France Alpine-Renault
Full nameBWT Alpine F1 Team[1]
BaseEnstone, England, UK
Viry-Châtillon, France
Team principal(s)Bruno Famin
(Team Principal)
Philippe Krief
(Chief Executive Officer)
N/A
(Executive Director of Viry-Châtillon)
N/A
(Director of Racing Expansion Projects)
Chief Technical OfficerN/A
Technical directorEric Meignan (power unit)[2]
WebsiteOfficial website
Previous nameRenault F1 Team
2024 Formula One World Championship
Race drivers10. France Pierre Gasly[3]
31. France Esteban Ocon[4]
Test driversTBA
ChassisA524[5]
EngineRenault
TyresPirelli
Formula One World Championship career
First entry2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last entry2023 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix
Races entered66 (66 starts)
EnginesRenault
Constructors'
Championships		0
Drivers'
Championships		0
Race victories1
Podiums4
Points448
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0
2023 position6th (120 pts)

Alpine F1 Team, or currently BWT Alpine F1 Team for sponsorship reasons,[6] is the name under which the Enstone-based Formula One team has been competing since the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault, the team was rebranded for 2021 to promote Renault's sports car brand, Alpine, and continues to serve as Renault's works team.[7] The chassis and managerial side of the team is based in Enstone, Oxfordshire, England, and the Renault-branded engine side of the team is based in Viry-Châtillon, a suburb of Paris, France. The team competes with a French licence.[8]

Background

Origins of the team

The team has a long history, first competing in Formula One in 1981 as Toleman, when the team was based in Witney, England.[9] In 1986, following its purchase by Benetton Group, it was renamed and competed as Benetton. As Benetton, it won the 1995 Constructors' Championship and its driver, Michael Schumacher, won two Drivers' Championships in 1994 and 1995.[10] Prior to the 1992 season it moved to its current location in Enstone, UK.[11]

By the 2000 season, Renault had purchased the team (for the first time), and by the 2002 season its name was changed to Renault F1 Team, and it was racing as Renault.[12] Renault won the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006 and its driver, Fernando Alonso won the Drivers' Championships in the same two years.[13] In 2011, Lotus Cars came on board as a sponsor, and the team's name changed to Lotus Renault GP, though still racing as just "Renault" for that season.[14] By 2012, Genii Capital had a majority stake in the team, and from 2012 until 2015 the team's name was Lotus F1 Team, after its branding partner, and it raced as "Lotus".

At the end of 2015, Renault had taken over the team for a second time, renaming it to Renault Sport Formula One Team.[15][16] The team raced as "Renault" again, from 2016, and continued as such until the end of the 2020 season.[17] When discussing the history of the organisation as a whole rather than those of specific constructors it has operated, the colloquialism "Team Enstone" is generally used.[18][19][20] The team operates in a 17,000 m2 (180,000 sq ft) facility on a 17-acre (6.9 ha) site in Enstone.[21] By May 2023, Alpine had approximately 1,000 personnel in Enstone and 350 in Viry-Châtillon.[22][23]

Early Alpine Formula One involvement

The involvement of the sportscar manufacturer Automobiles Alpine in Formula One can be traced back to 1968, when the Alpine A350 Grand Prix car was built, powered by a Gordini V8 engine. However, after initial testing with Mauro Bianchi at Zandvoort, the project was ended when it was found that the engine produced around 300 horsepower (220 kW) compared to the Cosworth V8 engines' 400.[24] In 1975, the company produced the Alpine A500 prototype to test a 1.5 L V6 turbo engine for the Renault factory team which would eventually début in 1977.[25][26][27][28]

In September 2020, Groupe Renault announced their intention to use "Alpine" as their works team's new name going forward to promote the Alpine brand, and thus the team is set to become known as the "Alpine F1 Team" whilst retiring the "Renault F1 Team" moniker after five years.[17]

In June 2023, a group of investors, including actor Ryan Reynolds agreed a deal to pay €200 million for a 24% stake in the Alpine Formula One team.[29] More investors joined the group later in 2023, including NFL players Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, golfer Rory McIlroy, former heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua and footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata.[30][31]

Racing history

Fernando Alonso driving the A521 at the 2021 British Grand Prix.

