Alpine F1 Team
| File:Alpine F1 Team logo.svg Logo used since 2021 | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Formula One racing team |
| Predecessor | Renault F1 Team |
| Founded | 2021 |
| Headquarters | Enstone, Oxfordshire , England, United Kingdom |
Area served | Worldwide (Formula One) |
Key people | Philippe Krief (CEO), Bruno Famin (former Team Principal), Otmar Szafnauer (former Team Principal), Davide Brivio (former Team Principal) |
| Products | Formula One racing cars |
| Owner | Groupe Renault (majority), consortium including Ryan Reynolds and other investors (24%) |
Number of employees | Approximately 1,350 (1,000 at Enstone + 350 at Viry-Châtillon) |
| Parent | Groupe Renault |
| Website | www |
Alpine F1 Team, presently competing under the name BWT Alpine F1 Team due to sponsorship agreements, is the Formula One outfit based in Enstone that has been active since the 2021 World Championship. Previously operating as the Renault F1 Team and owned by Groupe Renault along with the Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance, the team was rebranded to highlight Renault's sports car marque, Alpine. It continues to serve as Renault's official works team until the conclusion of Renault’s Formula One engine programme after 2025. The chassis and management departments are located at Enstone, Oxfordshire, England, while the engine operations bearing the Renault brand remain in Viry-Châtillon near Paris. The team competes under a French racing licence.
Team Origins
The team's roots trace back to its initial Formula One entry as Toleman, headquartered in Witney, England. Following its acquisition by the Benetton Group in , it was rebranded as Benetton. Under this identity, the team clinched the Constructors' Championship and saw driver Michael Schumacher capture two Drivers' Championships in and . Prior to the season, the outfit relocated to its current Enstone facility in the UK.
By , ownership had passed to Renault, which renamed it Renault F1 Team by . The team achieved Constructors' titles in and , with Fernando Alonso securing Drivers' Championships during those campaigns. In , sponsorship from Lotus Cars led to the temporary renaming to Lotus Renault GP, although it competed under "Renault" that year. Between 2012 and 2015, majority control by Genii Capital saw the team race branded as "Lotus," under the name Lotus F1 Team.
Renault regained full ownership at the close of 2015 and rebranded it as Renault Sport Formula One Team. From through 2020, it competed simply as "Renault." The organisation is often referred to as "Team Enstone." Its operations are housed within a facility on a site in Enstone. As of May 2023, Alpine employed roughly 1,000 staff at Enstone and approximately 350 personnel at the Viry-Châtillon engine plant.
Initial Involvement in Formula One
Automobiles Alpine first engaged with Formula One in 1968 by developing the Alpine A350 Grand Prix car powered by a Gordini V8 engine. After testing phases, this project was discontinued because its output of about 300 hp was considerably lower than the roughly 400 hp produced by rival Cosworth V8 engines. In 1975, Alpine created the A500 prototype to trial a 1.5 L V6 turbocharged engine intended for Renault’s factory team, which made its official F1 debut in 1977.
In September 2020, Groupe Renault rebranded its factory team as "Alpine F1 Team" to elevate the Alpine brand image, retiring the "Renault F1 Team" title after five years of use.
By June 2023, a consortium including actor Ryan Reynolds had invested €200 million for a 24% ownership share in Alpine F1. Subsequently that year, further investors joined such as NFL stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce, golfer Rory McIlroy, former heavyweight boxing champion Anthony Joshua, along with footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata.
2021 Season
Ahead of the 2021 season, Alpine signed two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso to replace departing driver Daniel Ricciardo. This marked Alonso’s third tenure with Team Enstone, where he previously won two championships in 2005 and 2006 driving for Renault. Esteban Ocon remained from the prior year's Renault lineup. The team's cars were powered by Renault engines. As part of Renault’s transition to Alpine branding, team principal Cyril Abiteboul departed and was succeeded by Davide Brivio, formerly associated with MotoGP’s Suzuki team.
At Alpine’s inaugural race under their new identity, Alonso retired due to overheating caused by debris damage while Ocon collided with Sebastian Vettel. Despite this rocky start, Alpine consistently scored points across the following fifteen races. Notably, Ocon won the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, marking a milestone as the first French driver to win for a French team since 1996 and also the first victory by a French driver in a French-powered car since 1983. Alonso additionally achieved a podium finish at the 2021 Qatar Grand Prix, aided by grid penalties imposed on other competitors.
