2024 Alpine F1 Team

[JordanMugen]

Is there a chance of survival?

Have a look at this. Todays news.

https://www.grandprix.com/news/alpine-c ... retti.html

Good news for Viry!

It would also solve Renault's desire to cut costs, because the high amount the carmaker is spending on Formula 1 currently is the main reason for Alpine is looking for alternatives.

https://www.grandprix.com/news/alpine-c ... retti.html

However more evidence that Renault are not willing to win in Formula One at any cost.

Mercedes-Mercedes, Ferrari-Ferrari or Red Bull-Ford RBPT are willing to try to win at any cost, yet they still don't always win: so Alpine-Renault or Alpine-Mercedes or Alpine-Cadillac's approach of trying to win on a limited budget doesn't seem very promising!

[Jambier]

However more evidence that Renault are not willing to win in Formula One at any cost.

Mercedes-Mercedes, Ferrari-Ferrari or Red Bull-Ford RBPT are willing to try to win at any cost, yet they still don't always win: so Alpine-Renault or Alpine-Mercedes or Alpine-Cadillac's approach of trying to win on a limited budget doesn't seem very promising!

That was always the issue.
PR saying they are here to win.
But reality of budget showing they are here to show the brand, to exists and to do regular podiums.

This is all they want. Be P3-4 is enough for them and do podiums and some lucky wins from time to time

[Mansell89]

Bruno Famin to step down.

What a mess it has been for a decade nearly after all the promise of a Renault works team.

[Foryster]

Wasn’t Bruno suppose to be just interim? I remember recent gossips that he has enough of traveling around the world and seeks for team principal constantly.

[Jambier]

Wasn’t Bruno suppose to be just interim? I remember recent gossips that he has enough of traveling around the world and seeks for team principal constantly.

Agreed.
Bruno will stay at Renault, he was interim and given the situation I believe he did a good job.

It really was time to hire someone for this role, so thanks Bruno, again, he did well

[gshevlin]

The bigger issue that Alpine faces is that they can switch power unit suppliers, possibly as early as 2025, but they have lost a lot of key leaders and engineers.
There is little realistic chance of them being competitive next season. 2025 would be a rebuilding year.

[JordanMugen]

Bruno will stay at Renault, he was interim and given the situation I believe he did a good job.

In what way?

Alpine-Renault or Alpine-Mercedes seem further from championship success than ever. IMO Abiteboul was the best team principal, at least it was a proud, swash-buckling RenaultSport team then!

How is it even possible that the much hyped 2021 delayed to 2022 power unit failed to offer best-in-class power and reliability as promised?!

As Renault made do with the old chassis and old engine in 2020 and 2021, all the hopes were on the 2021 > 2022 engine and new generation chassis delivering success!

Famin has also lost slick and fast driver Esteban Ocon to HAAS, without securing another leading driver like Carlos Sainz as Ocon's replacement.

[gcdugas]

The bigger issue that Alpine faces is that they can switch power unit suppliers, possibly as early as 2025, but they have lost a lot of key leaders and engineers.
There is little realistic chance of them being competitive next season. 2025 would be a rebuilding year.

Several things....

The "win at any cost" label is a misnomer in the budget cap era. The days of unlimited spending are over.

Renault got shafted by the other teams in that their engine was frozen at a spec lower in performance than other teams. They appealed and got turned down by the rival teams. Renault needs to learn how to play the game whereby the slip in performance upgrades as "reliability changes". In a certain sense, they are "more honest / less aggressive" than the other teams in exploiting the gray area of "reliability upgrades".

It does seem that Flav was brought in to best posture the team for sale to Andretti though no one will say so publicly. If this is the case, I expect Flav to price the team at $2B... about $1.4B market value, plus he will add the $400M "dilution fee" that Andretti will no longer have to pay the FIA. Plus another $200M because Flav is an ace negotiator, Andretti is a desperate piker, and he will have GM writing the cheques. Renault will spend the money on a revamped LMP program to keep current with hybrid technology. They may even start a WRC team as it can be done for far cheaper and they can grab some headlines as a winning team.

In other speculation, I sense that Toyota might be more interested in the Alpine team than Andretti as they are far more open to basing a team out of Viry than Andretti, who foolishly thinks he can base a team out of the US. Just like his ill-fated F1 driving career in 1993 when he raced for McLaren and thought he could base his weekdays out of the US. Plus he was up against Senna who smoked him every which way. Flav probably knows this and can use it to squeeze Toyota and GM against each other. F1 is very important for manufacturers now that it is seen as the place to showcase hybrids as the move to electrification and "sustainable" fuels becomes the major focus of the auto industry.

[SmallSoldier]

Bruno will stay at Renault, he was interim and given the situation I believe he did a good job.

In what way?

Alpine-Renault or Alpine-Mercedes seem further from championship success than ever. IMO Abiteboul was the best team principal, at least it was a proud, swash-buckling RenaultSport team then!

