F1 News: Team Principal to Come Under Pressure As Alpine Struggles

Saajan Jogia | Apr 8, 2024

Oct 21, 2023; Austin, Texas, USA; BWT Alpine F1 driver Pierre Gasly (10) of Team France drives / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Alpine team principal Bruno Famin finds himself under mounting pressure as the team grapples with performance issues. With the car's performance shortcomings and a string of high-level staff departures since last year, including former team principal Otmar Szafnauer, Alpine faces a precarious situation. Convincing the parent company, Renault, to stay in the game could become increasingly challenging if the team's performance does not improve.

Key Takeaways:

• Alpine's team principal Bruno Famin faces mounting pressure due to the team's struggle to qualify for Q1 in the 2024 Formula 1 season.
• The A524 F1 car's noticeable power deficit compared to rivals has contributed to Alpine's lack of points, with driver Pierre Gasly finishing P16 in the Japanese Grand Prix.
• Sky F1's Ted Kravitz highlighted the challenges Alpine faces in a conversation with Famin, indicating the team's bleak outlook amidst performance issues.

Adding to the challenge is the noticeable power deficit of the A524 F1 car compared to its competitors, contributing to Alpine's current lack of points in the 2024 season. In the Japanese Grand Prix, driver Pierre Gasly finished P16, just one position behind his teammate Esteban Ocon. The Enstone outfit's highest finish this season has been P13, achieved in Saudi Arabia and Australia.

Oct 22, 2022; Austin, Texas, USA; BWT Alpine F1 Team driver Esteban Ocon (31) of Team France drives / Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports

Sky F1's Ted Kravitz sheds light on the hurdles Alpine is up against, highlighting a candid conversation with Famin. The outlook for Alpine appears bleak amidst these challenges. Here's what he revealed after the Japanese Grand Prix.

“There are some improvements coming to the car for Miami. They’re working very, very hard at Enstone to bring some improvements to the car.

“Alpine and Enstone, you’ll need some speed, because today [race day at the Japanese Grand Prix] was not good, but not – according to Pierre Gasly – through his fault. He got hit on the second restart and lost 30 points of downforce.

“So while it was a great opportunity for Esteban Ocon on the restart, because he restarted P13, both went hard tyre for the restart, but Gasly got damage and couldn’t one-stop, had to go onto the medium and then again for three stops Pierre Gasly, such was the damage to his floor from that contact at the second restart."

He continued:

“Esteban Ocon, not such a bad race, also couldn’t make the one-stop work, so didn’t, but finished P15.

“But you’ve got to say, I spoke to Bruno Famin, the Alpine team boss on Friday, he is going to be coming under immense pressure as the man responsible for this very slow car at the moment.

“He explained it by saying the usual stuff, that they’re changing processes and changing design concepts. But other than that that is true, it doesn’t mean that the pressure will be any less on the boss, because Luca de Meo, the head of Renault, who owns the team, will want performance and answers.

“They’re not in this, Renault, they’re not in this Formula 1 lark, to finish 15th and 16th.”

After four rounds of the 2024 Formula 1 season, Alpine rests at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship with zero points. It remains to be seen what strategy the team adopts to ascend the pecking order.