Tag: alpine

Renault bosses wanted success sooner – Szafnauer

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.”

Szafnauer and Permane to leave Alpine amid shake-up

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.

Krief replaces Rossi as Alpine F1 CEO

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.

Alpine appoints Famin to oversee all motorsport activities

Alpine has named Bruno Famin as its new VP of Alpine Motorsports, overseeing all racing and sports activities as part of a management reorganization. Famin was previously executive director of the Renault power unit program at Viry-Chatillon, but …

Alpine has named Bruno Famin as its new VP of Alpine Motorsports, overseeing all racing and sports activities as part of a management reorganization.

Famin was previously executive director of the Renault power unit program at Viry-Chatillon, but Alpine says he now will “manage all teams ranging from Formula 1 to Endurance, to customer racing and competition such as Rallye-Raid, with Alpine providing some technical support to Dacia on its Dakar project. Bruno Famin will also lead the Alpine Academy, with the aim of detecting and developing drivers, thus serving as a feeder to all Alpine’s motorsports endeavors.”

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Despite the additional remit, Famin will also retain his responsibilities with the power unit division, and all existing leaders of Alpine’s motorsport activities – including F1 team principal Otmar Szafnauer – will now report to him rather than directly to CEO Laurent Rossi.

“With this appointment, Bruno Famin will be in position to leverage his extensive experience in motorsports, built on his unique track record of victories, including several titles in Le Mans and Dakar,” an Alpine statement read. “He will also contribute with his acknowledged engineering know-how, which helped re-establish Alpine’s F1 PU as a credible reference in the paddock, as well as his extensive experience in motorsports regulations, having long served as a well-respected FIA executive.”

RACER understands Rossi has been keen to give Famin greater responsibility for some time, as he looks to put Alpine into a position where it is fighting for victories and championships in multiple disciplines.

Alpine’s F1 team recently attracted over $200 million in investment from a group that included Ryan Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Investments, and is currently sixth in the constructors’ championship, 12 points behind McLaren following a double-DNF in this weekend’s British Grand Prix.

Alpine gets $200 million Hollywood investment

Alpine has attracted $218million (€200m) of investment for a 24% stake in the Formula 1 team from a group of investors including Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenny. The investment group is comprised of Otro Capital, RedBird Capital …

Alpine has attracted $218million (€200m) of investment for a 24% stake in the Formula 1 team from a group of investors including Ryan Reynolds, Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenny.

The investment group is comprised of Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Reynolds’ Maximum Effort Investments (MEI), and according to Alpine brings “a strong track record of company-building with recognized partners such as the Dallas Cowboys, Fenway Sports Group, the NFL, Toulouse FC and Wrexham AFC”. Otro Capital co-founder Alec Scheiner will join Alpine Racing’s board as part of the investment.

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The deal values the F1 team at around $900m, and does not include the power unit manufacturing company (Alpine Racing SAS) in France that will remain wholly owned by the Renault Group.

“Formula 1 and Alpine are strategic assets for Renault Group,” Renault CEO Luca de Meo said. “Over the past two years, we have re-ignited Alpine, capitalizing on its iconic A110 sports coupé, boosting it by entering Formula 1, where it aims to become a championship contender. This partnership will accelerate Alpine F1 development by diversifying revenue drivers and increasing brand value.”

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says the investment will help the F1 team close the gap to the frontrunners over the coming years by being able to invest in facilities and personnel.

“This association is an important step to enhance our performance at all levels,” Rossi said. “First, Otro Capital, RedBird Capital Partners and Maximum Effort Investments, as international players with strong track record in the sports industry, will bring their recognized expertise to boost our media and marketing strategy, essential to support our sporting performance over the long term.

“Second, the incremental revenue generated will in turn be reinvested in the team, in order to further accelerate our Mountain Climber plan, aimed at catching up with top teams in terms of state-of-the-art facilities and equipment.”

New board member Scheiner says Otro Capital will bring added value to the Alpine brand in North America, while MEI co-founder James Toney says more focus can be brought to the team, having secured massive interest in British lower-league soccer team Wrexham AFC through the ‘Welcome to Wrexham’ documentary on FX and Disney+.

“Maximum Effort Investments focuses on unlocking value through the power of storytelling, and we believe there is tremendous untapped potential in Alpine Racing,” Toney said. “We are eager to help shine a light on this incredible team.

