Kansas City Chiefs pair Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are among a group of sports stars who have joined the investment group that recently bought into Alpine’s Formula 1 team. Otro Capital announced a €200 million ($218m at the time) strategic …
Kansas City Chiefs pair Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce are among a group of sports stars who have joined the investment group that recently bought into Alpine’s Formula 1 team.
Otro Capital announced a €200 million ($218m at the time) strategic investment in Alpine back in June, with the investors including RedBird Capital Partners, Maximum Effort Investments – featuring Hollywood’s Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenny – the Huntsman Family and Main Street Advisors.
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Now Otro has added to that investment group with multiple sports stars, with Mahomes and Kelce joined by four-time golf major winner Rory McIlroy, former world heavyweight champion Anthony Joshua, Liverpool and England soccer player Trent Alexander-Arnold, Spanish World Cup winner Juan Mata, and Miami Marlins and Real Salt Lake investor Roger Ehrenberg.
While the move does not mean a greater stake in Alpine has been taken – only the original investment group now consisting of more people – Otro says: “The addition of these championship winning international athletes and sports investors will bolster Otro Capital’s strategic partnership with Alpine F1, combining premium expertise across different areas of the sports ecosystem and driving Alpine F1’s reach to a world of new fans.
Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is said to be leading the investment group. Motorsport images
“The new investors will help drive global awareness for Alpine F1 and will further complement Otro Capital’s contributions in areas such as media, sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, commercial rights management, licensing and merchandising.”
Mahomes suggests it is the NFL players who are leading the group, in partnership with Chiefs tight end Kelce.
“I’ve always had a passion for all sports,” Mahomes said. |”The opportunity to lead an investor group with Travis in Alpine F1 alongside Otro Capital was one I couldn’t pass up. It’s an exciting time for the sport and this is an opportunity to bring our shared values to the world stage. I’m looking forward to being a part of its growth.”
Kelce added: “I am thrilled to lead an investor group and join forces with Patrick and the team at Otro Capital on this exciting venture with Alpine F1.
“Our shared passion for excellence and innovation forms the cornerstone of this partnership. It’s about being able to contribute to a sport that demands precision, teamwork, and relentless pursuit of success. I am looking forward to this new chapter and can’t wait to see what we achieve together.”
Pierre Gasly was left puzzled by instructions from his Alpine team late in the Japanese Grand Prix that he described as a “complete joke.” Alpine ordered Gasly to give up ninth place to teammate Esteban Ocon on the final lap as he hadn’t managed to …
Pierre Gasly was left puzzled by instructions from his Alpine team late in the Japanese Grand Prix that he described as a “complete joke.”
Alpine ordered Gasly to give up ninth place to teammate Esteban Ocon on the final lap as he hadn’t managed to catch and pass Fernando Alonso ahead for eighth in the final stint. However, with the drivers running two different strategies, Gasly was angry when the request was made as his team radio at the time shows:
Engineer: “OK mate, we’ve got Esteban 2.4 (seconds) behind, instruction from the pit wall coming, er, can we swap back around?”
Gasly: “Wait, what the f***, you kidding me?! Why you saying like… I was faster, I’m on fresher rubber if he would not have let me pass I’d have overtaken him anyway.”
Engineer: “Yeah, we’ll discuss it in the office, let’s please swap around.”
Gasly: “Are you serious? You’re being serious? I started in front, I was in front the whole race, you let him undercut me.”
Engineer: “Mate, I’m not joking, those instructions come from the pit wall. Next time around, T16 please.”
Gasly: “You confirm you want to swap?”
Engineer: “Affirm mate, affirm please.”
Gasly: “Yeah, thank you. Complete joke.”
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“It wasn’t discussed before the race,” Gasly explained afterwards. “I was told that Esteban decided to undercut me with the strategy, to favor him — it would obviously undercut me, who was the leading car, and they would let me pass so we don’t lose time.
“It was never said that we’d need to invert the positions again, because I started ahead and I was always in front. As a team, 10th and ninth or ninth and 10th is the same. But it was definitely not something I expected and not something I really understand as well, because I was the leading car. We’ll talk, yeah.
“I think we did a good strategy. As a team, we did the best job we could with both cars. I don’t understand the team’s decision but I respected it. I let Esteban past. But in the end, it’s three points for the team, and that’s what we have to look at.”
Gasly said it was clear that the way the two strategies would play out meant positions would need to change on track, but insists it wasn’t planned that he would be asked to move aside.
“No, no, it was clear that we have a strategy they had planned, at some point Esteban would undercut me. But my race was faster and I would have to pass him back,” he said. “I would have overtaken him anyway on the racetrack because I had fresher tires.
