Even to this day it's very weird how poorly they treated their double world champion with which they won it all, calling him old and all that... what were they thinking really, I'll never understand it.diffuser wrote: ↑03 Aug 2023, 15:28The truthh is just now starting to come out ....https://it.motorsport.com/f1/news/f1-al ... /10503680/
From then on, the arrows were not lacking and recently, while admitting that he understood his decision, Szafnauer again referred to the age of Alonso, arguing that the current Alpine formation (Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon) is younger.
In an exclusive interview with the BBC, Fernando Alonso he had the opportunity to respond and took it on the fly: "I didn't feel like I had disrespected it, but we started the contractual negotiations I think already in April, in Australia, and it took longer than I expected to end the process, "he recalled.
"The negotiations were proceeding at a very slow pace and this was not up to me. I was ready and quite satisfied with the team. The 2022 car was fast, so I was happy with the performance and possibilities for the future". However, Alonso wanted a two-year contract and in Szafnauer this seemed too much.
"So there have been many factors, such as the fact that the negotiations have not materialized, that nothing of what we talked about was written down and various comments about my age. That's how things work in Alpine, or at least that's how Otmar does business".
Alonso's words came before Alpine announced Szafnauer's departure on Friday. Continuing to talk about Otmar, # 14 added: "They made a lot of comments about my age and continue to do so. After this year, he should shut up and not even speak. I find it strange that he is proud of his team's performance, especially seeing what Aston Martin is showing".
In 2022 Alonso had claimed he wasn't negotiating with Otmar, he was negotiating with Rossi.
I thought buildings were excluded from capital expenditure but not what is inside of them.
Didn't they just disallow Williams to by pass the budget for equipment upgrades ?JordanMugen wrote: ↑03 Aug 2023, 17:52Would it? At least it would be "made in France" which is very important.
I understand that Renault have only spent 70m GBP upgrading the Enstone factory since 2016, so building an entire new factory (as Aston Martin Racing have recently done) is unlikely to cost more than 3-4x that.
Politically savvy Renault could no doubt negotiate a concession for this move.
To the contrary, they would have pick of the best engineering talent instead of competing with six other Formula One teams! Renault road car engineers could be rotated through the Grand Prix team, like the "Honda way".
It would allow Famin to oversee both engine and chassis on the same site.
It is always better to have everything under one roof. Enstone just does not work anymore, they should move to Paris.JordanMugen wrote: ↑03 Aug 2023, 17:52Would it? At least it would be "made in France" which is very important.
I understand that Renault have only spent 70m GBP upgrading the Enstone factory since 2016, so building an entire new factory (as Aston Martin Racing have recently done) is unlikely to cost more than 3-4x that.
Politically savvy Renault could no doubt negotiate a concession for this move.
To the contrary, they would have pick of the best engineering talent instead of competing with six other Formula One teams! Renault road car engineers could be rotated through the Grand Prix team, like the "Honda way".
It would allow Famin to oversee both engine and chassis on the same site.
None of the teams who won championships in the last decade have everything under 1 roof.
Agree, the location is irrelevant, the management of it everything, almost ! Todt era Ferrari an exception in this category of even making their own vehicles in entirety.
I don’t think that this is too far off; the Alpine brand would be better suited to WEC (they have just launched an LMDh prototype), as well as announcing an H2 racer/road car (again a route being pushed by the ACO), so maybe Enstone will come up for sale…
I’ve said before on here, Renault and other publicly owned companies don’t have the patience (time) or understanding for what is required to compete successfully in F1. Only 2 teams have won a championship in the past 14 years, to break-through that will take far more than commitment & hard-workStu wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 07:55I don’t think that this is too far off; the Alpine brand would be better suited to WEC (they have just launched an LMDh prototype), as well as announcing an H2 racer/road car (again a route being pushed by the ACO), so maybe Enstone will come up for sale…
…and become…
…Andretti F1???
