What is Alpine doing in Formula 1?

Earlier this week, reports from France claimed ex-Renault team boss Flavio Briatore could return to the operation he once led.

Now known as Alpine, the French manufacturer has had a dismal start to the 2024 season, with Briatore just the latest in a line of rumours surrounding the squad.

That has included a change of drivers mid-season and claims the organisation could be sold as Renault ends its involvement in F1 – the latter refuted by the team but persists regardless.

The squad has just two points from the opening eight races, and last weekend, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon collided in Monaco.

That has sparked a furious reaction from team principal Bruno Famin, who made comments to French television that could be construed as meaning Ocon will be benched for the Canadian Grand Prix.

Their Monaco kerfuffle is the latest development in Alpine’s torrid tale, which can realistically be traced back to 2021, shortly after Luca de Meo’s appointment as CEO of Renault Group.

Since then, the F1 team has been a revolving door. Cyril Abiteboul, Alain Prost, Marcin Budkowski, Fernando Alonso, Oscar Piastri, Laurent Rossi, Otmar Szafnauer, Alan Permane, Davide Brivio and Matt Harman have all been high-profile departures.

The team was rebranded in Alpine’s image for 2022 in an attempt to increase brand awareness for the boutique manufacturer.

Famin only joined Alpine in February 2022 as head of the organisation’s engine department, having previously worked in the operations side of the FIA.

He was subsequently promoted to vice president of Alpine Motorsports before taking on the team principal role after sacking Szafnauer last July.

The 62-year-old has been charged with continuing to push the team along its 100-race plan – its gameplan for returning Renault (Alpine) to the front of Formula 1.

Announced by Rossi around the time Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, it was a disconnect between that goal and the team’s ability to deliver on it that drove Szafnauer and Permane from the operation.

Since then, little appears to have changed beyond Famin speaking about rebuilding the cuture. The notable exception is the signing of Davide Sanchez – an opportunistic move given the high-profile engineer’s unexpected availability once his role at McLaren didn’t pan out.

There’s little wonder that Briatore has entered the picture.

The Italian is a controversial figure who was in charge when Nelson Piquet was instructed to deliberately crash at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix – for which he was given a life ban that was subsequently withdrawn.

He’s held a number of positions within the sport since, most latterly a consultant to the commercial rights holder.

Reports of his return into team land emanate from the French media, which claims his ‘special advisor’ role would be aimed at boosting recruitment more than being day-to-day.

It’s a curious development and, in many respects, shows a lack of faith in Famin.

Prior to 2022, Famin had no experience leading a Formula 1 team, though has spent time in motorsport with Peugeot.

It could be that the addition of Briatore is the first step in a broader plan, as doubts over the future of Alpine (and Renault) in F1 swirl.

Another name that has been mentioned in conjunction with the organisation is Guenther Steiner, the former Haas team boss who has been sidelined after his contract was not renewed at the start of the year.

The Italian is known to de Meo after he spoke with Renault in 2021 over potentially swapping Haas from Ferrari power to the French marque – discussions that ultimately went nowhere, with the American-registered operation moving into a design office within Ferrari’s Maranello facility.

Steiner is an experienced motorsport figure with a no-nonsense approach one can imagine would be of benefit at Enstone.

The 59-year-old has said he’s in no rush to return to the sport and is taking his time to assess his next project.

He has been linked with a return as a team owner, and is believed to have the backing to make such an investment.

A relationship with Alpine could therefore work on two fronts; a way back into F1 and, potentially, acquire the organisation with his backers at some point down the track.

There has been speculation the team is on the market, or at least not averse to conversations about its acquisition, for some time. And now is an opportune time to sell, if the marque is looking to get out.

Last year, Renault Group shed a 24 percent stake in the organisation in a transaction that valued it at about $900 million.

The 2026 regulations are set to be finalised in the coming weeks, impacting both chassis and power unit.