“Until then, it was all similar, it was just on the last lap it was…. Anyway, it’s something we’ll talk together (about), we’ll explain, and I’m sure next time, the other way around, Esteban will play it fair.
“I put the team in front of myself, and that’s what I would do anyway.”
In contrast, Ocon says the approach was consistent with previous Alpine decisions where drivers allow each other to try and improve their overall position without fighting between each other.
“I’ve been with this team for four years now and the rule has always been this one, with Daniel (Ricciardo), with Fernando (Alonso), if one driver swaps positions,” he said. “So in that instance, I gave the position to Pierre, he needs to get the position in front, which was Fernando, in order to be keeping that position. Otherwise you just give the place back to your teammate.
“That’s always what we’ve done. If I’m on the other side, I will obviously do the same. But I always prefer a fight on-track. I’m more of an old-school guy, and I would never ask for the position to be switched. But I understand also the team’s point of view, which was trying to get more places and to get more points, but unfortunately yeah, we didn’t get that. I think we maximized the potential. There wasn’t much more on the table.”
Pierre Gasly admits some frustration had built up during his first season with Alpine, but was released with his first podium for the team at the Dutch Grand Prix. Alpine has shown strong speed at times this year but missed opportunities for some …
Pierre Gasly admits some frustration had built up during his first season with Alpine, but was released with his first podium for the team at the Dutch Grand Prix.
Alpine has shown strong speed at times this year but missed opportunities for some big results on Gasly’s side of the garage, leaving him with 22 points and a best finish of seventh in a grand prix heading into the race at Zandvoort. Third in the Sprint in Belgium hinted at the potential of the partnership and just one race after a change of team management Gasly scored a strong podium in wet conditions, something he says is partly down to the team’s resilience.
“It was extremely tricky today,” Gasly said. “All the conditions were pretty much thrown at us from the start. We ended up on slicks in the dry, in damp conditions, then feeding the inters on the wet, but then on a drying track. It was all about adapting yourself to the conditions and really playing with the limits.
“After the summer break I was really excited to get back in the car and today was probably the most fun I’ve had all season. Very exciting to be fighting for these positions. And yeah, they were important goals to make but the whole team executed a very strong race.
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“I’m pleased because we haven’t been very fortunate since the start of the year, kind of involved in some unfortunate situations on many occasions…which kind of built some frustration, but you’ve got to keep your head down and always trying to improve what you can on yourself, and today it paid off. Big congrats to the guys and a great way to restart the second part of the year.”
One potential point of controversy occurred when Max Verstappen overtook Gasly early on in the race in wet conditions, diving to the inside of Turn 3 but running the Frenchman out of road, something Gasly — who finished fourth on the road but gained a place due to a time penalty for Sergio Perez — felt was close to the limit but an understandable move.
“I think I’ve I finished more than 5s behind Max, so it doesn’t really matter to me,” Gasly quipped. “Depends how much Fernando [Alonso] pays me. Then we can discuss how much you’re willing to give!
“It was a wheel-to-wheel battle and Max knew that if you’ll push me slightly wider on the paint in the wet, if I put a wheel on there, then I’ll just understeer wide. It was on the limit. If I’ll be in his position, and you’ve got to pass a car, you’ll play with the limit and that’s why you will try. I’m not too fussy about it. Yeah, it’s just racing. And close racing.”
What: Bommarito Automotive Group 500 / Race 15 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series Where: World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. – 1.25-mile oval When: Sunday, Aug. 27, 3:30pm ET (green flag 3:36pm ET) With three rounds to go, Alex Palou’s second …
What: Bommarito Automotive Group 500 / Race 15 of the 2023 NTT IndyCar Series
Where: World Wide Technology Raceway, Madison, Ill. – 1.25-mile oval
When: Sunday, Aug. 27, 3:30pm ET (green flag 3:36pm ET)
With three rounds to go, Alex Palou’s second NTT IndyCar Series championship in three years looks nailed on. He’s 101 points clear of the chasing pack, now led by Chip Ganassi Racing teammate Scott Dixon, who won last time out on the Indianapolis Motor Speedway road course. But that doesn’t detract from the allure of the last three races, starting with the final oval race of the season at World Wide Technology Raceway on Sunday.
Formerly known as Gateway, the 1.25-mile oval is officially located in Madison, Ill., but is often referred to as “St. Louis” since it’s just over the Mississippi River from the Missouri city. Indeed, St. Louis’ iconic 630-ft Gateway Arch almost casts a shadow over the track.
This weekend, Dixon and last year’s WWTR winner, Team Penske’s Josef Newgarden (below), have no choice but to go all out if they are to maintain any slender hope of catching Palou, but must also watch their rear-view mirrors for attacks from behind. P2 through P7 in the IndyCar standings are covered by just 73 points.