2021 season

Alpine signed two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso[32] to replace an outgoing Daniel Ricciardo[33] and Esteban Ocon was retained from the 2020 Renault team.[34] The Alpine car uses Renault engines.[17] Renault team boss, Cyril Abiteboul, announced he would leave as Renault transitioned to Alpine.[35][36] Abiteboul was replaced by Davide Brivio, who previously worked for Suzuki in MotoGP.[37][38]

Esteban Ocon driving the A522 at the 2022 Austrian Grand Prix.

Alpine's first race ended with Alonso being forced to retire, after debris caused his car to overheat.[39] Ocon was hit by Aston Martin driver, Sebastian Vettel.[40] Despite a disappointing start, Alpine scored in the next fifteen races,[41] including a victory for Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.[42] It marked the first victory for a French driver driving a French car powered by a French engine since Alain Prost's triumph at the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix driving a Renault car.[43] Alonso also scored a podium in the Qatar Grand Prix,[44] after qualifying fifth but starting third due to Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas gaining grid penalties.

2022 season

In January 2022, both team principal, Marcin Budkowski,[45][46] and non-executive director, Alain Prost, left their roles.[47] Otmar Szafnauer, formerly of Aston Martin F1 Team, was announced as the new team principal in the same month.[48] Former deputy secretary-general for sport at the FIA, Bruno Famin, has been recruited as executive director of Alpine at Viry-Châtillon, responsible for power-unit development.[49] Famin had also previously led Peugeot to three consecutive Dakar Rally victories as head of its sporting division from 2016 to 2018, and a Le Mans 24 Hours triumph in 2009 as technical head of its endurance program.[50] Oscar Piastri replaced Daniil Kvyat as test driver.[51][52] In February 2022, BWT became the title sponsor of the team, in a deal aimed at sustainability drive.[53][54]

Alonso qualified in second for the Canadian Grand Prix, only behind Verstappen.[55] This was his best qualifying position since the 2012 German Grand Prix,[56] though he suffered an issue in the race and finished in ninth.[57]

2023 season

Alonso moved to Aston Martin for the 2023 season because he wanted a multi-year contract extension, and Alpine was only willing to give him one more year in F1.[58][59] Alpine announced that Piastri would be replacing Alonso;[60] but Piastri immediately denied he had a contract to race with the team.[61] Team principal Szafnauer criticised Piastri, saying that Piastri should show more loyalty to Alpine,[62] and claimed that Piastri was thankful when told about his F1 promotion prior to Alpine's announcement.[63] In September 2022, a hearing of the Contract Recognition Board determined that Alpine did not have a valid contract with Piastri[64] and was free to race with rival team McLaren in 2023.[65] During the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix weekend the team confirmed that Pierre Gasly has signed a multiple year contract with them starting in 2023.[66]

In July 2023, Laurent Rossi was replaced by Philippe Krief as CEO.[67][68] During the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Alpine announced that Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane will leave the team after the race. Chief technical officer Pat Fry will leave the team at the end of the year to join Williams.[69][70]

Alpine finished the season sixth in the constructors' championship, while Gasly and Ocon were 11th and 12th, respectively, in the drivers' standings. The team reportedly lost about half a second per lap on average because the Renault power unit was lagging behind its rivals.[71] Without this deficit, the team could have had performance similar to that of the Mercedes team.[71]

Complete Formula One results

(key)

