low mileage. So we prefer to say at the moment that we have to work well as a team. We have identified items that could be better but there’s no time for this at the moment.”
With the summer break now over, the remaining races present interesting challenges.
“Our car is a low downforce car at the moment,” Sinualt said. “If we want to progress, we have to work on tracks with different profiles, and the end of the calendar has three very different tracks. It’s going to give us a clear view by the end of the season. On low downforce tracks, we are okay, we’ve made progress with the brakes and TC and so on.
“The freight between Sao Paulo and COTA means we haven’t had the opportunity to book tests in Europe. But we have identified some subjects in terms of management of the engine and MGU and so on, and we are working on that.
“It will be an intense autumn and winter program because we have to summarize all our information and make some improvements. Maybe we will play some ‘Jokers’, we don’t know, but the winter will be the right time to prepare for 2025, not now.
“You never know how it will play out, but we expect to take steps with the car and keep the same drivers (for 2025). We have created a foundation with them.”
Flavio Briatore insists Alpine is not for sale and says Renault chairman Luca de Meo “never wants to sell the team”. The former Renault team principal, Briatore is now a special advisor to Alpine and oversaw the installation of Oliver Oakes as the …
Flavio Briatore insists Alpine is not for sale and says Renault chairman Luca de Meo “never wants to sell the team”.
The former Renault team principal, Briatore is now a special advisor to Alpine and oversaw the installation of Oliver Oakes as the new team principal over the summer. With Renault’s own Formula 1 power unit department set to be closed down and Alpine planning on becoming a customer team in future, the changes have led to speculation that the team is being primed for a sale but Briatore insists that’s not the case.
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“No, there is nothing for sale,” Briatore said. “Everything, we buy. If there’s any opportunity we’d buy another Formula 1 team! Some things are very clear. Luca de Meo never wants to sell the team. Question finito.”
Alpine is understood to have held talks with Mercedes about becoming a customer from 2026 onwards, and Briatore says there are other examples of customer teams being able to win that prove the plan is focused on performance.
“Look at McLaren, McLaren is not doing everything. If you want to win, you need the best of everything that is possible. So my job is really to get the team in condition to win. Doing everything that is possible to make sure all the important parts are competitive.”
Briatore says the lack of performance from the power unit created Renault an issue, but clarifies a decision on its future was made prior to his return to the team.
“The problem is the evidence. The stuff with the engine was decided already by the management of Renault and for me it’s fine. Our chairman decided it was fine. This was decided already before I arrived in the team.
“I’m not the bad guy all the time! I still am, but not in that! Everything else, you can blame me, but not this one!
“This is the decision of the chairman of the Renault Group, we read in the newspaper like you guys. And I have nothing to say about that.”
Alpine has confirmed its reserve driver Jack Doohan will be promoted to a race seat alongside Pierre Gasly in 2025. The 21-year-old Doohan has been solely focused on reserve duties this season after finishing third in last year’s Formula 2 …
Alpine has confirmed its reserve driver Jack Doohan will be promoted to a race seat alongside Pierre Gasly in 2025.
The 21-year-old Doohan has been solely focused on reserve duties this season after finishing third in last year’s Formula 2 championship, while he has also had multiple FP1 outings for Alpine. The Australian becomes the first Alpine Academy driver to progress directly into a race seat with the team, and is the second confirmed rookie on the 2025 grid alongside Oliver Bearman at Haas.
“I am so happy to secure promotion into a full-time race seat in 2025 with BWT Alpine F1 Team,” Doohan said. “I am very grateful for the trust and belief by the team’s senior management. There is so much work ahead to be prepared and ready and I will give my best in the meantime to absorb as much information and knowledge to be ready for the step up.
“It’s exceptionally satisfying to be the first graduate of the Alpine Academy to be in a race seat with the team and I’m extremely thankful to those who supported me along the way to make this a reality. It’s an exciting moment, a proud day for my family, and I look forward to taking it all in and pushing hard behind the scenes.”
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Confirmation of the Alpine lineup is the first major announcement under new team principal Oliver Oakes, who says the work that Doohan has done for the team in the simulator and in testing has been rewarded.
“We are very excited to promote Jack into the race seat from next season and, in doing so, giving him the opportunity to showcase his skill and talent in Formula 1,” Oakes said. “Jack will become the first driver to graduate from the Alpine Academy into a race driver position with the team, so that is exceptionally pleasing for the team and its young driver pathway.