That seventh place in points is currently occupied by the outgoing champion, Will Power, who’s still seeking his first win of the 2023 season. He took both pole positions at Iowa Speedway in July, but watched teammate Newgarden claim both wins, despite he and the No. 12 entry having the speed to contend.
Power’s race engineer for all but two of his seasons at this level, and all but one of his 41 race wins, is David Faustino. He spoke to us about the challenges of World Wide Technology Raceway, where Power took pole last season (lead image, above) and led a race-high 128 laps before finishing sixth.
“I think we had a good chance to win both of the Iowa races this year — maybe we took a little too long to pit in the second race — but the Penske cars had the speed, and I’m hoping that rolls well into this weekend,” says Faustino. “But there are big differences between the two short ovals on the schedule, as well as similarities.
“Both of them require max downforce; they both force the driver to lift at both ends of the track, and for the most part, they’re grip limited all the time. So, in qualifying, you don’t really see people trimming out; our aero work is much more about getting the balance where you want it to be to complement the mechanical setup. At both tracks, you want to get to the point where you try to run as much front wing as you can for grip, but without the car becoming too loose on entry and exit.
“But it’s interesting because IndyCar has added available parts to the cars last year and again this year, such as underwing bargeboards, yet you see teams struggling with them. It’s not because they’re not useful options, but because it’s a real struggle to find accurate data that proves or disproves their benefit. For parts like that, it’s hard to get agreement between wind tunnels and the real world, and we don’t have enough days to test them in the real world. Their effect is so ride-height sensitive that you’re working off a little bit of track data and a little bit of driver feedback.”
One of the key differences between Iowa and WWTR is their shape. There’s far less disparity between the minimum speeds at each end of Iowa’s 0.894-mile bullring, because the arcs required for Turns 1-2 and 3-4 are roughly the same, and the progressive banking for each ranges from 12 to 14 degrees. WWTR, however, is shaped like a piece of candy corn, with the Turn 3-4 parabola allowing greater speed despite the surface being banked at only nine degrees, compared with the 11 degrees of the tighter Turns 1-2 (below, Power in 2022).
“Because Iowa is slightly D-shaped, you typically have greater speed into Turn 1 than into Turn 3, but it’s not a big difference,” says Faustino, “and the minimum speeds there are typically lower than in Gateway. And Gateway is also a one-and-a-quarter-mile track, so its straights are longer. Where you might hit 191mph at Iowa, this weekend you’ll probably see 198. But at Gateway, those straights mean you have to slow down more for Turn 1-2, so you have more downshifting, which means more upshifting on the back straight.
“Then you get to Turns 3-4 and that’s much faster…but the way the track surface has degraded, the driver lifts a little there, even in qualifying, and it puts him on a very fine line as to whether he does or doesn’t downshift. That makes deciding on gearing difficult, because you have to try and figure out what your cornering speed is going to be with sticker [new] tires and clean air.”
The knock-on effect of WWTR’s interesting profile is that it forces compromise.
“Because Turns 3 and 4 are much faster than 1 and 2, it’s 3-4 that defines your ride height,” Faustino explains. “People will try to get low there for the best aero efficiency, obviously, but you’re desperate for the car to not get too low and bottom out because it costs you so much speed. You’d like to get lower in Turns 1-2 if you could, but it’s what the car requires through 3-4 that sets your minimum ride height, so you just put up with wherever you may be in 1-2.”
A typical World Wide Technology Raceway issue that’s far less of a problem at Iowa is traffic. Yes, the cars run maximum downforce at both, but getting your substantial wings into clean air is far more difficult on the 1.25-mile oval.
“Iowa offers multiple lines that you can take as you catch a competitor or a backmarker,” explains Faustino (below), “so you can run in a groove where you have clean air — downforce — over at least one side of your car, so you can set up a pass. Gateway is more of a one-line track, except at the start, or on restarts after they’ve swept the track. So suddenly you’re having your speed dictated by the car in front because you’re directly behind, literally running in their wheel tracks and losing all the downforce that you should have with these large wings. That’s when the pace slows, and it sucks people into the decision of going for a fuel-save stint rather than risking everything on a pass. That can end up making everyone run the same strategy, rather than have the fastest guys using their natural speed to go really fast and make an extra stop.”
Adding further unknowns in the WWTR setup conundrum this weekend is the decision by IndyCar and Firestone to try out an alternate compound tire on an oval. Will they just be substantially different in terms of durability, or will they also be significantly faster than a fresh set of “standard” tires? Right now, Faustino is as much in the dark as any other IndyCar engineers.