Stranger things have happened!
Fair point.Farnborough wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 07:15Agree, the location is irrelevant, the management of it everything, almost ! Todt era Ferrari an exception in this category of even making their own vehicles in entirety.
Failure of BMW, Toyota, Renault Honda a significant list of failure to build both engine and car/team to world championship winning effectiveness is an illustrious role call.
I think only Ferrari may be successful (single site operators) in this regard ? Renault themselves managed to dodge a world championship when all France based.
MB an amalgamation of two principle sites too.
Alipine seem to have everybody and now nobody pulling them in undetermined direction, more uncertainty through moving highly unlikely to increase focus in any sensible time frame. It needs really potent management more than ever.
UK department was picked up by RBPT and is operating today as far as I know. It might have been transferred over to RBs premises but I believe most personnel who wanted to stay could and did.FW17 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 09:56Fair point.Farnborough wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 07:15Agree, the location is irrelevant, the management of it everything, almost ! Todt era Ferrari an exception in this category of even making their own vehicles in entirety.
Failure of BMW, Toyota, Renault Honda a significant list of failure to build both engine and car/team to world championship winning effectiveness is an illustrious role call.
I think only Ferrari may be successful (single site operators) in this regard ? Renault themselves managed to dodge a world championship when all France based.
MB an amalgamation of two principle sites too.
Alipine seem to have everybody and now nobody pulling them in undetermined direction, more uncertainty through moving highly unlikely to increase focus in any sensible time frame. It needs really potent management more than ever.
But Alpine F1 team being in Paris would bring a lot more stability to the project by being closer to the Group HQ.
If Alpine does pull out, its staff would most certainly be absorbed into other areas of Renault. The closest example of this stability would be the Honda engine project, there were 2 bases one in UK the other in Japan. the facilities and Staff in Japan were all reassigned, the UK one was shut down. The same can be said about BMW, the team was left to pick the pieces while the engine department were all reassigned within BMW. Renault left the team to Genii, what happened was unspeakable horror.
Alpine is a factory team of F1, but still is left independent without any of the benefits of size and scale of Renault
What would have happened if Honda were not willing to sell like in 2008?Juzh wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 10:05UK department was picked up by RBPT and is operating today as far as I know. It might have been transferred over to RBs premises but I believe most personnel who wanted to stay could and did.FW17 wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 09:56Fair point.Farnborough wrote: ↑08 Aug 2023, 07:15
Agree, the location is irrelevant, the management of it everything, almost ! Todt era Ferrari an exception in this category of even making their own vehicles in entirety.
Failure of BMW, Toyota, Renault Honda a significant list of failure to build both engine and car/team to world championship winning effectiveness is an illustrious role call.
I think only Ferrari may be successful (single site operators) in this regard ? Renault themselves managed to dodge a world championship when all France based.
MB an amalgamation of two principle sites too.
Alipine seem to have everybody and now nobody pulling them in undetermined direction, more uncertainty through moving highly unlikely to increase focus in any sensible time frame. It needs really potent management more than ever.
But Alpine F1 team being in Paris would bring a lot more stability to the project by being closer to the Group HQ.
If Alpine does pull out, its staff would most certainly be absorbed into other areas of Renault. The closest example of this stability would be the Honda engine project, there were 2 bases one in UK the other in Japan. the facilities and Staff in Japan were all reassigned, the UK one was shut down. The same can be said about BMW, the team was left to pick the pieces while the engine department were all reassigned within BMW. Renault left the team to Genii, what happened was unspeakable horror.
Alpine is a factory team of F1, but still is left independent without any of the benefits of size and scale of Renault
Is it that obvious to everybody… or does Marko read F1tHelmut Marko’s answer to Alpine’s problems will be music to Andretti’s ears
(it would certainly explain a lot of the Max v Lewis arguments 
)
Did Enstone design the aero kit for the LMDh car or did Oreca design it?