Year Chassis Engine Tyres Drivers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 Points WCC
2021 A521 Renault
E-Tech 20B
1.6 V6 t		 P BHR EMI POR ESP MON AZE FRA STY AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA RUS TUR USA MXC SAP QAT SAU ABU 155 5th
Spain Fernando Alonso Ret 10 8 17 13 6 8 9 10 7 4 11 6 8 6 16 Ret 9 9 3 13 8
France Esteban Ocon 13 9 7 9 9 Ret 14 14 Ret 9 1 7‡ 9 10 14 10 Ret 13 8 5 4 9
2022 A522 Renault
E-Tech RE22
1.6 V6 t		 P BHR SAU AUS EMI MIA ESP MON AZE CAN GBR AUT FRA HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN USA MXC SAP ABU 173 4th
Spain Fernando Alonso 9 Ret 17 Ret 11 9 7 7 9 5 10 6 8 5 6 Ret Ret 7 7 19† 5 Ret
France Esteban Ocon 7 6 7 14 8 7 12 10 6 Ret 56 8 9 7 9 11 Ret 4 11 8 8 7
2023 A523 Renault E-Tech RE23 1.6 V6 t P BHR SAU AUS AZE MIA MON ESP CAN AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA SIN JPN QAT USA MXC SAP LVG ABU 120 6th
France Pierre Gasly 9 9 13† 14 8 7 10 12 10 18† Ret 113 3 15 6 10 12 67 11 7 11 13
France Esteban Ocon Ret 8 14† 15 9 3 8 8 147 Ret Ret 8 10 Ret Ret 9 7 Ret 10 10 4 12
Source:[72]
Notes
  • ‡ – Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

