2023 Alpine F1 Team

[DeeAnnCA]

There is another interesting facet about Renault/Alpine. It is thought that they are the ones asking for a higher fuel flow rate in order to equalize their engine power compared to other teams. My understanding is that the VP of Alpine Motorsports is also the one running the engine program. Interesting that they are down on power, but he still has a job.

[AR3-GP]

There is another interesting facet about Renault/Alpine. It is thought that they are the ones asking for a higher fuel flow rate in order to equalize their engine power compared to other teams. My understanding is that the VP of Alpine Motorsports is also the one running the engine program. Interesting that they are down on power, but he still has a job.

Good question

[diffuser]

There is another interesting facet about Renault/Alpine. It is thought that they are the ones asking for a higher fuel flow rate in order to equalize their engine power compared to other teams. My understanding is that the VP of Alpine Motorsports is also the one running the engine program. Interesting that they are down on power, but he still has a job.

Good question

You mean Bruno Famin? He's taking over on an interim basis from Szafnauer. He and Matt Harman are the only 2 left. Bruno Famin became CEO in charge of engine development for the Alpine F1 Team in February 2022. So guy responsible is already gone. Can't remember his name.

edit..
Remi Taffin

[diffuser]

https://f1i.com/magazine/483068-alpines ... hts.html/6

Pretty good read. "Just days after appearing at an event discussing the company's future plans for Alpine alongside Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo, Rossi was suddenly moved sideways to special operations. Had Renault finally made a choice to trust the race team bosses to know what to do? No. A double DNF in Hungary followed (due to a first lap racing incident, and not the fault of the team or the drivers) and that was to be the final straw for the Renault board.

According to sources close to F1i, de Meo demanded Permane's resignation just days after Hungary. Szafnauer stepped in to defend Permane, saying that the sporting director - who has been taking the lead in Alpine's crucial work convincing the F1 Commission to approve an engine equalisation clause to boost the underpowered Renault unit - had done nothing wrong and that, in essence, if Permane was out, so was he.

And de Meo agreed on both counts, with Pat Fry's airlift to Williams just happening to coincide with the spectacular public meltdown."

[organic]

Insane that the board moves with such big decisions based on things out of control of anyone but the drivers on track (and in this case nobody was to blame)

[AR3-GP]

Insane that the board moves with such big decisions based on things out of control of anyone but the drivers on track (and in this case nobody was to blame)

I've read elsewhere that it's deeper than this. That in general, Permane has been part of an "old guard" mentality within the team that was preventing change and new ideas.

So there was a kindling already. Hungary just triggered something that was on the mind already.

[diffuser]

Insane that the board moves with such big decisions based on things out of control of anyone but the drivers on track (and in this case nobody was to blame)

I've read elsewhere that it's deeper than this. That in general, Permane has been part of an "old guard" mentality within the team that was preventing change and new ideas.

So there was a kindling already. Hungary just triggered something that was on the mind already.

But this is crazy... Pull a Michael Corleone... Get all your ducks in a row with replacements, tell nobody, then pull the trigger, kill everyone and bring in the new team.

This whole rudderless team is just going to delay the team getting better.

[AR3-GP]

Insane that the board moves with such big decisions based on things out of control of anyone but the drivers on track (and in this case nobody was to blame)

I've read elsewhere that it's deeper than this. That in general, Permane has been part of an "old guard" mentality within the team that was preventing change and new ideas.

So there was a kindling already. Hungary just triggered something that was on the mind already.

But this is crazy... Pull a Michael Corleone... Get all your ducks in a row with replacements, tell nobody, then pull the trigger, kill everyone and bring in the new team.

This whole rudderless team is just going to delay the team getting better.

The timing is curious. Just before the break. I would imagine there will be announcements after the break.

[diffuser]

The 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.

[Otromundo]

Whatever happens until the end of the season, they are giving a complete manual on how not to do things. That's the only positive in this whole story.

[JordanMugen]

The French factions now seem to blaming the Enstone old brass, Permane and co, for the poor performance of Alpine F1 Team over the past seasons. With Franck Montagny particularly scathing of Permane.

It is seen that the clearing out of Permane and 15 employees associated with Permane is intended to increase loyalty to Groupe Renault and reduce the influence of the long-term Enstone clique.

(Otmar in effect blaming Viry for producing an engine which is down on power too, is something that would also be seen as totally unacceptable by Groupe Renault and perhaps also contributed to his firing.)

I ask: is it really healthy for the French national Formula One team to be based in England of all places? Perhaps it would be best for the team to move to France to be co-located with the engine factory at Viry?

[Could it be said that the failures of Alpine F1 Team to challenge for titles are entirely due to the "amateurs" at Enstone and their amatuerish inability to do more with less budget over the past eight seasons? If only the cars had been built by professionals in Viry, perhaps the team would have performed far better -- skilled Viry professionals would have been able to surpass Mercedes, Ferrari and Red Bull on a lower budget, just as they have done with power units (probably)? ]

On the other hand... Perhaps Groupe Renault's expectations of Enstone executing 5-year-plan to win the titles by 2020, later revised to competing for the title under the new 2022 regulations with field-levelling budget cap -- whilst having a smaller budget, less facilities investment and less powerful engine -- were unreasonable?

[JordanMugen]

I've read elsewhere that it's deeper than this. That in general, Permane has been part of an "old guard" mentality within the team that was preventing change and new ideas.

So it would be best for Alpine F1 Team to move to Viry and start afresh as a true French national team?

Since Permane, and likely others, were part of a guard who were loyal to Enstone and not to the name above the door -- be it Benetton, Renault, Lotus (GENII), Renault or Alpine?

If Enstone does not feel like it is "Renault" culturally that seems a problem, particularly with poor power unit integration, and this is where Ferrari (and in 2026, Red Bull Racing too?) achieves huge benefits from having the power units and chassis efforts on the same site.

[AR3-GP]

I've read elsewhere that it's deeper than this. That in general, Permane has been part of an "old guard" mentality within the team that was preventing change and new ideas.

So it would be best for Alpine F1 Team to move to Viry and start afresh as a true French national team?

Wouldn't that drive up manufacturing and labor cost? Nevermind all of the infrastructure they would have to rebuild. That's basically impossible at this point.

There is zero evidence that there's a legion of french nationals in waiting ready to build an F1 car, and you will not get all of the brits to move to France either.

[organic]

I don't think it would be possible to rebuild in a different country like that with the amount of cap excluded spending that teams are allowed.

[JordanMugen]

Wouldn't that drive up manufacturing and labor cost?

Would 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.

I don't think it would be possible to rebuild in a different country like that with the amount of cap excluded spending that teams are allowed.

Politically savvy Renault could no doubt negotiate a concession for this move.

There is zero evidence that there's a legion of french nationals in waiting ready to build an F1 car, and you will not get all of the brits to move to France either.

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.