“Personally, I have worked with Jack back in 2019 and I am fully aware of his raw talent and potential. He is a very hard worker behind the scenes and his commitment is hugely valued by the entire team.
“Alongside Pierre, we have a well-balanced driver lineup with a good combination between youthful energy, experience, and pure speed. We look forward to working with both Jack and Pierre in order to keep developing the car and bring the team up the grid.”
Doohan will continue as reserve driver for the rest of the current season, as well as carry out further tests in the 2022 Alpine as part of the team’s testing of previous cars (TPC) program.
It was not even 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix had ended, when members of Formula 1 teams were preparing to take a few weeks off during August, that Carlos Sainz finally announced his next move. Sainz had been described as the cork in the …
It was not even 24 hours after the Belgian Grand Prix had ended, when members of Formula 1 teams were preparing to take a few weeks off during August, that Carlos Sainz finally announced his next move.
Sainz had been described as the cork in the bottle by Kevin Magnussen – on the record, and in sometimes more colorful language by multiple other drivers off it – when it came to the driver market, with so many teams showing interest and making offers to the Spaniard.
Realistically Sainz’s options came down to a choice between Williams, Alpine and Stake/Sauber/Audi, and while Sainz’s decision has brought clarity for the first of that trio’s situation, the other two still have vacancies that need filling.
Further clarity may be imminent as the paddock reconvenes in Zandvoort this weekend, but there’s also a chance there’s going to be less of a rush as neither team appears to have been able to secure their first choice.
If we start with the more competitive of the two at the moment, Alpine might finally be about to promote one of its junior drivers into a race seat – and fair play to the team for putting itself in that position given its ongoing off-track instability and where it started this season.
It’s always tough to compare drivers, but the success of Oscar Piastri after a year in the reserve role at Enstone shows that Alpine can prepare young talent even if it hasn’t always then handled their contracts effectively, and Jack Doohan has been following in his fellow Australian’s footsteps over the past two years.
This year is far more similar to Piastri’s final year with Alpine, as Doohan isn’t racing but solely focused on the reserve and development role, and he has made a strong case for a chance in F1 with testing outings on top of some of his previous F2 performances.
But he’s not alone on that list, with Valtteri Bottas still on the market and serving as an experienced option should Alpine want to head that way. So is his current teammate Zhou Guanyu, a former Renault junior who never got a shot in a race seat with the team. The latter could bring backing as well as some experience now, but would also be a slightly harsh call over Doohan.
Mick Schumacher has ties through Alpine’s hypercar program and will also be a consideration, and Kevin Magnussen is also a free agent if the team wants more experience and doesn’t get Bottas.
Bottas and Magnussen are both experienced options. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
The future Audi project has been a bit of a mess over the past 18 months, and it has shown through the managerial changes that have taken place recently, alongside the fact it couldn’t convince Sainz to join.
But the hirings of Mattia Binotto and Jonathan Wheatley are strong ones, and all of the drivers above will hold some interest in being part of the transition next year. Sebastian Vettel’s name has also been linked with a return to F1 with Audi, although Helmut Marko clarified he was one of multiple options he mentioned as attractive German drivers that could partner Nico Hulkenberg.
Such is the lack of clear expectations over where the team goes next after missing out on Sainz, however, that even the name of Formula 2 title contender Gabriel Bortoleto has cropped up in passing. The Brazilian impressed in his rookie year, but is part of the McLaren young driver setup.
The lack of firm interest from Mercedes in Sainz was somewhat surprising to Williams team principal James Vowles, but it also served to somewhat keep Toto Wolff’s team out of the limelight when it comes to its driver situation. In any other year, there would be incessant focus on the vacancy at Mercedes, with the team needing to replace the most successful driver in F1 history when Lewis Hamilton heads for Ferrari.
That’s not to say there hasn’t been attention on Mercedes, but certainly less than you might have expected for that seat given the way the driver market has been playing out, and with the growing feeling that it will be Andrea Kimi Antonelli making the step up as a rookie.
Antonelli turns 18 at the end of this weekend, and that opens up the possibility of him making an FP1 appearance at his home race in Monza. He has tested for Mercedes already this year, but it would be another step on the path towards a full-time race seat if he were to get a Friday practice outing. If he does, take it as a sign of the continuing trend towards Antonelli partnering George Russell in 2025.
