Renault boss hits out at Alpine’s ‘joker-like’ performance in F1
Renault CEO Luca De Meo asserted that the Alpine F1 team's performance slump this year was at the level of jokers.
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Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly (images via IMAGO)
The Alpine F1 team has had a disastrous 2024 season. The French team started out with an overweight car and could barely fight for points. The Enstone-based squad currently sits ninth in the standings despite having a works Renault power unit. Now, Renault CEO Luca De Meo has slammed the team’s recent performance.
Following Alpine’s dismal pace this year, Luca De Meo brought in Crashgate mastermind Flavio Briatore as the team’s Executive Advisor. The French team will even shut down its engine program after 2025. De Meo insisted that fans now support a driver, team, or brand not an engine in Formula 1. Moreover, Alpine has a lack of sponsors due to its poor performance which has made investors unhappy.
We support a driver, a colour, a brand. Not an engine. Alpine, given our ranking [ninth in the constructors’ Championship] is losing bonuses. Sponsors are rare. We have a hole in the air. My shareholders know how to count. Alpine has to make money.
Luca De Meo told L’Equipe
Further, the Renault Chief highlighted that a works team finishing P16 and P17 every race made it look like a bunch of jokers. Luca De Meo claimed that the Alpine brand was not even enjoying the marketing returns of being in Formula 1 anymore.
Now, with our P16, P17, we look like jokers. We are nowhere. The famous ‘marketing returns’ have vanished. Even though they are not quantifiable in money.
Luca De Meo stated
Luca De Meo insists shutting down Renault engines an ’emotional subject’
Renault will end its decades-long involvement in building F1 engines. This was met with backlash from factory workers at Viry-Châtillon. Luca De Meo admitted that it was an emotional subject and it took months to make a final call on shutting down the program. However, it must be noted that the employees working in the factory would be shifted to other projects.
It’s a very emotional subject. This decision is the result of months and months of observations.
Luca De Meo noted
Alpine is rumored to be signing a deal with Mercedes for power units from 2026. This would reduce the financial burden on Renault and provide the Enstone-based team with competitive engines. However, it remains to be seen how things pan out for the French squad in the rest of 2024.
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Armaan Agarwal
(2308 Articles Published)