Alpine dismisses media declare that the workforce is up on the market following disastrous begin to the season.
Considered one of three groups but to attain some extent, Alpine is formally tenth within the standings behind Williams (eighth) and Stake (ninth), its finest outcomes being a thirteenth in Jeddah (Ocon) and Melbourne (Gasly).
Renault’s unique 5-year plan a distant reminiscence the French outfit was already battling an influence unit considerably down on energy, whereas the chassis have been little higher.
The problems weren’t restricted to the observe nevertheless with quite a few administration restructures which have, if nothing else, had the workforce’s HR division working flat-out.
First there was Laurent Rossi, then Otmar Szafnauer, adopted by Alan Permane and Pat Fry, whereas as just lately as final month technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer left the French outfit, as Joe Burnell was introduced as technical director (engineering), David Wheater (technical director aerodynamics) and Ciaron Pilbeam (technical director efficiency).
Final weekend noticed a raft of updates, however as soon as once more the workforce struggled, with Ocon ending fifteenth and his teammate sixteenth.
Whereas issues are dangerous, and with little signal of enchancment, actually within the brief time period, it got here as a shock when it was claimed on Tuesday that Renault was contemplating promoting the workforce.
Alpine was fast to react.
“The rumours and tales in regards to the workforce being on the market are false,” it mentioned in an announcement. “The workforce is categorically not on the market.”
Truth is, through the years Renault has handled the game very very like there was a revolving door certainly, and considerably paradoxically, as reported within the Ted Toleman obituary, the Enstone outfit began life as Benetton, which had purchased Toleman’s workforce, earlier than being purchased by Renault which subsequently left solely to return as Lotus Renault, then again to Renault F1 and eventually in 2021 was renamed Alpine.
Various high-profile sports activities stars are mentioned to have purchased stakes within the workforce, nevertheless well-placed sources insist that no cash truly modified palms and that the offers had been merely to lift the profiles of all involved.
That mentioned, with Zak Brown claiming that each workforce is price “north of £1bn” and F1 insisting that there are quite a few entrants searching for to purchase present groups and enter the game, ought to Alpine change its thoughts it could anticipate to be inundated with gives.