References

  1. ↑ "Alpine sign water company BWT as F1 title sponsors". Reuters. 11 February 2022.
  2. ↑ Barretto, Lawrence (24 October 2023). "Alpine bolster engine division with appointment of new power unit Technical Director Eric Meignan".
  3. ↑ Desk, Sports. "Alpine announces the signing of Pierre Gasly on three-year contract". sportsmax.tv. Retrieved 5 July 2023.
  4. ↑ "Esteban Ocon signs bumper three-year contract extension with Alpine". Formula1.com. 16 June 2021. Archived from the original on 16 June 2021. Retrieved 18 June 2022.
  5. ↑ Schmidt, Michael; Haupt, Andreas (16 August 2023). "F1-Interview mit Alpine-Technikchef Matt Harman: „Wollen am Ende das viertbeste Team sein"". Auto Motor und Sport (in German). ISSN 0005-0806. Retrieved 30 September 2023.
  6. ↑ "BWT and Alpine F1 Team combine forces in strategic partnership aimed at sustainability drive". Alpinecars.com. 11 February 2022. Retrieved 11 February 2022.
  7. ↑ Smith, Luke; Noble, Jonathan (6 September 2020). "Renault to be rebranded as Alpine for 2021 F1 season". motorsport.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  8. ↑ "Alpine". StatsF1. Retrieved 4 April 2022.
  9. ↑ Straw, Edd (6 September 2020). "Ranking Renault/Alpine's Five Previous F1 Identities". The Race. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. ↑ "Renault return after Benetton deal". BBC News. 16 March 2000. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  11. ↑ "Formula 1 Team Histories – Part 2 – Benetton Formula". The Parc Fermé. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  12. ↑ "Renault R202". GP Technical. 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  13. ↑ Hughes, Mark; Piola, Giorgio (26 May 2020). "How the Renault R25 finally ended Ferrari's dominance and delivered Alonso's first title". F1. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  14. ↑ "Genii Capital & Group Lotus join forces in Lotus Renault GP". F1 Network.Net. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  15. ↑ Parkes, Ian (2 February 2016). "Analysis: 'Special' Enstone gets its reward with Renault F1 era". Autosport. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  16. ↑ Higham, Peter (April 2016). "Data trace: 'Enstone'". MotorSport. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  17. 1 2 3 "Renault to rebrand as Alpine F1 Team in 2021". Formula 1. 6 September 2020. Archived from the original on 6 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  18. ↑ Straw, Edd (21 August 2021). "Every 'Team Enstone' F1 driver ranked". The Race. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  19. ↑ Newbold, James (23 April 2021). "The hidden hero behind Alonso's Enstone F1 glory years". Autosport. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  20. ↑ Smith, Damien (25 March 2021). "Formula One team guide 2021". The Autocar. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  21. ↑ "Renault F1 Team Headquarters". Ridge. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
  22. ↑ Larkam, Lewis (27 May 2023). "Alpine have put 'countermeasures' in place to fix mistakes after scathing criticism from CEO Laurent Rossi". Crash.Net. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  23. ↑ Gale, Ewan (27 May 2023). "Alpine changes confirmed after scathing Rossi criticism". RacingNews365.com. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  24. ↑ R. Smith "Alpine & Renault: The Development of the Revolutionary Turbo F1 Car 1968-1979." Chapter 3: The Alpine A350 Experimental Grand Prix Car, pp. 24-33
  25. ↑ "Alpine A500 (1975)". l'automobile ancienne (in French). 13 September 2019. Archived from the original on 17 June 2020. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  26. ↑ Vack, Pete (21 July 2010). "Book Review: Alpine and Renault: The Development of the Revolutionary Turbo F1 Car 1968 to 1979". VeloceToday.com. Archived from the original on 2 October 2015. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  27. ↑ "Alpine A500". StatsF1 (in French). Archived from the original on 24 August 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  28. ↑ "Abiteboul en charge d'Alpine, nouvelle identité de Renault Sport ?" [Abiteboul in charge of Alpine. New identity for Renault Sport?]. f1i.auto-moto.com (in French). 4 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  29. ↑ Frater, Patrick (26 June 2023). "Ryan Reynolds and Partners Buying Quarter of Alpine Formula 1 Race Team". Variety. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  30. ↑ Shook, Nick (19 October 2023). "Patrick Mahomes invests in Formula One team, 'always looking around' at ownership opportunities". NFL.com. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  31. ↑ McDaniel, Mike (17 October 2023). "Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce Become Investors in Alpine F1 Team". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved 29 November 2023.
  32. ↑ "Fernando Alonso Joins Renault For 2021 Formula 1 Season". Eurosport. Archived from the original on 10 January 2020. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  33. ↑ "Daniel Ricciardo Leaves Renault for McLaren". The Checkered Flag. 3 January 2021. Archived from the original on 3 January 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  34. ↑ "Ocon would welcome Alonso as Renault F1 team-mate in 2021". Autosport. 2 July 2020. Archived from the original on 30 August 2021. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  35. ↑ "Renault announce shock departure of F1 team boss Abiteboul ahead of Alpine rebrand". Formula 1. 11 January 2021.