2022 season
In January 2022, Alpine experienced notable leadership changes with the departures of team principal Marcin Budkowski and non-executive director Alain Prost. That same month, Otmar Szafnauer, previously associated with the Aston Martin F1 Team, was appointed as the new team principal. Additionally, Bruno Famin, formerly the deputy secretary-general for sport at the FIA, joined Alpine as executive director responsible for power unit development at Viry-Châtillon. Famin brought extensive experience, having guided Peugeot to multiple victories in the Dakar Rally and a win at the 2009 Le Mans. Meanwhile, Oscar Piastri took over from Daniil Kvyat in the role of test driver. In February, BWT became Alpine’s title sponsor, aligning with the team’s commitment to sustainability efforts.
At the 2022 Canadian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso secured a second-place qualifying position—his best since the 2012 German Grand Prix—just behind Max Verstappen. Despite this promising start, Alonso faced difficulties during the race and ultimately finished ninth.
2023 season
Ahead of the 2023 season, Fernando Alonso transferred to Aston Martin, pursuing a multi-year deal after Alpine offered only a one-year contract extension. Alpine announced that Oscar Piastri would replace Alonso; however, Piastri refuted any agreement with Alpine and subsequently signed with rival outfit McLaren. Team principal Otmar Szafnauer publicly criticized Piastri for a perceived lack of loyalty. Nevertheless, in September 2022, the FIA Contract Recognition Board determined that Alpine did not possess a valid contract with Piastri.
During the weekend of the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix, Alpine confirmed that Pierre Gasly had signed a multi-year contract commencing in 2023 to partner Esteban Ocon.
In July 2023, Alpine appointed Philippe Krief as CEO, succeeding Laurent Rossi. At the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, it was announced that Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane would exit following the race. Additionally, chief technical officer Pat Fry declared plans to depart at year-end to join Williams.
Alpine concluded the 2023 season sixth in the Constructors' Championship standings, with Gasly and Ocon finishing 11th and 12th respectively in the drivers’ rankings. The team reportedly suffered from an approximate half-second per lap deficit due to limitations of the Renault power unit, which impeded their competitiveness; absent this handicap, Alpine's performance might have rivaled that of Mercedes.
2024 season
For the 2024 campaign, Alpine retained both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon as their driver lineup. At the opening round in Bahrain, Alpine qualified at the rear of the grid and finished 17th and 18th. Following this disappointing start, technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer departed from their roles. In response, Alpine reorganized its technical leadership by appointing three directors: Joe Burnell overseeing engineering, David Wheater managing aerodynamics, and Ciaron Pilbeam focusing on performance. Shortly thereafter, former advisory board member Bob Bell left to assume an operational position at Aston Martin. On 2 May, Alpine named David Sanchez, previously with McLaren, as executive technical director. Controversially in May 2024, Alpine reinstated former executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who had led Team Enstone as team principal from 2000 until his resignation amid a race-fixing scandal in 2009.
After failing to score points in their first four races of 2024, Alpine earned their initial points haul at the Miami Grand Prix, where Ocon finished tenth. At the subsequent Monaco Grand Prix, Ocon collided with teammate Gasly while attempting an overtaking maneuver; this incident forced Ocon’s retirement and resulted in a five-place grid penalty for him at the Canadian Grand Prix. Ocon issued an apology for the collision, while team principal Bruno Famin indicated that "appropriate consequences" would be enforced. A week later, Alpine announced that Ocon would depart upon expiration of his contract at season’s end. During the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix, Alpine confirmed Famin’s exit as team principal; he will transition to a role within Renault’s broader motorsports division. His replacement is Oliver Oakes, who assumed leadership starting from the Dutch Grand Prix.
Alpine celebrated a double podium finish at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix, with Ocon securing second place and Gasly third behind race winner and defending champion Max Verstappen. This achievement elevated Alpine’s position from ninth to sixth in the Constructors' Championship standings ahead of Haas, Red Bull, and Williams with three races remaining. It marked Team Enstone's first double podium under the Alpine name and their first since achieving this feat at the 2013 Korean Grand Prix when competing as Lotus F1. The podium results also guaranteed a substantial prize payout estimated at $56 million.