Lawson and Perez’s futures have been constant talking points. Andy Hone/Motorsport Images
And the other factor to keep in mind, despite comments at the start of the break, is the ongoing focus at Red Bull relating to Sergio Perez.
Marko promised a decision on reserve driver Liam Lawson next month – meaning in September – and he’s certainly a strong candidate for the as-yet-unconfirmed RB seat, but that doesn’t mean there couldn’t be movement elsewhere too.
The decision from Red Bull to stick by Perez and show faith in him heading into the break was sensible in the way that it meant there were no doubts or strong rumors during those few weeks. But that also doesn’t mean the team is guaranteeing him his spot indefinitely.
The focus will be on making sure the car helps Perez feel more confident behind the wheel, and Red Bull is taking on its share of the responsibility on that front. But if there is not an upturn in performances and results alongside that work, then Perez is not immune from replacement.
That could provide a lifeline to Daniel Ricciardo, who is currently staring at a departure from RB unless he produces some remarkable performances. He probably needs to be doing that anyway, but if Perez does regain the type of form that he had at the start of the season then there won’t be room for Ricciardo at Red Bull and Lawson could well be replacing him in 2025. And that’s without factoring in the job Isack Hadjar is doing in F2, where he leads the championship.
Decisions and announcements could come at any time, but what it all adds up to is at least the potential for a quiet spell, because Mercedes and RB look extremely likely to promote from within their own ranks.
Alpine and Stake then have a large number of potential candidates to choose from. The ball is now more in their courts than Sainz’s, as was the case previously, so if they don’t make quick commitments there could still be a few twists and turns in the market yet.
Frustration with a lack of improvement at Alpine was one of the main reasons Esteban Ocon opted to make the switch to Haas, where the Frenchman sees a clear set of future plans. Ocon announced earlier this year that he would be leaving Alpine at the …
Frustration with a lack of improvement at Alpine was one of the main reasons Esteban Ocon opted to make the switch to Haas, where the Frenchman sees a clear set of future plans.
Ocon announced earlier this year that he would be leaving Alpine at the end of this season following five years with the team, with his move to Haas confirmed ahead of the summer break. Amid discussions to close down Renault’s power unit program and with a third team principal in a many years set to start work at Alpine, the team has been unsettled for some time and the technical issues stood out to Ocon as particularly frustrating.
“The decision for me was quite clear quite a long time ago that I wanted a new challenge,” Ocon said. “I wanted to write my own story, and obviously five years in Formula 1 with the same team is a long time in Formula 1 terms.
“We’ve achieved good things; we’ve achieved things a little bit more difficult at times, but yes for sure this season has been frustrating. It’s not a secret to anyone — no one’s happy inside the team with where we are, and there hasn’t been enough of an improvement on some terms and on some technical issues that we had years ago.
“That circle of technical development and improvement, we haven’t been on top of that and we are facing the issues that we had three years ago with the current car, which is not possible in terms of the Formula 1 world.
“But I wish this team the best. We have achieved together my first podium, my first win, and it’s always going to remain special to my heart. I wish them the best for the future but before that we still have a half a season to finish and I hope that I can do my best to finish on a high with this team.”
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In contrast, Ocon says he was impressed by the clear vision that Haas team principal Ayao Komatsu has for the coming years, as well as the more recent examples of progress that have resulted in Haas climbing to seventh in the constructors’ championship.
“There’s been a lot of conversations going around the paddock, that is quite clear,” he said. “These conversations started quite a long time ago — mid-season of 2023 is really when they started, but Ayao really convinced me with his words. He’s a person that has a lot of experience in Formula 1, that I’ve been working with from my first steps into Formula 1 as well when I was testing for the first time 10 years ago, and I even know him from a lot longer than that.
“So when we sat down for the first time he explained to me his plans going forward, which were very clear. They [Haas] have a clear target, which is still in humble terms — not showing off, which is what I like as well, but they have very clear plans of improving and they are already starting that, as you can see this year.
“They have been clearly improving their performance, the car itself, and the plans are obviously quite big and quite impressive looking forwards. So it was a decision that I obviously took that I’m very happy with and I’m very excited.”