“That’s a really good question, because we’ve never raced anything like this before, nor have we even tested it,” he says. “What we can say is that we believe we’ve run compounds here before that are similar to what we’re going to get as the alternate tire this weekend. It was back in 2019, and what we found was that we got vibrations as it wore — like the effect of a tire going out of balance — so we’re wary of that. To partly answer your question, we’re expecting the difference in lap times to be substantial, but the question is, for how long?
“We’ll get a set of these alternate tires to try in practice and all we can hope is that we get enough time on them to try and sort those answers out. It’s about finding the crossover point, where they shift from being faster than the ‘regular’ tires to being slower, and whether there will be tire vibrations, too.
“The track has slowed a little bit since 2019, because that was soon after it was repaved, and typically what happens is that as the tracks get more slippery and get more abrasive wear, you don’t get so much of the tire vibration problems. If that’s the case this weekend, then I think you’re just going to use the softer tire strategically when you have a chance to jump somebody by running grippier tires and in clean air. That’s when you’d play that card. But to be honest, right now it’s a substantial unknown.”
You can follow all the practice and qualifying action from WWTR on Peacock on Saturday, Aug. 26, with NBC your go-to location for 260 laps and 325 miles of race action on Sunday, Aug. 27. And to get even closer to it all, grab the best seat in the house with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA and its 14 race day live onboard cameras.
TUNE IN
Saturday, Aug. 26 / 11:00am – Noon ET – Practice 1 – Peacock
Saturday, Aug. 26 / 2:00pm – 3:00pm ET – Qualifying – Peacock
Saturday, Aug. 26 / 5:00pm – 5:30pm ET – High-line practice (two groups, 15 minutes each) – Peacock
Saturday, Aug. 26 / 5:45pm – 6:45pm ET – Final practice – Peacock
Sunday, Aug. 27 / 3:30pm – RACE – NBC, Peacock
• All sessions and the race are also available as audio commentary on SiriusXM and INDYCAR Radio. Tune in, too, to the pre-race show on SiriusXM and INDYCAR Radio, 3:00pm-3:30pm ET on Sunday, Aug. 27.
Ride along with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA
Taking you inside the action, 14 drivers will be carrying in-car cameras. During the race, you can live-stream every one of them with the INDYCAR App powered by NTT DATA. You choose who you ride along with, and you can switch drivers at any time. The App’s free to download for fans worldwide and you can find out more HERE. If you’re not already onboard, take your viewing experience to a whole new level HERE.
Bringing you the onboard action from the Bommarito Automotive Group 500 are…
Josef Newgarden / No. 2 Team Penske Chevrolet
Regardless of his faltering 2023 title quest, the two-time champion has the chance to make history this weekend by becoming the first driver to win all of the NTT IndyCar Series’ oval races in one season. It would also mean he scored his sixth straight oval win, going back to last year’s Bommarito Automotive Group 500. As a four-time WWTR race winner already, Newgarden has to be regarded as favorite on Sunday — but this is IndyCar and anything can happen.
Will Power / No. 12 Team Penske Chevrolet
“Oh yeah, the pressure’s on to keep that chain going,” says David Faustino, Will Power’s race engineer, as the pair seek to get into victory lane at least once in the last three events of 2023 and thereby extend the Aussie’s tally of consecutive race-winning seasons from 16 to 17. Gateway has been Power’s friend in the past — four poles, one victory — but he’s well aware that Newgarden has the opposite tally of successes at WWTR and right now appears pretty much impossible to beat on short ovals.
Pato O’Ward / No. 5 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
O’Ward has amassed three podiums and a fourth-place finish at WWTR (below), a superb record that speaks highly of his oval-racing skills. But truth be told, the Arrow McLaren team, while shining at such as Indy and Texas, have looked only “thereabouts,” rather than right there in terms of short-oval pace in the recent past. Still, if he gets out front, he will be extremely hard to pass.
Felix Rosenqvist / No. 6 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Approaching his final races with Arrow McLaren, Rosenqvist will be more motivated than ever to translate his form into unencumbered finishes. There’s an edge to his driving this year that’s extremely heartening to see; he’ll be more than happy to get his elbows out if push comes to shove.
Alexander Rossi / No. 7 Arrow McLaren Chevrolet
Although he won the Indy 500 in 2016 and then at Pocono Raceway in ’18, conquering a short oval is something that this eight-time IndyCar race winner has yet to add to his list of achievements. But Rossi’s aggression on ovals is always a joy to watch from the onboards, so think about hitching a ride with car No. 7 on Sunday.
Colton Herta / No. 26 Andretti Autosport Honda
Remarkably, despite being in his fifth season of IndyCar racing, Herta (below) has yet to finish on a podium on an oval. But his best oval result did come at World Wide Technology Raceway — a fourth place in 2020. Andretti Autosport has blown hot and cold on ovals for quite some time now, but if the team is somewhere in the mix, Herta can lead the attack.
