Bruno Famin, Vice President of Alpine Motorsports and Team Principal of Alpine F1 Team, was seen alongside Fernando Alonso of Aston Martin F1 Team during the Formula 1 World Championship, Rd 2, Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, Preparation Day on March 6, 2024.
Fernando Alonso has expressed his continued admiration for the Alpine Formula 1 team and hopes for a swift improvement in their recent struggles, which he finds surprising. Alonso has had three separate stints with the Enstone-based team throughout his successful F1 career, including winning back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.
After the team rebranded as Alpine in 2021, Alonso returned to F1 with them but eventually moved to Aston Martin when contract negotiations stalled. In the first season under the current aerodynamic regulations in 2022, Alonso and Alpine finished fourth in the championship. However, they slipped to sixth place in the following season.
The current season has been even more challenging for the Anglo-French team, as they sit at the bottom of the standings after the first two rounds with a completely revamped car. Since leaving Alpine, Alonso has been critical of the team’s current management, attributing his decision to join Aston Martin to a perceived lack of professionalism within Alpine.
Despite his criticisms, Alonso refrains from directly attacking his former team and emphasizes his emotional connection to Alpine due to the shared history and success they had during his championship-winning period. He fondly recalls the great times he had with the team and expresses his hope that they can find more performance and overcome their current difficulties.
The former Formula 1 champion has suggested that the series of management changes that have taken place since he left has contributed to the decline of Alpine in recent times.
Alpine made the decision to part ways with former Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane last year, while Laurent Rossi was relocated from his CEO position.
In addition, Technical Director Matt Harman and Head of Aero Dirk de Beer have resigned, prompting Alpine to implement a revised three-pronged technical arrangement.
When asked if he was surprised by Alpine’s decline, Alonso responded, “It’s difficult to comment from an outsider’s perspective. It’s a team that I have a lot of love for, a team that has given me many great things in my career. So, I hope they can improve.”
“When I was there, the team was different. There was a great atmosphere, and we had good performances, especially in 2022. We were consistently in the top five or six in every race. So, it is a bit surprising to see their current results. But hopefully they can resolve things quickly.”
While Alpine has been struggling, Alonso took advantage of Aston Martin’s impressive rise to become a front-runner and achieved eight podium finishes last season.