How is it even possible that the much hyped 2021 delayed to 2022 power unit failed to offer best-in-class power and reliability as promised?!

As Renault made do with the old chassis and old engine in 2020 and 2021, all the hopes were on the 2021 > 2022 engine and new generation chassis delivering success!

Famin has also lost slick and fast driver Esteban Ocon to HAAS, without securing another leading driver like Carlos Sainz as Ocon's replacement.

Abiteboul and Otmar have to the 2 leading candidates for worst TP in at least the last 2 decades… Boullier been close 3rd

[Foryster]

Why?

What Cyril did wrong in your opinion? Because there are several things that were good.

[NL_Fer]

Renault got shafted by the other teams in that their engine was frozen at a spec lower in performance than other teams. They appealed and got turned down by the rival teams. Renault needs to learn how to play the game whereby the slip in performance upgrades as "reliability changes". In a certain sense, they are "more honest / less aggressive" than the other teams in exploiting the gray area of "reliability upgrades".

Apparently they forgot they got screwed in 2008 the same way, even so bad the Ferrari powered Torro Rosso was faster.

But 2008 brings other memories to Renault and than to hire Flávio to solve the problems is just ironic.

[gshevlin]

Flavio, IMHO, is good at stirring up publicity, but until Alpine builds back key development and leadership staff, they will be struggling to remain competitive.
The Renault powerplant is dead, the question is how quickly and painlessly Alpine and Renault can shut down the F1 work at Viry-Chatillon without triggering a major union hissy-fit.
I see a lot of speculation that the team may be for sale. The reality is that even a debilitated team is probably worth more than $1.5bn right now. If somebody offered Alpine $1.6bn, they could probably exit with a profit.

[Jambier]

Flavio, IMHO, is good at stirring up publicity, but until Alpine builds back key development and leadership staff, they will be struggling to remain competitive.
The Renault powerplant is dead, the question is how quickly and painlessly Alpine and Renault can shut down the F1 work at Viry-Chatillon without triggering a major union hissy-fit.
I see a lot of speculation that the team may be for sale. The reality is that even a debilitated team is probably worth more than $1.5bn right now. If somebody offered Alpine $1.6bn, they could probably exit with a profit.

- Flavio is perfectly aligned with the true goal of this team (I mean, of Di Meo): Be top of midfield, do podium, and not spend to much. That is what they can do with the Mercedes engine and some progress at Enstone with Sanchez

- Regarding Viry: Famin will be the head of Viry from September to do the transition to being a developpement center for Alpine Road cars and not F1. They said no one will be fired, they will keep the employee and try to put them where they can at Renault + keep a part at Viry for Alpine road cars

[Foryster]

So... Sainz at Williams.

What does it mean to Alpine? Hopefully no longer "switch to Mercedes" option, rather team up with GM (hopefully).

Who should be now number one for Alpine seat? Doohan, Aron, Bottas, Schumacher?

[JordanMugen]

Is it fact or fiction that a Viry-Châtillon strike would disrupt Alpine-Renault's participation in the 2024 Formula One World Championship?

Motors Inside is not reliable?

Alpine has ended its collaboration with Renault for the production of Formula 1 engines, closing the Viry-Châtillon site and leaving 350 employees out of work. The employees, surprised and disgruntled, are threatening to disrupt the end of the season by refusing to start the cars.

https://www.motorsinside.com/en/f1/news ... aters.html

More on the topic:

The French team Alpine is reportedly strongly considering entrusting the manufacturing of its engines to the German Mercedes by 2026. According to several specialist sites and the newspaper l'Équipe, the idea is serious , and it goes beyond a simple rumor. This is also confirmed by the Alpine team to France Bleu Berry, explaining that it is a path being studied.

The FO coordinator at Mécachrome, Stéphane Carré, warns of the potential consequences of such a decision: " in Aubigny there are between 80 and 100 jobs working for F1, let's say, " the union representative emphasizes. Management is talking about between 30 and 50 people who could be affected if the engine leaves for Mercedes.

...the subject is still serious enough to have been raised in the CCE with the employees of Aubigny-sur-Nère on Tuesday July 30, and last week with those of Renault in Viry-Châtillon, in Essonne. There are more than 300 of them working in this factory in the Paris region, specializing in F1 engines.

" We are really in a great uncertainty because we have nothing concretely established, nothing is contractualized" specifies Maxime Sauvé, coordinator of the CFDT union at Mécachrome.

https://www.francebleu.fr/infos/economi ... er-8157611

Mecachrome and Viry-Châtillon both seem very concerned.

Such a shame to produce power units within 30-50hp of the best, despite a smaller budget than others before the power unit budget cap era, only to rewarded with termination of the long-time project by Group Renault.

IMO, it is on Group Renault NOT Mecachrome or Viry-Châtillon to ensure the program was properly funded to produce a world class unit ("win at any cost" from 2014 onwards) and thus had a full roster of happy customers like McLaren, Williams, Red Bull, VCARB etc.