Following heavy criticism from chief executive Laurent Rossi over a disappointing start to the 2023 season, Alpine said it was working hard behind the scenes to improve the situation and replicate the progress of main rivals, such as Aston Martin.
The Team Principal of the transalpine team Otmar Szafnauer explained that there are several initiatives underway to help the team progress, some of which are in the works, while others have already been promoted.
A new simulator is coming
The first is a new state-of-the-art simulator, the purchase of which has been approved in recent weeks and should be operational by 2025 after the relevant tests, as per practice. To try to strengthen the department, Alpine has also hired new simulation staff, thus strengthening the current structure to always arrive well prepared before a Grand Prix.
The current Alpine simulator
Photo by: Renault F1
Szafnauer explained that the current simulator is about 20 years old, having been bought by McLaren about a decade ago, thus becoming obsolete and out of step with the times. Just think, for example, that several teams have approved the purchase of a new simulator, including Alfa Romeo, Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin, with the latter counting on having it available in the near future.
Talking about the benefits, Szafnauer said: “If you have near perfect simulation tools, you start the weekend pretty close to the optimal situation for that race. , if you can do all this work before hitting the track, you are closer to the result you will get”.
New hires for the aerodynamics department
Although Alpine has expanded since parent company Renault took over operations at Enstone in 2016 by buying the team then called Lotus, the team has not yet reached its maximum headcount capacity.
According to Szafnauer, the example to follow is that of Aston Martin, which has hired a lot of personnel from Mercedes and Red Bull to accelerate its progress, also focusing on renowned and quality technicians. Alpine is currently looking for other aerodynamicists who can lead to the growth of one of the departments in which it has currently encountered the greatest difficulties.
Otmar Szafnauer, Team Principal, Alpine F1 Team, is being interviewed on the starting grid
Photo by: Alexander Trienitz / Motorsport Images
“We want to shorten the process,” said Szafnauer of hiring from top teams, also making a comparison with the benchmark team in this area, Red Bull.
“Red Bull has an aero team of 50, it’s not just one. But whoever sits in the top 50 gets all the ideas. So when you replace him, his brain is filled with all these teachings. But then once you have that, you still need a team of 50 to continue development.”
“So, as I said, Red Bull will probably have 50 people. We are at 38, but we want to get to 45. So, we have seats for seven or eight top aerodynamicists.”
External investments: possible new shareholders
While behind the scenes Renault is maintaining its commitment as the main financier of the Formula 1 team, albeit completely rebranded Alpine (from 2026 also for the Power Unit), it is no mystery that the French company is looking for external partners who can bring new investments.
Pierre Gasly, Alpine A523
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
Recently there have been several rumors that the American car dealer AutoNation, also sponsor of the team at the Miami Grand Prix, may increase its collaboration agreement with the team become a shareholder.
Szafnauer did not confirm the existence of an equity deal, but hinted that there are developments on this front.
“I’m not directly involved in stock buying, but I think when or if that happens, it will be announced. The nice thing is people are interested. And I’m sure if we get that kind of revenue, we’ll have a revenue injection for infrastructure” said the Alpine Team Principal.
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