“We’re thankful to our partners at Otro Capital and RedBird Capital Partners and look forward to diving in with them, as well as our co-investors Michael B. Jordan and Rob McElhenney.”

Alpine reveals Hypercar design

Alpine revealed today at Le Mans its A424_β, the launch version of its forthcoming LMDh Hypercar, with which it will compete in the top FIA World Endurance Championship category in 2024. The French manufacturer has partnered with ORECA for this new …

Alpine revealed today at Le Mans its A424_β, the launch version of its forthcoming LMDh Hypercar, with which it will compete in the top FIA World Endurance Championship category in 2024.

The French manufacturer has partnered with ORECA for this new chassis, which will be powered by a 3.4-liter V6 turbocharged engine developed in collaboration with Mecachrome. The factory program in the WEC is set to be run by its longstanding partner team Signatech out of its base in Bourges, with a customer operation expected to follow later down the line.

This new program will mark the return of Alpine to the top class, after spending both the 2021 and ’22 seasons in Hypercar with a grandfathered A480 LMP1 chassis powered by a Gibson engine.

“Today we unveil the Alpine A424_β, the forerunner of our Hypercar designed to challenge the best competitors starting next year,” said Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. “True to our values, this new prototype takes the A-arrow brand into the future; while following in the footsteps of our creations, beginning with Alpenglow and the A290_β. The Alpine A424_β is racy, elegant and distinctive with its iconic and emblematic design. It embodies both our present and our future thanks to the involvement and investment of our designers in its development.”

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The car underwent its first wind tunnel test last July, before engine testing began in December. Engine and gearbox coupling took place last month.

Signatech boss Philippe Sinault says the car will compete as the A424 (without the beta symbol), and is set for its first fire-up on June 28th, before a further shakedown in July and a first full track test at Paul Ricard during August.

“We will operate the tests with our current LMP2 team, with additional people and the full support of Alpine Racing and ORECA,” Sinault explained. “We plan to have many test drivers.”

Whether or not the A424 will compete in IMSA’s GTP class is not yet clear. RACER asked Sinault whether or not Signatech had aspirations to take the A424 to the WeatherTech series. “If Alpine asks, I would consider it,” was the answer. Currently Alpine does not sell road cars in North America.

Rossi gets reaction he wanted from Alpine following team criticism

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says he got the reaction he was looking for from the team after Esteban Ocon’s podium in the Monaco Grand Prix. Rossi was critical of the way Alpine had been performing in 2023, highlighting execution errors and car …

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says he got the reaction he was looking for from the team after Esteban Ocon’s podium in the Monaco Grand Prix.

Rossi was critical of the way Alpine had been performing in 2023, highlighting execution errors and car performance as being below his expectations while also increasing the pressure on team principal Otmar Szafnauer. His comments came prior to the race in Miami, and after a double-points finish in Florida the next race in Monaco saw Ocon secure third and Pierre Gasly seventh as Alpine completed a faultless weekend that included a wider performance he was proud of.

“Absolutely (it was the right response), my comments were just meant to do that,” Rossi told SpeedCity Broadcasting. “To remind everyone that we shouldn’t be happy with scrappy points here and there because we can do better, this team can do much better.

“The remarkable amount of work and skills that were put in in 2021 and 2022 to get the fifth and fourth position was not visible again. Not that they didn’t put in the work, but a couple of things were not doing justice to what they’re doing. I think they showed that they can do the work the way they used to and when they do then they score the points.

“So, very good work from the team. A long way to go — it’s going to be a long season. We are still in fifth, which is not our objective, but at least we fight with a decent showing, so this is important.”

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Rossi believes Alpine still has more performance to come in Barcelona this weekend given the scale of the update it introduced in Monaco.

“Yeah, we brought some upgrades to Imola which didn’t happen; they probably worked a bit in Monaco but it’s a very different track so we couldn’t really assess the full potential of those upgrades. So we’re hoping that they’re going to work also in Barcelona.

“There’s good stuff in the pipeline. Certainly the gradient of development is not as strong as last year for all the teams because we’re getting more mature around these new regulations. Even though we are reaching a bit of a point where we’re starting to max out that area that’s flat for everyone, we were looking for a tenth last year, maybe this year everyone is looking for a hundredth and that’s going to be the key.