Romain Grosjean / No. 28 Andretti Autosport Honda
This is the track where the ex-Formula 1 ace made his oval debut for Dale Coyne Racing back in 2021 and impressed everyone with his daring passes and car control. He’s certainly not daunted by left-turn-only tracks, and in Texas he threatened to finish on the podium. A top-three finish right now would be a timely reminder of his potential.
Ed Carpenter / No. 33 Ed Carpenter Racing Chevrolet
It’s a long time since Ed Carpenter Racing has truly shone on a short oval, yet WWTR was the stage for owner Ed’s most recent podium, back in 2019, and he did manage to start from fourth for Race 2 at Iowa this year. But turning such sparks of hope into a substantial flame and threatening the series’ big guns for victory this weekend? That seems unlikely.
Christian Lundgaard / No. 45 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
As Rahal Letterman Lanigan reboots itself after the embarrassment of the Indy 500, short ovals are probably the weakest part of the team’s game, and Lundgaard is still a relative novice on them. Yet he’s a surprising driver, too, and a top-10 finish could be within reach.
Graham Rahal / No. 15 Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
This is the most difficult season that Rahal has endured in the past decade, yet he now has pole position and a runner-up finish at the previous round on the IMS road course (below) to encourage him. Front or back of the grid on Saturday, you can always expect Rahal to give it maximum effort on Sunday.
Conor Daly / No. 30 Team Rahal Letterman Lanigan Racing Honda
With Jack Harvey gone, Daly gets the opportunity to join his third team of the season — the second time that has occurred in his somewhat nomadic IndyCar career. And since this has traditionally been one of his best tracks, he may prove an extremely useful addition at RLL.
Kyle Kirkwood / No. 27 Andretti Autosport Honda
Despite being an IndyCar sophomore, Kirkwood knows what to look for from a strong oval car, having won here in Indy Pro 2000 in 2019 and earned a pole and two runner-up finishes in Indy Lights in ’21. His performance this weekend will be dictated by Andretti Autosport’s overall competitiveness, but he could well scoop a top-five finish.
Agustin Canapino / No. 78 Juncos Hollinger Racing Chevrolet
Canapino’s studious approach to his NTT IndyCar Series rookie season will ensure he’s taken everything that he learned at Iowa Speedway and transferred it to this weekend. Given the team’s struggles on the schedule’s only other short oval, he should target staying out of trouble and making it to the finish — one of his admirable specialties — and can then perhaps hope for a result in the top 15.
Linus Lundqvist / No. 60 Meyer Shank Racing Honda
Making only his third start in the NTT IndyCar Series as Simon Pagenaud’s sub, the impressive Swede (below) currently has an average starting position of 12.5! And despite WWTR being his IndyCar oval race debut, maintaining that kind of form may not be out of the question this weekend. Last year, Meyer Shank Racing’s pair of entries qualified 14th and 18th at WWTR, and Lundqvist has already proven himself on this course, taking pole and second place on his way to the Indy NXT (nee Lights) title in 2022.
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Fernando Alonso criticized Otmar Szafnauer’s approach and record at Alpine before the team principal left his role, stating recent results mean his former boss “should be quiet”. Szafnauer was team principal when Alonso’s contract situation played …
Fernando Alonso criticized Otmar Szafnauer’s approach and record at Alpine before the team principal left his role, stating recent results mean his former boss “should be quiet”.
Szafnauer was team principal when Alonso’s contract situation played out a year ago, with the Spaniard keen to remain with Alpine but unhappy at the length of the deal he was being offered and eventually switching to Aston Martin.
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It’s a move that has paid off given Aston’s step forward since last season, but Alonso says he wanted to stay but told the BBC – before Szafnauer’s departure was announced – that he found the approach of both the former team principal and former CEO Laurent Rossi too slow.
“I don’t think I felt disrespected,” Alonso said. “But it is true it took longer than I thought when we started conversations – I think it was in Australia back in (April) 2022 – about renewing the contract.
“It was just on a very slow pace, and it was not from my side. I was just ready and happy. The 2022 car was a fast car so I was also happy with the performance and the possibilities into the future. So that slow pace of conversations and eventually not even putting on paper what we were writing and all these comments about the age and whatever, which they are still doing.
“It is the way they do things. Or the way Otmar does things. Because after this year, he should be quiet. He should not talk at all. After the results of Aston Martin and the results he’s achieving, he’s still talking and still proud of the decision, which is incredible, amazing.”
Alonso says he felt Alpine did not appreciate what he brought to the team, adding he “100%” felt underestimated: “And still do.
