The team based in Enstone hasn’t had an easy start to the 2024 season. Their car, the A524, hasn’t been performing well, and they’ve only scored two points so far. People have been talking about Renault, the company that owns the team, selling it.
One group that might be interested in buying the team is Andretti. They’ve been told by the FIA that they need to buy a team to stay on the grid. There have also been rumors about a Chinese company called Geely wanting to get involved.
But the CEO of Renault Group, Luca de Meo, is very clear about one thing: they’re not selling. Even though Alpine is having a tough time right now, he’s not interested in selling any part of the team to anyone.
In an interview with Autocar magazine, de Meo said, “I want to make this very clear. There is no way we are going to give up. It’s not my style. We will not sell even a part of this thing. We don’t need the money. I’ve had people making offers left and right, then talking in the press about it. But we’re not interested. It would be stupid, and I won’t do it.”
De Meo admitted that Alpine’s performance in F1 right now isn’t good enough. He blamed mistakes with the engine and the car’s chassis for their current situation. He said, “When we began the hybrid era in 2014, our engine didn’t perform. We had been world champions with Red Bull, but with hybrid, things went wrong. Even the engine we developed in 2021 had a 0.2s to 0.5s disadvantage every lap. And this year we’ve screwed up with the car. If you combine everything, we’re up to 1.5s from where we need to be.”
But despite the challenges, de Meo is determined to move forward. He believes in having a strong team with the right attitude. He said, “The first is a quality team of top-notch people. The second is racing rage, an obsession to win. The third is collaboration and trust throughout the team, a spirit of cooperation that makes things seem easier. Alpine should be one of the teams in F1 with the broadest shoulders because it has the backing of the Renault Group.”
De Meo believes that Alpine can do better and wants to make sure they seize the opportunity to improve. He said, “Sure, we’ve made mistakes. It happens. But I think we’re right to put F1 at the core of Alpine, and to paint the car blue to represent a distinctive automotive culture. This brand is totally legitimate because it was always in competition. But it can do much better, and I don’t want to miss the opportunity.”
