Luca de Meo became executive director of Renault in July 2020 and, as he himself acknowledged at the time, the company was going to end his project in Formula 1. However, de Meo himself insisted that the structure should continue, but with changes.
At that time, the Italian caused a 180º turn in the thoughts of the board and thanks to this, Renault left F1, but giving way to Alpine, its sports brand, thus achieving double revenue in terms of marketing.
“When I first joined the company, they told me that the Formula 1 project should end,” de Meo told FormulaPassion ‘s Italian digital newspaper. “I was told that the structure’s 40-year history must come to an end.”
“I opposed this decision because I never wanted to be the one to put an end to Renault ‘s F1 programme. Being in the series is seen by many as just a huge waste of money, but being here goes a long way in promoting the brand around the world.
Analyzing everything that has happened since then and more specifically the start of the 2022 season, where a big regulation change has caused changes in the hierarchical order of the grid, Luca de Meo believes that the decision made at that delicate moment was correct.
“We have improved from last year, plus with the arrival of Otmar Szafnauer , the team has become even stronger in terms of leadership. We have a long-term plan: Alpine director Laurent Rossi said in October that According to this plan, we should fight and win after about 100 grands prix.”
“But of course it’s impossible to say for sure: you also need a bit of luck. We have to create the perfect conditions for success, but anything can happen, just look at PSG, for example, which is packed with players. who have won everything and still can’t get into the Champions League final consistently,” he concluded.
Currently, Alpine has Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon in its ranks, with Oscar Piastri as reserve driver, the latest and most recent Formula 2 champion, a clear nod to the long-term future as one of the main pillars of the structure. French, a drastic turn in a team that until a few months ago had planned its withdrawal from Formula 1.