“When you are doing the best you can every weekend, when I did so many things for Renault as well, you take a little bit personal when someone is doubting your performance or your age or these kinds of things.
“And you just want to prove even extra hard that you are in the best moment of your career. The results, they speak for themselves, and that’s the best way.”
If I’d said to you in the week after the Miami Grand Prix that Otmar Szafnauer wouldn’t be the team principal of Alpine by the summer break, you probably wouldn’t have been all that surprised. You might not have agreed with the decision, but …
If I’d said to you in the week after the Miami Grand Prix that Otmar Szafnauer wouldn’t be the team principal of Alpine by the summer break, you probably wouldn’t have been all that surprised. You might not have agreed with the decision, but following Laurent Rossi’s outburst in Florida, the prospects of that relationship surviving did not look good.
But a lot has happened since Miami, and it’s difficult to ignore just how much upheaval there had been prior to the announcement of Szafnauer and Alan Permane’s departures.
The outlook appeared to keep changing, as Bruno Famin – a candidate Rossi was understood to be considering as a future team principal – was given the role of Vice President of Alpine Motorsports, adding another layer between the CEO and Szafnauer. That wasn’t a great omen, as Szafnauer had left Aston Martin in part because he felt he wasn’t going to get the autonomy he required following Martin Whitmarsh’s arrival.
But then Rossi himself was moved aside, with Philippe Krief being named as the new CEO on July 20. A chance for a fresh start, perhaps, and a signal that Rossi’s vision wasn’t being shared by all involved?
Whether that was true or not, it only changed things for the worse for Szafnauer. Unhappy at the demands from his Renault bosses to shorten the timeline to success, he stood his ground and insisted longer was going to be needed than the French manufacturer wanted. There was only ever going to be one outcome.
And that outcome played out on Friday in Belgium, where Pat Fry’s future move to Williams triggered interest in Alpine that soon exposed bigger moves afoot. Both Szafnauer and the Enstone mainstay as sporting director Permane were to leave after the race weekend.
It was certainly odd timing. All the announcement did was make for awkward questions and the less-than-ideal scenario of a team being run by two people who knew they were walking away afterwards. Not that either’s level of professionalism changed – and Alpine delivered a very strong weekend with Pierre Gasly third on Saturday and Esteban Ocon climbing to eighth on – but it created a state of limbo where there was a chance authority might not have been respected in high-pressure situations.
For Szafnauer it wasn’t a problem at all, because the announcement then allowed him to put his side of the story across during the remainder of the weekend and focus on ensuring the narrative wasn’t that he had been sacked. Ask him if “mutual agreement” was the right term, and he’d agree.
But for Alpine itself, publishing such news after the weekend was over would have been preferable, ensuring it wasn’t amplified by the ongoing race weekend and with far fewer media having direct access to the departing personnel.
Sometimes circumstances take over and the ideal timing isn’t possible, so when Famin was in the Friday press conference he was at least able to deliver Alpine’s perspective first.
“At Alpine we have a fascinating project, Alpine as a brand,” Famin said. “Two weeks ago we launched phase two of that project with a very ambitious plan for new road cars, for expansion and so on. What is really super-interesting for all of us is that project is based on motorsport programs.
The timing of Alpine’s latest managerial shake-up was a bit awkward, but it did give Sznafnauer a chance to control the messaging around his departure. Alexander Trienitz/Motorsport Images
“The key one, of course, is Formula 1 – not only that, but that’s (key). It’s really a great challenge to be part of this project. So, after phase two of the brand, we are going to phase two of the Formula 1 project. We have ambition as well, and we have decided to make some changes in order to go faster to reach the level of performance we are aiming for.”
Again, if we focus on the timing, it feels a strange time to be making such a change, but then sometimes you have to move quickly to get what you want. While the likes of Ferrari, McLaren, Alfa Romeo and Williams all made moves in the off-season, a mid-season change could be down to the person Alpine has in mind to lead this phase two.
Except, that’s not what Famin has suggested…
“I’ve just been appointed two weeks ago as a vice president of motorsport at Alpine,” he said. “Of course, we have been discussing that topic with the top management for weeks and now I will really assess with the whole team what is the real situation and what will be the plan then. I will take the necessary time to do this assessment, and we will decide later on.”
It was a point he backed up when I spoke to him on Saturday evening, when he stated the search for a replacement would start on Sunday night.
Now, none of this is to say that it’s the wrong move for Alpine and Szafnauer to part ways, especially if they did not agree on the future direction of the team. But it does paint a picture of a brand that doesn’t know what it wants from F1.
Actually, that’s unfair. It wants to fight for podiums and wins, but it doesn’t know how it wants to get there, or who it wants to deliver that success.