“We have plenty of little upgrades coming up until the summer almost at every race. So I’m confident, I know the team can do it. They made us proud (in Monaco). They certainly made me proud, so that’s good.”

Ocon would have been happy with a top 10 in Monaco

Esteban Ocon would have settled for a top 10 result in the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of the race weekend, leaving him overjoyed with his first podium since his victory in Hungary two years ago. A stunning qualifying lap had Ocon sitting on provisional …

Esteban Ocon would have settled for a top 10 result in the Monaco Grand Prix ahead of the race weekend, leaving him overjoyed with his first podium since his victory in Hungary two years ago.

A stunning qualifying lap had Ocon sitting on provisional pole position at one stage before lining up third after Charles Leclerc’s penalty on Saturday. Ocon held onto that position throughout the first part of the race before negotiating wet weather – benefiting from George Russell’s mistake immediately after making a pit stop – to finish third on the iconic street circuit.

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“I’m a little bit on my cloud still,” Ocon said. “You know, before the weekend, if you told us that we are going to be in the top 10, we would have been happy. It would have been a strong weekend. But we are not in the top 10, we are not in the top five, we are on the podium this weekend here in Monaco.

“That shows really that we never stopped believing. We had a difficult start to the season but from the first session, I felt strong in the car, felt confident at the wheel. I was able to push, session after sessions, closer to the limit than I’m usually doing in Monaco. That allowed me to do the lap I did (in qualifying), which is obviously 90 per cent of the job – normally – in Monaco. But it was not really the case (in the race)!

“It has been a little bit of a harder race. We held that podium for a while, we had it secure, but I got a touch from Carlos (Sainz) at one stage, got damage on the on the back of the car. And then the rain shuffled everything again, and we had to choose to take the inters at the right time. And we did so.

“And from there on I was under a huge amount of pressure from Lewis. We seem to always be the two fighting together when the conditions are like that! So we know each other well in those conditions. And until the last lap, he was pushing flat-out.

“He was quicker in the wet section from Turn 5 to Turn 8, and I was quicker on the dry sections. It’s been an incredibly tough race to get under control but the reward is immense. So, I’m extremely pleased.”

And Ocon admits he was surprised by the pace of the Alpine in Monaco, so is even more keen to see what the team can produce at a very different circuit in Barcelona this weekend coming.

“I think, as soon as we put it down from the simulator days, really to all the practice sessions, we’ve been improving step-by-step and never stopping doing it. And it’s been a very different weekend compared to my usual Monaco weekends, where I was not afraid to go close to the walls very early.

“Yeah, it extremely surprised us for sure. I think we should keep our feet on the ground at the moment. Obviously, we’re on the podium here, we will enjoy all together. And I want to thank all the team, obviously Enstone, Viry, the team on-site here.

“That podium – not win, not yet – is all for them. But Barcelona is going to be a very different characteristic. A track that everyone knows and a good test for us to see where we are exactly.”

Szafnauer’s future under threat amid Alpine struggles

Otmar Szafnauer’s future as Alpine team principal appears to be in jeopardy after CEO Laurent Rossi warned “there’s going to be consequences” for the team missing targets this season. Alpine finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last …

Otmar Szafnauer’s future as Alpine team principal appears to be in jeopardy after CEO Laurent Rossi warned “there’s going to be consequences” for the team missing targets this season.

Alpine finished fourth in the constructors’ championship last year but is currently sixth – level on points with McLaren in fifth – this year, after a number of missed opportunities and operational errors. Concerned by the gap to the top four teams after seeing Aston Martin make a major step forward, Rossi says “there is a lot of excuses” within the team and that he wants to see changes quickly as he won’t revise his target of finishing fourth this year.

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“It’s too early to do that – and I don’t want to give people the comfort,” Rossi told the official Formula 1 website. “I don’t enter a competition and reset my objective because it’s easier. The team managed to get fourth. They have the means to get fourth, more so than others. I want them to be fourth. If they don’t, it’s going to be a failure.

“If they fail by giving 500% best and turning this ship around, there will be extenuating circumstances and it bodes well for the future. If not, it’s the rule of business, there’s going to be consequences. And I won’t wait until the end of the year. The trajectory is not good. We need to fix the mindset of the team ASAP.”

