Alpine CEO’s claims of becoming a top team get shattered once again after initial attempts to do it in 100 races

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi says the team will need 120 races to turn into a top team

Alpine CEO’s claims of becoming a top team get shattered once again after initial attempts to do it in 100 races

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi

Alpine have been on a trajectory filled with mixed emotions this season. CEO Laurent Rossi has been doing everything he can to make sure that the team has the motivation and the resources in order to accomplish their set goals. He had previously stated that Alpine had a plan in action to turn the squad into a top in under 100 races. However, all things don’t seem to have gone as planned for the Enstone based squad.

Recently, Laurent Rossi revealed that their 100 race plan towards success has received an extension. This means that the CEO now claims that the team will need 120 races to fulfil its goal of being at the top. With Esteban Ocon and new hire Pierre Gasly at the helm, it is going to help them a lot to get closer to this goal day by day. Rossi had previously called Alpine’s poor start to the season as ‘amateurish’.

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Ahead of the A523’s pre-season launch, the team had a goal of finishing fourth in the standings this season. This in turn was disrupted by Aston Martin and Fernando Alonso who have been having a mega year so far. This always seems to be the case for Alpine who have been near the front runners at the top of the midfield but never fighting for the top spots. However, Ocon’s podium in Monaco was a testament to the team’s abilities.

Also read: Carlos Sainz backs Ferrari despite dismissal start to 2023 season, claims the team is moving in the ‘right direction’

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi gives an update on the team’s progress so far in 2023

Alpine driver Esteban Ocon
Alpine driver Esteban Ocon

In an interview, here is what he had to say. “It is going back in the right direction. It goes back to the plan we had. Whether it is year three [of Alpine’s plan] or whatever, it might be 120 [races],” he told the BBC. “Because the era [of these regulations] has been extended by one year, and we go until 2025. My goal is that by 2025, Alpine F1 Team has the same means as the top teams, and it operating in a way they can put those means to become a credible contender for the podium. That’s it,” he stated.

Alpine has been struck with reliability issues which have put them at a disadvantage. The duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly sit comfortably in 9th and 10th place respectively in the driver’s standings. Whilst they scored a podium in Monaco, there lie many questions about the team’s abilities of gunning for one every race. It will be interesting to see what they can do to alter the situation for the remaining races this season.

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