An F1 team is made up of hundreds and hundreds of personnel, ranging into the thousands if we include those within the power unit departments. A few figureheads at the top set the direction and the culture, but so much more of the ingredients for success come from the hard work of those at the coalface.
After seeing the likes of Alfa Romeo attract Audi backing, Williams investing in James Vowles and now Fry, McLaren restructuring with rapid success under Andreas Stella, Aston Martin expanding under new leadership, and even AlphaTauri line-up Laurent Mekies and Peter Bayer taking the team forward, Alpine personnel can look longingly at half the grid attempting to build towards something.
They deserve the same from their top management. From Cyril Abiteboul to Marcin Budkowski to Otmar Szafnauer – and a number of names in other positions – whoever is in overall charge has chopped and changed far too often since the start of 2021. Whether it’s down to Famin or Krief, the next team principal needs time, and at the very least a clear succession plan in place for if it doesn’t work out again.
Because if there isn’t one, the Alpine project almost certainly won’t work out at all
Alpine is set to shake down its new FIA WEC-bound A424 LMDh in the coming days, following a successful first fire up of the car last month. The car, which was revealed on the Friday of Le Mans 24 Hours race week, with a formal presentation of the …
Alpine is set to shake down its new FIA WEC-bound A424 LMDh in the coming days, following a successful first fire up of the car last month.
The car, which was revealed on the Friday of Le Mans 24 Hours race week, with a formal presentation of the A424_β showcar, underwent a first fire up on July 5th. completed its first fire up on July 5. The car’s 675hp single-turbocharged 3.4-liter V6 engine has been running on dynos and is close to being ready for track testing extensive work with partner Mecachrome.
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The engine has been coupled with an Xtrac gearbox, which recently arrived at partner ORECA’s workshops to be integrated into the first A424 chassis. After it arrived in Signes, France, the team focused on finalising the assembly, validating the electrical, electronic and hybrid systems and the A424’s operating procedures.
In addition, the team has also been completing simulator sessions to work on the car’s onboard software and tires ahead of its first shakedown. An initial simulation of its racing processes that focused on the car’s configuration, data, telemetry and communications, was also conducted over two days on the sim.
Two shakedowns are planned for this month, the first of which is set to take place imminently. Following that, the Signatech team, with assistance from Alpine Racing engineering staff, will embark on an extensive test program, which is set to feature runs at Circuit Paul Ricard, Motorland Aragón, Jerez and Portimão before the end of the year.
Alpine Racing will also be working on the car’s final homologation in the background as 2024 approaches, in collaboration with the FIA and IMSA.
Automotive industry reports are that Alpine, which replaced Renault Sport as the group’s sporting brand, is targeting an entry into the U.S. marketplace from around 2026, with multiple new road-going models. This includes an EV replacement for the current A110 sports car. The reason for this new venture has been prompted by an uptick in awareness for the brand in the USA, in part due to the visibility generated by its Formula 1 program.
While Alpine has only confirmed its participation in the FIA WEC with the A424 to this point, it is understood to be working on a solution for the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship. It is not clear whether the most likely avenue will be a customer program, rather than a full works operation, at this stage.
“We are really looking forward to seeing the Alpine A424 on track for the first time,” said Bruno Famin, the vice president of Alpine Motorsports. “It will really come to life after months of hard work behind the scenes by the Alpine Racing teams alongside our partners. The program is proceeding according to plan, with the first fire-up and our first simulator sessions.
“We are now entering a phase where the target is to understand our package so that we can fine-tune it, improve its reliability, optimise it in all areas and evaluate our different technical options. The steps we have already taken were only the first milestones, and the bulk of the work remains.
“The Alpine Racing and Signatech teams will use all their recognised skills to launch this development process over the summer and beyond.”
Outgoing Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says the team’s owners “had a shorter timeframe in mind” for success that led to his departure. Szafnauer will leave Alpine after this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with both he and sporting director …
Outgoing Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer says the team’s owners “had a shorter timeframe in mind” for success that led to his departure.
Szafnauer will leave Alpine after this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with both he and sporting director Alan Permane departing “by mutual agreement.” As recently as in Budapest last weekend, Szafnauer was clear that he felt he would continue in his role despite Bruno Famin’s appointment as VP of Alpine Motorsports above him but says the situation changed “not long ago” that has resulted him in leaving.
“Well, we had a double DNF in Hungary,” Szafnauer said about what had changed. “Not great, but. Anyway… the thing that really changed is I had a timeline in mind for changing the team, making it better. That timeline, I thought it was realistic, because I know what it takes. I’ve done it before. I think some of the senior management at Renault had a shorter timeline in mind.”
Confirming it was more aggressive than he wanted, Szafnauer added: “If you can’t reconcile that — I think one thing, they think another — it’s best to part ways.
