A new era dawns this weekend at the Dutch Grand Prix for the ever-changing Alpine F1 team, as a ‘nouveau’ brigade takes the helm from Otmar Szafnauer and key figures that were shown the door during the Belgian Grand Prix, less than a month ago.
But the departures are not being treated as a loss to the team, but rather the beginning of a new era to be embraced. So says their VP of Motorsports and Alpine interim team principal, Bruno Famin: “I’m sure the entire team enjoyed the recent summer shutdown as it’s been an exceptionally busy season so far.
“Clearly, the weeks leading up to the break were not easy for everyone at the team,” he said referencing the awkward timing of the announcement, bang in the middle of the Spa weekend. “It’s important now for us to keep our heads down, work hard collectively on improving all areas and aim for our results on track to underline our ambitions.
“There is no change to the team’s strategy or objectives, only a change in some personnel as outlined before the break. Zandvoort is an exciting fresh start for all of us and I’m sure everyone in the team is ready for the challenge.”
On the driver front it is business as usual amid the changes, both Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are fired up for this weekend’s Dutch Grand Prix, which kickstarts a busy second half of the 2023 F1 season for the entire paddock.
In the team preview, Ocon said: “It’s been a really enjoyable past couple of weeks with friends and family spent in France. It’s always nice to be able to take a breath and recharge the batteries after a very intense first part of the season.
Ocon and Gasly are ready to go racing again
As for his leave, Ocon revealed: “I was able to be with those close to me and visit one of my favourite places in the world where we all could relax ahead of a busy time of year for our sport. I kept in touch with the team of course and I know we are all raring to go back to racing this weekend in Zandvoort.
“During the break, I also took the time to train hard and prepare for the upcoming races and I was in their simulator at Enstone earlier this week. I am ready and excited to get back to it,” declared Ocon.
Alpine teammate, Gasly added: “I’m definitely feeling ready to go racing again. It was good to finally have a worthy reward with a trophy in Spa from the Sprint Race in third place. That was a good boost for the team and we have to target more moments like that.
“That said, the main race was disappointing and a missed opportunity as some things just didn’t go our way. That weekend is a kind of example of how my season has been: at times really good and then at times very unfortunate with some levels of performance not being converted into big results.
“We cannot feel sorry for ourselves, though. All we can do is keep our heads down, work hard and I’m confident the results will follow.
“We have ten races left to show what we can do to put ourselves back into a more representative championship position in both the Drivers’ and Constructors’ standings in my first season with the team,” concluded Gasly.
Who is interim Alpine F1 team boss Bruno Famin?
The Frenchman – Bruno Famin – began his time in motorsport with Peugeot in 1989, working with Peugeot Talbot Sport on engines and gearboxes. He personally worked on several vehicle projects such as the 905 Spider and the 106 GRA.
In 2005, Bruno was made Technical Director of Peugeot Sport and by 2012, he took over as Director of the company. He played a seminal role in the Le Mans winning 908 project and the record-breaking Pikes Peak victory in 2013 at the hands of Sebastien Loeb. Bruno was also at the helm of three Dakar Rally victories between 2016 and 2018 as well the 2015 World Rallycross Championship win.
By 2019, Bruno became Director of Operations for the Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA). His main role was to manage the integration of all of the Federation’s sporting and supporting functions.
In July 2023, Alpine announced the appointment of Bruno Famin as VP, Alpine Motorsports and member of Alpine Management Committee, reporting directly to Philippe Krief, Alpine CEO. In this position, Bruno Famin leads Alpine’s activities across all motorsport disciplines.
Bruno brings an exceptional track record of success in motorsport, and a culture of winning. (Source: Alpine F1 Team)