In a surprising turn of events, Renault, back in 2020, changed its F1 team name to Alpine from the 2021 season onwards. Since then, the French automobile side has continued with that name only. And for F1 commentator David Croft, while speaking to SkySports, it’s a very confusing decision considering by that they are missing to make a dent in the $104.1 billion US automobile market.
Formula 1 is a platform for almost all automobile companies participating in it to make their name among car enthusiasts following the sport. So by investing in the sport, they get hefty returns in sales.
And Alpine is a sports car brand owned by Renault. So on the surface, the profile does match to participate in F1. However, it has yet to enter the US market and will first roll out in 2027. Thus, Croft thinks that Renault, being a popular company, made a mistake by rebranding itself.
David Croft is puzzled why it’s Alpine and not Renault
Over the last few days, Alpine has made some decisions that could be deemed questionable. And piling on that, Croft questions Renault’s decision to name its F1 team Alpine.
“I just don’t get Renault at the moment,” said Croft. “I don’t get what they are trying to do in Formula 1. Why is the team’s called Alpine? You can’t buy Alpine cars in America. I think you can buy Renault. Why would you buy a Renault over Kia? Because Renault got F1 technology in it.”
Croft believes Renault should push that edge in the American marketplace to boost its sale. They further took the example of Renaut Group’s brand- Nissan, which achieved a massive market push due to its participation in several motorsports worldwide. For Croft, that makes more commercial sense. On top of that, Croft is also not impressed by the French team’s running in the sport.
PR disaster in Belgium
On Thursday, right at the cusp of the last Grand Prix before the summer break, a significant news update shocked the entire F1 fraternity. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer and a few more key profiles at Alpine were fired.
As per Croft, it was a shambolic PR activity. For him, Szafnauer deserved a longer rope. The British commentator agrees that the former Alpine boss’ job was under threat since Miami, but he deserved more time with the setup amidst all the challenges.
And even if they wanted to fire him, as per Croft, they should have done silently during the break and must have found a suitable replacement during the off. However, in the end, it was a chaotic weekend for the French team, with Pierre Gasly’s podium at the sprint race being the only saving grace.