  36. ↑ "Cyril Abiteboul leaves Renault and will not lead Alpine F1 team". Sky Sports. 11 January 2021.
  37. ↑ "Alpine F1 sign ex-MotoGP boss Davide Brivio as new racing director". Sky Sports. 17 January 2021.
  38. ↑ "Alpine announce ex-Suzuki MotoGP chief Davide Brivio as new Racing Director". Formula 1. 17 January 2021.
  39. ↑ Butler, Jasmine (1 April 2021). "Alpine F1 Team left empty handed following the Bahrain Grand Prix". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  40. ↑ "2021 Bahrain Grand Prix: Vettel crashes into the back of Ocon". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  41. ↑ "Alpine (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  42. ↑ "2021 Hungarian Grand Prix race report & highlights: Ocon claims shock maiden victory in action-packed Hungarian Grand Prix as Vettel disqualified from P2". www.formula1.com. Archived from the original on 1 August 2021. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  43. ↑ Kelly, Sean (1 August 2021). "Hungarian GP Facts & Stats: Ocon secures first French triple since Prost – and there's a new record for Alonso". Formula One website. Liberty Media. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  44. ↑ "Alonso was "waiting so long" for podium as he ends seven-year drought · RaceFans". RaceFans. 21 November 2021. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  45. ↑ "Alpine: Executive director Marcin Budkowski leaves team in latest F1 management shake-up". Sky Sports. 13 January 2022.
  46. ↑ "Marcin Budkowski: Alpine director to leave team immediately". BBC Sport. 13 January 2022.
  47. ↑ "Alpine part ways with Non-Executive Director and four-time world champion Alain Prost". Formula 1. 17 January 2022.
  48. ↑ "Szafnauer named Alpine Team Principal as Rossi confirms new structure". Formula 1. 17 February 2022.
  49. ↑ "Otmar Szafnauer joins Alpine as team principal in restructure". BBC Sport. 17 February 2022.
  50. ↑ "Alpine appoint ex Aston Martin boss Otmar Szafnauer as team principal". ESPN. 18 February 2022.
  51. ↑ "Kvyat announces next career move after year as F1 reserve". RacingNews365. 14 February 2022. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  52. ↑ "Meet Oscar Piastri, Alpine's new reserve driver looking to go one better than Leclerc and Russell | Formula 1®". Formula 1. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  53. ↑ "BWT And Alpine F1 Team combine forces in strategic partnership aimed at sustainability drive". BWT. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  54. ↑ "Alpine set for blue and pink livery as BWT becomes title sponsor". Motorsport.com. 11 February 2022.
  55. ↑ McKenzie, Mikael (19 June 2022). "Canadian Grand Prix qualifying results: Verstappen and Alonso on front row as Hamilton 4th". Express.co.uk. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  56. ↑ "FACTS AND STATS: Alonso grabs his first front row start in a decade | Formula 1®". Formula 1. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  57. ↑ Foster, Michelle (20 June 2022). "Fernando Alonso went 'kamikaze' after engine issue arose". PlanetF1. Retrieved 14 July 2022.
  58. ↑ "Fernando Alonso to join Aston Martin F1 in 2023". Aston Martin. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 1 August 2022.
  59. ↑ "Alpine thought it could treat Alonso as Piastri's seat-warmer". The Race. 1 August 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  60. ↑ "Piastri to make F1 debut with Alpine in 2023 replacing Alonso". www.motorsport.com. 2 August 2022. Retrieved 2 August 2022.
  61. ↑ Piastri, Oscar [@OscarPiastri] (2 August 2022). "I understand that, without my agreement, Alpine F1 have put out a press release late this afternoon that I am driving for them next year. This is wrong and I have not signed a contract with Alpine for 2023. I will not be driving for Alpine next year" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  62. ↑ "Szafnauer criticises Piastri: I expected more loyalty from him". RacingNews365. 7 August 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  63. ↑ "Piastri "smiled and was thankful" when told about 2023 F1 seat, claims Szafnauer". www.autosport.com. 27 August 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  64. ↑ "Decision of the Contract Recognition Board 02/09/2022". Federation Internationale de l'Automobile. 2 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
  65. ↑ "Piastri to drive for McLaren as Alpine lose appeal". BBC Sport. Retrieved 2 September 2022.
  66. ↑ "Gasly to race for Alpine alongside Ocon in 2023 | Formula 1®".
  67. ↑ "Hungarian Grand Prix: Laurent Rossi replaced as Alpine CEO by Philippe Krief". BBC Sport. 20 July 2023.
  68. ↑ "Alpine CEO Rossi moved aside, replaced by Krief". Motorsport.com. 21 July 2023.
  69. ↑ Cooper, Adam (28 July 2023). "Otmar Szafnauer leaves Alpine F1 team principal role". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  70. ↑ Cooper, Adam (28 July 2023). "Pat Fry lands top technical role at Williams F1 team". www.motorsport.com. Retrieved 28 July 2023.
  71. 1 2 "F1's worst works team is stuck with its laptime-killing problem". The Race. 2 January 2024. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
  72. ↑ "Alpine – Grands Prix started". StatsF1. Retrieved 17 February 2022.
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