The general director of Renault, Luca de Meo , has spoken of the current situation of the Alpine Formula 1 team in an interview granted to Corriere dello Sport and celebrates the entry of the Volkswagen group into F1 at the hands of Porsche and Audi.
The Italian admits he is pleased with Alpine’s start to the 2022 season, but also says it is too early to draw any conclusions: “First of all, there is no doubt that the new engine works.”
“The chassis and aerodynamics have been developed on existing concepts, which means we may have more room for development than teams that have taken extreme approaches,” de Meo explained.
Restructuring of staff at Alpine is complete
The Renault CEO also sees a lot of potential outside the circuits: “Now we have more resources for development, as well as a better structured organization. We have hired or relocated key people to the organization, such as [Matt] Harman, [Otmar ] Szafnauer, [Bruno] Famin, and Pat Fry”.
“Our goal was always to form a homogeneous team, and that’s what we lacked at the beginning. The truth is that I thought it would take a year to fix it, but we were not wrong and we followed the established plan.”
Although the team now competes under the Alpine brand, it is still under the Renault factory team, which returned to Formula 1 in 2016 with a five-year plan to become world champion again.
No deadline in Alpine to fight for the Formula 1 world championship
Given that the planned number of seasons has long been exceeded and that the team has not been able to fight for its objective for a few years, the expectations in the Alpine team are not exactly small after its start of 2022.
“Our goal is to put everyone in a position where they can work in the best possible way. I distrust those who explain when and how to win a World Cup!” said de Meo .
Alpine could follow the example of Ferrari, which this season has returned to the front of the grid after a few seasons struggling with the midfield and away from the positions it has always occupied. According to de Meo, this resurrection of the Scuderia is simply the result of years of hard work following a precise plan.
“That’s how it works. You spend two years putting all the pieces together, step by step, and suddenly the stars align. Ferrari seems to be on that path. It worked for Mercedes too, but they benefited from a set of rules that It gave them a two-year head start on the rest.
“This is an extreme sport, because even the two tenths you lose at the pit stop counts,” explained de Meo.
Alpine welcomes other constructors to Formula 1
Going forward, the Enstone team will face even more competition due to the entry of two major car manufacturers, as the Volkswagen Group has already confirmed that it will enter Formula 1 with Porsche and Audi from 2026.
“They are welcome, unlike those who only make spare parts, because this is the university of racing,” said de Meo, who stresses that Formula 1 must be made up of “true constructors”.
“Of course, it would be easier to beat a spare parts manufacturer than a legendary manufacturer like Porsche . But we have found a balanced regulation on which we can build the image and prestige of F1,” explained the general manager of F1. Renault .
“Interest is back, which is clear proof that manufacturers recognize the value of this platform that Stefano Domenicali is revolutionizing with extraordinary results. I’m a romantic, so I want to see Ferrari, Mercedes, Aston Martin and Porsche compete against each other.” Yes”.
