Alpine’s F1 team is an enigma.
From one perspective, Alpine should be looked at as a team with great potential and ambitions. A storied history with championships spanning multiple decades, backed by a Renault engine unit only which they themselves currently use.
Considering Alpine relies primarily on their own resources, unlike much of their competition, it places the team in a situation where they have just as much, if not more potential to compete for championships than the others.
However, since Fernando Alonso’s departure in 2009, the team has lived in mediocrity. Never that bad, never that good. Alpine’s ability to consistently deliver these similar results each year is one of the most impressive things ever seen by a team in F1.
Perhaps impressive isn’t the right word to use, however. While credit can be given to the team for never falling off a cliff like some other teams, their inability to break free from the mid-pack has been baffling.
2023 was no exception to the mid-pack results, as the team finished sixth in the team standings. The gap to the team behind was 92 points, while the gap to the team ahead was 160 points.
Literally all by their lonesome.
In the background, mass personnel changes have been taking place.
Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane were replaced in the middle of the season, alongside company CEO Laurent Rossi. Others chose to leave on their own, including Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry. Fry, who left Alpine to join Williams in the same role, opened some eyes when he commented on his reasons for making the switch.
“I didn’t feel there was the enthusiasm or the drive to move forward,” Fry said regarding Alpine. As a company, they weren’t almost set up to push hard enough. You can say you want to be first, but the difference between saying it and achieving it is monumental.”
These comments put to light a sentiment that had been rumored for quite some time now. Even without these comments, the lack of improvement on track serves as evidence.
It’s not to say that Alpine is a complete clown show. It takes a lot to be able to maintain the mid pack in F1, and Alpine has done a phenomenal job at remaining consistent and not losing too much ground.
But it doesn’t create much hope or excitement for the team to ever break out of that part of the field.
2024 is on track to be very much the same as all the years past. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon remain the two drivers, each of which have plenty of F1 experience. And while personnel is changing at Alpine, betting that it makes any difference would be injudicious.
Perhaps they go out and grab a podium or two. Perhaps they move up the standings a bit. But this is nothing new. It’s typical Alpine fashion, always floating around, maybe having some nice results before finishing the season mid-pack again.
In the grand scheme of things, those small bits of success mean very little when the overall results have been the same for over a decade.
Nonetheless, the races must be run. And you can be sure Alpine will be right where they belong.
Image courtesy of F1.com
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