“I’ve always said Mercedes took five years from buying a winning team. Red Bull took five years from buying Jaguar, which was a pretty solid mid-grid team. It takes time. That’s what it takes.”
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Szafnauer confirmed he will have a year-long period of “gardening leave” after seeing out his duties at Spa-Francorchamps but still want to return to F1.
“As far as Formula 1 teams I’ll be a free agent from end of July ’24. But rest of the world I’m OK.
“This is what I know. I still think I have good skills in building a team that can perform. I know how to do it, I just need to be given the latitude and the time to do it. If somebody needs those skills then I’ll stay around.”
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane will leave Alpine by mutual agreement after the Belgian Grand Prix. Szafnauer (pictured above) had come under increasing pressure following former Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi’s …
Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane will leave Alpine by mutual agreement after the Belgian Grand Prix.
Szafnauer (pictured above) had come under increasing pressure following former Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi’s outburst at the Miami Grand Prix, saying the buck stopped with the team principal after a number of operational errors. At the time, it’s understood Rossi wanted to put Bruno Famin in place as team principal, and while Rossi has since been replaced by Philippe Krief, it has now been announced that Szafnauer is to depart following this weekend’s race and recently announced VP of Alpine motorsports Famin will take over the role on an interim basis.
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Alan Permane had spent 34 years at the team now known as Alpine. Sam Bloxham/Motorsport Alpine, szafImages
Although Szafnauer was team principal and only joined Alpine at the start of 2022, perhaps more notable is the departure of Permane after 34 years at the Enstone, UK-based team. Famin explained the decision to part ways with both was due to a disagreement over the future direction of the team and the timeline in which to try and fight for victories and championships.
“I think with Otmar and with Alan it’s the same — they’re great people, and we thank them for all we brought to the team,” Famin said. “For a very long time for Alan, 34 years in Enstone, and more recently with Otmar he achieved the fourth place in the championship last year which is a good achievement, but we were not on the same timeline… to reach the level of performance we are aiming for. Mutually we agreed to split our ways, and that’s it.”
Chief technical officer Pat Fry is also leaving Alpine to take up the same position at Williams, as the first major technical hire announced under James Vowles.
Alpine says current Alpine Academy director Julian Rouse has been named interim sporting director, with Matt Harman tasked with leading the technical team at Enstone.
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has been replaced at the head of the French carmaker by vice-president Philippe Krief, effective immediately. Rossi took up the CEO role in 2021 as the Formula 1 team transitioned from Renault to Alpine to increase …
Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has been replaced at the head of the French carmaker by vice-president Philippe Krief, effective immediately.
Rossi took up the CEO role in 2021 as the Formula 1 team transitioned from Renault to Alpine to increase visibility of the boutique car brand. The Frenchman will be shifted to a “special projects” role in the broader Groupe Renault.
Rossi’s hands-on reign featured the acquisition from Aston Martin of Otmar Szafnauer as team principal, but engineer Marcin Budkowski and French racing icon Alain Prost were collateral damage of his attempt to shake the team out of its midfield lethargy.
His 100-race plan to win the championship has been his defining policy and appeared to be on track last season, when the team secured fourth in the constructors championship, but a disappointing start to this year’s campaign precipitated a blow-up in the media in which Rossi lashed his own staff for wasting resources and put Szafnauer on notice.
His shift out of the CEO position comes less than two weeks after the car manufacturer appointed renowned French engineer Bruno Famin to the new position of vice-president of Alpine motorsports. The minor restructure meant Szafnauer reported to Famin rather than Rossi, whose focus was to switch to the boarder Alpine brand. But Rossi has now been extracted from the structure entirely, with Krief taking the reins this week.
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“I would like to thank Laurent for his unwavering commitment over the last two years at the helm of Alpine,” Renault CEO Luca de Meo said in a statement. “Laurent has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has put Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals.
“Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its development and to become a brand of the future.”
Krief joined Alpine as engineering and product performance vice-president earlier this year, having held engineering and design roles at auto manufacturers Ferrari, Alfa Romeo and Maserati as well as tire manufacturer Michelin. He will continue in his Alpine vice president role until a successor is found.
“Philippe combines a long industry experience, great technical knowledge with the leadership qualities that are key to the success of our project, including the launch of the brand’s new vehicles starting next year,” De Meo said. “I fully trust Philippe and his team to take Alpine to new heights.”
Alpine is sixth in the constructors standings 12 points behind McLaren. The team has scored one podium for the season — Esteban Ocon’s third place in Monaco — but has suffered three double DNFs, including last time out at the British Grand Prix.
Ocon is 10th on the drivers’ title table with 31 points. Teammate Pierre Gasly has 16 points in 12th.
