Alpine is understood to be in negotiations with Flavio Briatore, who could return to Enstone in a “special supervisor” position. The Italian’s reputation in F1 is inevitably tied to his involvement in ‘Crashgate’ at the 2008 Singapore GP. Despite this controversy, Alpine is reportedly exploring whether he is interested in overseeing their F1 project.
The situation at Alpine is far from ideal, both on and off track. With just two points from 8 rounds in 2024, the A524 represents one of the French squad’s worst cars in recent seasons.
Just eighteen months ago, they were faster than McLaren and the ‘best of the rest’ behind the big three. They are now a lower midfield team, scrapping for occasional points. This has inevitably been accompanied by losses on the technical front.
Although David Sanchez has been appointed to replace Matt Harman, who resigned a few months ago, the group’s technical capabilities are in doubt. Harman’s exit suggests a lack of faith in Alpine’s potential for the remainder of 2024 and – by extension – 2025.
Moreover, the team’s status as an engine manufacturer seems to have little impact on the market. It cannot be said that drivers are running towards the Renault engine in the same way they look at Ferrari or Mercedes.
The incident between Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly in Monaco has now taken centre stage. Bruno Famin’s reaction to the collision is heightening the media scrutiny towards the Enstone-based team.
ALPINE IN TALKS WITH BRIATORE
Taking a step back from Alpine’s current predicament, there are more pressing long-term questions. For almost a decade, their success in F1 has been very limited. A variety of team principals (Vasseur, Abiteboul, Budkowski, Szafnauer) have come and gone.
This instability has defined the lack of progress and stop-start nature of the Alpine project.
According to Corriere, Alpine see Flavio Briatore as someone capable of improving the situation. Their interest in Briatore stems from the belief he can persuade talented engineers and designers to join the team.
Alpine believe that significant improvements are necessary to reach the front. Briatore, therefore, meets the profile of someone with the connections to make aggressive moves in the market.
Time will tell if these negotiations result in a concrete agreement between the two parties. What is not in doubt, however, is that Bruno Famin’s team must navigate a tricky period.
