Alpine has faced difficulties this season in achieving their objective of retaining fourth place in the championship, a position they secured in the previous year.
Before the Hungarian Grand Prix last weekend, Philippe Krief was appointed as the new CEO of Alpine, replacing Laurent Rossi. Luca de Meo, the CEO of Renault, Alpine’s parent company, made this decision promptly.
On Friday, Alpine announced further management changes, with team boss Szafnauer and long-time sporting director Alan Permane also departing ahead of the summer break.
Famin stated that the wholesale management reshuffle occurred because the team and Szafnauer had differing opinions on the pace of progress.
Famin stated that since we did not agree on the approach or timeframe for achieving the desired level of performance, we chose to go our separate ways.
When asked by Motorsport.com about the differences in timelines between Szafnauer and Alpine, Famin responded: “I believe we have contrasting perspectives on the approach. Additionally, our views on the timeline may not align precisely, as we have differing opinions on how things should be done.”
Rossi, Szafnauer, and Permane have been dismissed, along with Alpine’s chief technical officer, Pat Fry, who is transitioning to Williams.
Famin asserts that the recent restructuring of its management team does not indicate any delay in its ambitious goal of competing for the championship in 100 races.
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A523
Photo by: Zak Mauger / Motorsport Images
The current situation represents the next phase of the Alpine plan. It is not regressing, but progressing ahead.
Certainly, it involves a significant amount of transformation, but it also presents a chance to strengthen the groundwork in order to progress more swiftly and extensively.
Our main goal is to achieve victory in races and championships at the earliest opportunity. It is crucial for us to consistently enhance our cars, ensuring a complete package that evolves with each race and year.
“We understand that it is a challenging task. We acknowledge that a revision in regulations often serves as a positive indicator for improving the ranking and is a reasonable objective, but it will not be a simple progression.”
“We will continuously strive for improvement until then.”
Famin states that his initial task is to evaluate thoroughly during the mandatory summer shutdown in order to identify areas where the team can enhance.
He stated that he would evaluate the actual situation with the entire team and allocate sufficient time for this assessment.
The outcomes did not meet our expectations. In the previous year, we achieved fourth place and our goal was to maintain that position while potentially narrowing the gap towards third place.
“We have not reached our desired position, and we will put in significant effort alongside our teams, both the Enstone and Viry personnel, to maximize the performance of our car.”
Leave a Reply