Renault has signed up as a power unit supplier for the next generation of rules, though that means little today as development on that engine cannot start, by regulation, until January 1 next year.

Under the current ruleset, Renault has been the least successful of the four power unit suppliers – Honda, Ferrari, and Mercedes being the other three.

It also supplies only its own team, while rivals all have at least one partner organisation. Ferrari supplies Haas and Sauber, deals that bring in around €30 million a year for the Scuderia (supply cost is capped at €15 million under the regulations). Mercedes has a relationship with Williams, Aston Martin, and McLaren.

Honda’s involvement, which sees it supply Red Bull Racing and RB, is different as its interest is exclusively a power unit side manufacturer, whereas its rivals all run fully-fledged factory teams.

Renault is currently incurring the cost of the chassis side of its operation and is unsubsidised on the power unit front, making for a financial double-whammy.

Add to that the development a new unit for 2026 and the costs will only rise with no guarantee of improved fortune.

It’s worth nothing that much of Renault’s power unit programme is outsourced, with comparatively little in the way of in-house manufacturing capabilities.

Given work on the 2026 design cannot begin until January, a decision could be made before any significant additional costs are incurred.

Of course, electing to shut down the power unit department would create issues as, suddenly, the Alpine factory team, an OEM entry, would have to go into the market for a supply.

That’s awkward as it would create a bizarre branding mismatch where Alpine, a Renault boutique brand, would potentially field units from a rival.

But more than that, it begs the question: who would want to supply it?

Under the regulations, there is a mandatory supply obligation that could be triggered, meaning Alpine would not be without an engine.

There are a handful of caveats in that, with ‘new’ manufacturers omitted from consideration. That would scratch Audi and Red Bull Ford for a start, leaving Ferrari, Honda, or Mercedes.

Regulations also outline that whichever supplier has the fewest number of power units on the grid will likely be mandated to supply a team.

As it stands for 2026, Mercedes will continue with Williams and McLaren in addition to itself, making a total of six Mercedes-powered cars on the grid. Ferrari would remain with Haas in addition to the Scuderia itself, making for a total of four. Honda, however, has entered an ‘exclusive’ supply arrangement with Aston Martin, meaning it would be the manufacturer with the fewest cars.

Based on that, should Renault pull the pin on its power unit operation, Honda looks the likely candidate for potential replacement.

Should events transpire such that Renault did step away as an engine supplier, it will be curious to see whether the current team remains under the ownership of Renault Group, with its current shareholding valued at around USD $$680 million.

The question really boils down to what the Formula 1 project offers the brand, and Renault more broadly and whether that justifies team ownership-levels of investment and commitment.

For now, Alpine’s presence on the grid is about creating brand awareness, but comes at an extraordinary cost for a company that produced just over 4300 cars in 2023.

There are ambitions to transform it into a ‘global’ brand, though, which would justify the cost more readily.

“Alpine is the brand for motorsport and state-of-the-art technology enthusiasts. Excellence is its focus,” de Meo said last June.

“Only two years ago, Alpine was in a dead-end, lacking clear perspectives.

“Since then, we have turned it into a fully-fledged car manufacturer, bringing together outstanding assets: a top-class engineering centre, a unique manufacturing know-how, expanding distribution network.

“On top of it, Alpine’s entry into F1 prepares it to reach new heights, offering the brand the prestige and recognition attached to the pinnacle of motorsport.”

The intent is to develop the brand into an €8 billion business with seven cars in its lineup with plans to go 100 percent electric through its Alpine Performance Platform.

It has plans for a hot hatch based on the all-electric Renault 5 and an SUV-cross-GT dubbed the GT X-Over. There are electric versions of the ageing A110 planned, too, and a new A310.

To get there, it was reported last November that Renault was in discussions with Chinese investors from Geely – owners of Volvo and Lotus and who also hold an interest in Mercedes-Benz and Aston Maritn.

Geely is one of two names linked to purchasing the F1 team. The other one is Guenther Steiner.