Rossi says Alpine’s standards have slipped that lead to a lack of operational excellence, and that the final responsibility rests with current team principal Szafnauer.

“He is responsible for the performance of the team – that’s his job. There is no hiding here. Otmar was brought in to steer the team, through the season and the next seasons towards the objectives that we have, which is to constantly make progress, as we did in the first two years – fifth and fourth – and to get to the podiums and therefore, this is his mission to turn this team around and bring it to the performance that we want.

“We had a team that performed reasonably well last year, got the fourth position which is the best improvement we had in a long time. It showed a lot of promise. It’s more of less the same people so I don’t accept that we are not capable of maintaining that.

“Yes, it is Otmar and the rest of his team as Otmar alone doesn’t do everything, but the buck stops with Otmar. It’s Otmar’s responsibility, yes.”

And while Aston Martin’s step forward was a surprise this season it came amid a backdrop of significant investment from Lawrence Stroll, but Rossi says Alpine has the resources available to do similar.

“Enstone has never had as much resources at their disposal for a continuous number of years. The runway here is 10 years. There will never be a time where the team will be short.

“Aston have less engineers than us, as far as I know. They don’t have their own wind tunnel yet, they don’t have their plant running at the moment. They hyper-charged development by having the right people joining them. It shows that it’s down to creativity and efficiency. It’s the rule of the game, we know that. So no, I’m sorry, I don’t buy the resource excuse.”

Gasly owns costly Q1 crash

Pierre Gasly has accepted full responsibility for crashing his car in Q1 and ending up 19th on the grid for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix. The first qualifying segment had only just resumed from a red flag to collect Nyck de Vries’s crashed …

Pierre Gasly has accepted full responsibility for crashing his car in Q1 and ending up 19th on the grid for Sunday’s Azerbaijan Grand Prix.

The first qualifying segment had only just resumed from a red flag to collect Nyck de Vries’s crashed AlphaTauri car at Turn 3 when Gasly careened into he wall at the same corner, forcing another suspension.

It was a demoralizing conclusion to a difficult day for the Frenchman, who set only seven laps in first practice before his car set itself alight and forced him to stop on track.

His team worked hard in the break between practice and qualifying to repair the car, including installing a new gearbox and power unit, only to see it shattered in the barriers after just six more laps.

“Obviously very disappointed,” Gasly said. “It was a pretty tough day, a pretty tough Friday overall for us as a team.

“FP1 didn’t go as planned with an hydraulic issue in the first 20 minutes, and the boys did an incredible job to repair the car literally a minute before the qualifying, and then after it was tricky with so few laps.”

Gasly admitted that he’d made a rookie mistake under braking rather than there being any technical problem with the car owing to its rapid rebuild.

“Coming into Turn 3, I didn’t brake so late but didn’t brake hard enough,” he said. “I thought I could make the corner and unfortunately just understeered and put it into the wall.

“Pretty frustrating, but thanks to the new format at least we can put this behind us for tomorrow and refresh with the sprint tomorrow — but a pretty frustrating day.”

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The incident not only left the team with another hefty repair job — and Alpine has brought a raft of new parts to the car this weekend — but it’s left him chronically low on mileage at a confidence track ahead of another, shorter qualifying session on Saturday morning followed by the sprint race and then the grand prix on Sunday.

Asked if he had got any sense from the way the car was behaving with his limited track time, Gasly painted a grim picture.

“The reality is that this morning I think I did one lap in [1m] 46s, and the pace in quali was 41s,” he said. “All in all, there is quite a lot to work on for tomorrow.”

Though Friday qualifying evidently arrived too early for Gasly’s liking, he said he could take solace from the fact that Saturday is now a standalone day, which gives him a chance to rebound quickly, and that the Baku circuit will facilitate overtaking on Sunday when he’ll attempt to rise from the back row of the grid.

“We have got to look at some positives where we can find some,” he said. “With the sprint we know everything can happen, and we will go for it tomorrow.

“We score the points only tomorrow afternoon and on Sunday, so we will give our best shot. We can overtake, so we will have to use these opportunities and hopefully we can be a good surprise on Sunday and also tomorrow.”