RINGING IN THE CHANGES

Some might say Alpine missed a trick while redeveloping its Enstone factory recently. It failed to install a revolving door…

After reaching the dizzying heights of fourth in 2022’s constructors’ championship, Alpine expected to climb even higher in 2023. But, instead of bridging the gap to the front-running teams, the team stagnated. A poor start to the year and internecine conflict at boardroom level rendered it a year featuring more managerial upheaval, as the power plays and under-bus hurling acts distracted from the on-track mediocrity.

Former grande fromage Laurent Rossi spontaneously combusted in his own hubris, accusing the team of dilettantism before being given the boot by Renault CEO Luca de

Meo, but further changes were afoot. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer was moved on after just a year and a half in the role, accompanied though the exit door by the long-serving Alan Permane. The veritable feast of management changes was followed by a (Bruno) Famin, the ex-peugeot Sport man who was installed as vice president of Alpine Motorsport – reporting to former Ferrari chief Philippe Krief.

Part of Famin’s remit is to create a more harmonious relationship between the race team’s Enstone facilities and engine department in Viry-châtillon. The wild unreliability (at least, by modern standards) of 2022 was largely ironed out after redesigning the powertrain’s water pump, but there’s still a sense of uncertainty with the Renault power unit. Much of the focus at Viry is now on getting 2026 right.

If Famin can manage that, then he’ll be able to smooth over the quietly contentious relationship between drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon. It’s well known that the two aren’t the best of friends and, though they’ve largely managed to keep it cordial over their first year together as team-mates, occasional clashes and on-track decisions have produced a few flare-ups. Otherwise, they’ve been very closely matched – Ocon with a barely significant edge in the races, Gasly marginally the quicker of the two in qualifying.

The question around Alpine is regarding its relative inertia compared with the other outfits. Does it have what it takes to actually become a frontrunner? Or is it destined to look nervously behind it and await a possible push from RB or Williams, like it did with Aston Martin and Mclaren last year?

Making sure Enstone (top) and Viry-châtillon (above) work well together is crucial for Alpine

Ocon and Gasly have supposedly put their previous falling-out behind them

New team principal Bruno Famin has a job on his hands to move Alpine back up the order