Amid Mattia Binotto’s $218,000,000 Succession Plan, Alpine’s Ugly Divide Surfaces

In the words of Renault CEO Luca de Meo, “The Alpine Formula 1 team must become the French Ferrari.” While he said this in terms of the passion Italians have for motorsport—compared to the rather mellow atmosphere in France—there are rumors that he could’ve meant it quite literally. Following the shock ouster of former Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, a certain Italian man has been linked to the French team. Who better than Mattia Binotto, a man who dedicated his career to Ferrari, to make Alpine the French Ferrari?

The past few months have seen a significant change in the dynamics of Alpine. The team went from wanting to fight for the best-of-the-rest title yet again this season to accepting that wasn’t a possibility. It received a $218 million investment from an investor group spearheaded by Ryan Reynolds in June. In July, it showed four key figures—Szafnauer included—the door. Things should’ve gotten clearer, if not better, for the Enstone-Viry team, but they haven’t. Luca de Meo felt the need to step in and make things right.

The divide in Alpine is doing no good

Alpine is literally a team of two halves. One part is in the UK, and the other is in France. The chassis and managerial side of the team are in Enstone, UK, and the engine side is in Viry, France. That’s where the first divide is. The second is between its drivers. French drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon aren’t necessarily on the best terms. There has been friction between the two since they were rising through the ranks. While they seemed to have worked through their issues to help the team, there’s still some remnant tension there, as was highlighted by the Japanese GP. The third divide is what de Meo addressed.

After Alpine hit the reset button this season and got that mammoth investment, the team should have had some direction. Well, that hasn’t been the case, especially since there’s no chemistry between the team’s two halves. Tired of the imbalance in the team, the Renault CEO gathered everyone in Enstone (with Viry online) and gave everyone a dressing down. As reported by Motorsport-Total, “De Meo made it unmistakably clear that he would no longer tolerate the quality of the communication between Enstone and Viry, which was previously rather expandable.” [Translated by Google]

To understand the extent of how big the separation is: “It is not acceptable that English and French people sit at separate tables at the race track or that sometimes different hotels are even booked.” Don’t you think this divide is detrimental for a team that makes its own engine? It sure is proving to be. Alpine has the resources; it has the personnel. It just needs the right direction to progress. Can Mattia Binotto be the one to bring Alpine together?

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Is Mattia Binotto a real candidate to lead Alpine?

For 27 years, Ferrari was a part of Matia Binotto’s life. He joined the Scuderia in 1995, rose through the ranks, became the Chief Technical Officer in 2016, and finally assumed the role of team principal in 2019. For four years, he led the team. While it wasn’t Ferrari’s most successful period in F1—which Binotto has received a lot of criticism for—it wasn’t the worst either. As the boss, he ensured the team functioned as one unit, working toward a common goal. Although that didn’t come to fruition, there’s no doubt he knew how to manage a team. Isn’t that precisely what Alpine needs?

If the Italian comes to Enstone and replaces the interim boss, Bruno Famin, things might improve at Alpine. At least internally. He has the experience and the mindset of a leader to guide the team. The only problem is that De Meo may have pointed out that Famin’s temporary role is now permanent. Motorsport-Total also reported other things De Meo said in his speech. One of them was this: “Bruno Famin, initially appointed as team boss on an interim basis since Otmar Szafnauer was fired in July, will now remain in his role permanently. This puts rumors to rest that former Ferrari team boss Mattia Binotto could soon take Famin’s place.”

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What is your take on the ugly divide at Alpine? Do you think Mattia Binotto can make a difference there if the opportunity arises?