Alpine Boss Bruno Famin Blames Otmar Szafnauer for Team’s Terrible Performances

The Alpine F1 team has struggled with poor performances during race weekends. Alpine is one of the 3 teams that have yet to score a point, and that’s not good news for Team Boss Bruno Famin. Both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are Grand Prix winners, but with Alpine, they are struggling to gain a single point. What could be the reason for their downfall?

Under the name Renault, the team was a solid midfield contender, fighting against teams like McLaren. However, the recent pecking order shows the difference between the two teams since the rebrand. The rebranding was not carried out perfectly, as this completely hindered the team’s performance.

Bruno Famin claims no responsibility

Otmar Szafnauer, who was the previous team principal for Alpine, had better control of the team, as it even finished P4 in 2022. However, in 2023, Szafnauer decided to retire due to the structural changes made within the garage, which brought in Bruno Famin. Alpine currently stands last on the pecking order with 0 points scored so far. During an interview with F1.com, Famin spoke about Alpine’s situation, “It’s not a fun period. We are not where we want to be in terms of performance, we are not doing the project to be P15 or P16…we know everyone has ups and downs. We are in a down.”

But when asked about the performance of the car, Famin took no responsibility and stated, “The car we have now is the result of the team’s previous management. But what’s important is what we’re doing now. And I’m happy with what we’re doing. Clearly, we have a long way to go, and we have a lot to improve.” So far, the improvements are yet to be noticed, and they should come about quickly as there are now only 20 races left, and going from the 10th team on the pecking order to anywhere in the midfield will be no easy battle.

This year looks difficult for Alpine, and at the end of the year, both of their drivers will be out of their contracts. Considering where they are right now, it would be the safest bet to retain their current drivers, as they have proven themselves in the past. However, the kind of changes that are expected from the team are yet to be seen. Who’s to say that next year things will turn out differently for the team? Sometimes a slump can come in at any time and stay for a while. Look at what Mercedes is going through. That being said, many drivers will be free to grab in 2025.

Alpine’s Potential Options for 2025

While there are many seatless drivers on the grid for 2025, Alpine will have to be smart with whom they work. For now, the two drivers are settling in and getting used to the new management; it would be unfair to judge their performance based on the season so far. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are already used to working with the team, and considering where the team stands, very few drivers would want to get into the A524.

Looking at the performance of the team, it does not look like any heavy points-scoring driver would like to race with them. Alpine needs to pick itself up as its options are mostly drivers who have 0 points. This includes both drivers from Williams and Kick Sauber. Logan Sargeant, Alex Albon, Valtteri Bottas, and Guanyu Zhou are some of the options for Alpine. Drivers like Daniel Ricciardo and Carlos Sainz already have a history with Renault, and it’s unlikely the two drivers will look Alpine’s way.

That being said, do you think Alpine will be able to score some pecking-order deciding points? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below.