Following the 2024 Qatar Grand Prix, where Gasly finished fifth but Ocon retired due to a first-lap collision, Alpine announced Ocon’s early release before his planned transfer to Haas in 2025. His successor, Jack Doohan, who had already signed for 2025, made his debut prematurely at the final round during the 2024 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix.
2025 season
For the 2025 campaign, Alpine maintained Pierre Gasly on their roster, which would be their last season powered by a factory Renault engine. Jack Doohan, who had served as a reserve driver, was elevated to a full-time race seat, taking over from Esteban Ocon, who transferred to Haas. The team appointed four drivers—Paul Aron, Franco Colapinto, Ryō Hirakawa, and Kush Maini—to serve as test and reserve drivers. After an eight-year partnership with BP and Castrol, Alpine transitioned their official fuel and lubricant suppliers to Eni and Valvoline in preparation for Audi's entry into Formula One.
The start of the season proved challenging, with Alpine positioned at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship after the initial three rounds in Australia, China, and Japan, failing to secure any points. Early in the season, Doohan accrued four penalty points following several incidents during the Chinese Grand Prix weekend, where Gasly was disqualified due to an underweight chassis—a sanction also imposed on Charles Leclerc’s Ferrari. At the Japanese Grand Prix, Doohan suffered a significant crash during practice caused by a DRS malfunction but was able to start the race and ultimately finished 19th; Gasly completed the race in 13th place. This event underscored Alpine’s persistent deficit in Renault engine power, with losses up to 0.6 seconds per lap on Suzuka’s straights.
After the Miami Grand Prix, team principal Oliver Oakes stepped down. Executive Advisor Flavio Briatore assumed the role of acting team principal, while racing director Dave Greenwood took over Oakes’ official duties. Alpine adopted a "rotating seat" approach by substituting Doohan with Colapinto for five races beginning at the Emilia Romagna Grand Prix, reverting Doohan to his previous reserve driver position.
2026 season
On 30 September 2024, Renault declared its withdrawal from Formula One engine manufacturing following the conclusion of the 2025 season, citing underwhelming performance from its V6 turbo-hybrid power units introduced in 2014. As a result, Alpine will forfeit its status as a works team and transition into a Mercedes customer outfit starting in 2026, utilizing Mercedes engines and gearboxes in line with new regulatory frameworks.
Complete Formula One results
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template:F1 | A521 | Renault E-Tech 20B 1.6 V6 t |
Template:Pirelli | BHR | EMI | POR | ESP | MON | AZE | FRA | STY | AUT | GBR | HUN | BEL | NED | ITA | RUS | TUR | USA | MXC | SAP | QAT | SAU | ABU | 155 | 5th | |||
| Template:Country data ESPTemplate:Namespace detect showall Fernando Alonso | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Esteban Ocon |
‡ |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Template:F1 | A522 | Renault E-Tech RE22 1.6 V6 t |
Template:Pirelli |
... (Results tables continue in original format for seasons 2022 to 2025) ... |
- Notes
- * – Season still ongoing.
- ‡ – Half points awarded due to less than 75% race distance completed.
Esports results
(legend (bold figures signify pole position; italicized figures denote fastest lap)
| Year | Chassis | Engine | Tyres | Drivers | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | Points | WCC |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2021 | Alpine A521 | Renault E-Tech 20B 1.6 V6 tt |
Template:Pirelli | BHR | CHN | RBR | GBR | ITA | BEL | POR | NED | USA | EMI | MEX | BRA | 123 | 5th | |
| Template:Country data FRATemplate:Namespace detect showall Nicolas Longuet | 2 | 18 | 9 | 4 | 12 | 5 | 12 | 3 | 7 | 7 | ||||||||
| Template:Country data CHITemplate:Namespace detect showall Fabrizio Donoso Delgado | 10 | 2 | 17 | 4 | 3 | 16 | 14 | 17 | 19 | |||||||||
| Template:Country data HUNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Patrik Sipos | 17 | 17 | 8 | 16 | 8 |
* The season is ongoing
See also
- Signatech – Racing outfit backed by Automobiles Alpine competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship.