Alpine has had a disastrous 2023 season so far, as they find themselves sixth in the Constructors’ Championship. The team has not only faced troubles on the race track but also off it. Because the results of the team at the start of the season did not meet expectations, Renault ended up axing not only former Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer but also several other high-profile employees along with him. A few months after these sackings took place, Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has now explained another problem that Alpine continues to face at the moment. The Italian interestingly compared the French outfit‘s performances to the centuries-old war between France and Britain.
De Meo believes that there is a sheer lack of cooperation between Entone and Viry. Enstone is the British part of the organization that is responsible for producing the chassis. Meanwhile, Viry is the French part of the organization whose responsibility is to produce the engines.
Luca de Meo explains the recent struggles with Enstone and Viry
According to soymotor.com, Luca de Meo has compared the problems at Alpine to the centuries-old war between France and Britain and made it clear that it must end. In an interview with L’Equipe, the Italian said, “The 100 Years War between England and France ended centuries ago“.
De Meo believes that there is a clear problem in cooperation between the two factions of Alpine that urgently requires addressing. The report from soymotor.com also adds that the 56-year-old also paid a visit to Enstone to get his point across emphatically.
Alpine interim team principal Bruno Famin, too, admitted that there is a lack of cooperation between Enstone and Vily following the conclusion of the Japanese Grand Prix. The Frenchman stated, “I think one of the things we have to try is to regroup people. We have great potential, but it is also difficult for everyone to work together and translate it into performance. This is my priority for now“.
While Famin has publicly accepted that there have been difficulties in getting the team to work together, the report from soymotor.com goes to the extent of claiming that the two factions of Alpine do not even stay in the same hotel. It is this lack of cooperation due to which the Renault engine is not at par with some of their main rivals, such as McLaren and Aston Martin.
Hence, since Renault has failed to produce a strong enough engine, both drivers are struggling to score points consistently. The team has just scored a total of 84 points so far, with Esteban Ocon registering 38 while Pierre Gasly has registered 46. However, it is pertinent to note that the lack of cooperation is not the only problem that Alpine faces at the moment.
Alpine still needs to sign a new permanent team principal
Due to the complete overhaul that Alpine recently went through, the team needs a lot of replacements. One of these positions is that of the team principal.
There were several reports that suggested that Alpine is considering signing former Ferrari team principal Mattia Binotto as a replacement for Otmar Szafnauer. However, as the team continues to look for a permanent replacement, Bruno Famin will remain in charge until then.
The Frenchman already seems to have a lot on his plate as the side also faced immense criticisms for their team orders during the Japanese Grand Prix. Since Pierre Gasly was ordered to allow Esteban Ocon to pass him on the final lap, the former was fuming.
However, Famin was not happy with the 27-year-old’s reaction. As quoted by Motorsport, he said, “Our drivers are paid to serve team interest, not their self-interests“. Therefore, since Alpine are having some severe struggles to get their team back on track, they will need to find a replacement for their team principal at the earliest.
