Alpine building foundations for F1 success, says Renault boss

LONDON, July 7 : Renault has a long-term plan for its Alpine Formula One team but CEO Francois Provost has parked the French carmaker's previous timelines for returning to the top to focus on immediate improvement.

Never mind the old three-year, five-year or 100-race plans. The priority is to  stabilise a team who were last overall in 2025 but are now fighting for fifth of 11 in the constructors' standings after starting afresh.

Alpine are only a point clear of sixth-placed Racing Bulls, and Frenchman Pierre Gasly's podium finish in Monaco is still subject to appeal.

But Provost told Reuters at the weekend's British Grand Prix that the recovery, led by de facto team boss Flavio Briatore and managing director Steve Nielsen, was real.

"My unique priority today is to stabilise the team, set a strong foundation for the team and start to recover this year, which is the case," he said.

"Our objective is P6 (sixth place) minimum. This is the first stage. Based on this we'll set our new vision, our new ambition."

GUCCI SPONSORSHIP AND MERCEDES ENGINES

Provost, previously Renault's chief procurement officer, took over from former CEO Luca de Meo in July last year when the Italian left to join luxury group Kering.

Kering's Gucci brand has since been announced as Alpine's title sponsor from the 2027 season.

The new boss said Renault intended to stay in Formula One for the long term, pointing to the sport's surging popularity as proof of younger people's enduring interest in cars, but planning could only start once the foundations were solid.

"When the team is completely lost, when you are nowhere, first you have to set very short-term priorities and refocus the team on delivering very concrete things. This is what I call the one-year plan," he said.

"It is doing well on the performance side and it is doing well on the sponsorship side, so I'm reasonably satisfied but humble. I know that the journey will be a long way."

Alpine went through five team bosses in four years from 2021 to 2024 with the former champions, who won titles from the Enstone factory with Michael Schumacher and Fernando Alonso as Benetton and Renault respectively, plunging down the order.

This year, with Gasly and Argentine Franco Colapinto as drivers, they are using Mercedes engines after Renault ended engine production at Viry-Châtillon outside Paris.

Provost said the likely arrival of sustainably fuelled V8 engines from 2031, replacing the current V6 turbo hybrids, would not see a switch back to Renault-produced engines.

"I don't want to disturb the team and everyone with uncertainty. There is a clear reference today, I do not develop engines for Formula One," he said.

"We have the Mercedes engine which is a good engine. It's clearly a trigger of our recovery this year."

While Alpine are majority-owned by Renault, the carmaker sold a 24 per cent stake to an Otro Capital-led investor group in 2023 for €200 million. That shareholding is now up for sale again, subject to Renault approval.

Former Red Bull boss Christian Horner has been linked to it in media speculation, but Provost said there had been no discussions as yet and there was no rush.

There would also be no change in the role played by Briatore, the title-winning former Renault team boss brought back by his compatriot de Meo.