McLaren’s steep rise after an underwhelming start to the 2023 season came as a surprise to many. The Woking-based outfit progressed to the point where they were regularly fighting for podium places. That is exactly the sort of gain that has motivated Pierre Gasly, and he wants to replicate it with Alpine in 2024.
In a recent interview with Auto Motor und Sport, Pierre Gasly said, “McLaren is a mystery to us. They were two seconds away from pole position in Saudi Arabia and ended up with a car that could take pole position or the front row of the grid. I see this promotion within just six months as a stimulation for our team. This shows: It is possible. Even under a budget cap. With the people we have in Enstone and Viry, that should be possible for us too.”
Gasly‘s claims about McLaren’s phenomenal success aren’t unfounded. The Woking-based team started the season under a crisis. Before the start of the season, team boss Zak Brown admitted they were running behind on targets. That under-preparedness showed on the track as the car they were running was not the final product they intended to field.
However, as the season progressed, so did their fortunes as each amendment proved worth its weight in gold. Such was the impact of their development as it helped McLaren to establish themselves as the second-fastest in most of the races in the second half of the season.
Comparatively, Alpine did not have as disastrous a start as their mid-field counterparts. However, the Enstone-based outfit yet failed to develop their car at the same pace and effectiveness. From engines to chassis and aerodynamic setup, Alpine saw a steady degradation. This gave birth to a leadership crisis in the team.
From mass sackings to regrouping – How Alpine salvaged the 2023 season?
During the summer leg of the season, Alpine had a complete overhaul of its top management. They not only sacked team principal Otmar Szafnauer but also CEO Laurent Rossi, Sporting Director Alan Permane, and CTO Pat Fry.
The sackings/resignations came in the wake of a bout of poor performances, but rumor has it that the board was unhappy with Rossi’s style of work, which affected the team’s performance since he took over in 2016. Others believe the dip in performance was a result of added corporate interference.
Following this overhaul, Bruno Famin took over as the interim team principal at a time when the side found themselves in the middle of nowhere. Famin’s job was to deploy damage control measures, and to his credit, he did a good job at that. The team made gradual progress with their car and delivered a respectable P6 in the standings.
As a result, Famin saw his interim team principal status change into a permanent role. With that, the team has also set some ambitious targets moving forward. While Technical Director Matt Harman promises the car will be new from “front to back“, a race win is the “clear target” for Pierre Gasly in 2024.
Lastly, amid the ensuing chaos, Alpine surprisingly saw a steady influx of high-profile investments. Otro Capital invested close to $220 million to acquire 24% of the team’s stake.
Other investors included Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and his Wrexham co-owner Rob McElhenney, fellow actor Michael B. Jordan, and Liverpool FC co-owners Red Bird Capital. The focus now has to be on cleaning the plaguing power politics in the team and turning the fortunes with some great results on the track.
