Alpine F1 Team

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France Alpine-Renault
Alpine F1 Team Logo.svg
Full nameAlpine F1 Team
BaseEnstone, Oxfordshire, England, UK
Team principal(s)Laurent Rossi
(Chief Executive Officer)
Marcin Budkowski
(Executive Director)
Davide Brivio
(Racing Director)
Technical directorPat Fry
(Chassis Technical Director)
Rémi Taffin
(Engine Technical Director)
Previous nameRenault F1 Team
2021 Formula One World Championship
Race drivers14. Spain Fernando Alonso
31. France Esteban Ocon
Test drivers26. Russia Daniil Kvyat[1]
China Guanyu Zhou
ChassisA521
EngineRenault E-Tech 20B
TyresPirelli
Formula One World Championship career
First entry2021 Bahrain Grand Prix
Last entry2021 Italian Grand Prix
Races entered14 (14 starts)
EnginesRenault
Constructors'
Championships		0
Drivers'
Championships		0
Race victories1
Podiums1
Points95
Pole positions0
Fastest laps0

Alpine F1 Team is a Formula One constructor which made its debut at the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship. Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault, the team was rebranded for 2021 to promote Renault's sports car brand, Alpine, and continues to serve as Renault's works team.[2] The chassis and managerial side of the team is based in Enstone, Oxfordshire, England, and the engine side of the team is based in Viry-Châtillon, a suburb of Paris, France.

Background[]

Origins of the team[]

Further information: Toleman, Benetton Formula, Lotus F1, and Renault in Formula One

The team entity has a long history, first competing in Formula One in 1981 as Toleman, when the team was based in Witney, England.[3] In 1986, following its purchase by Benetton Group, it was renamed and competed as Benetton. As Benetton, it won the 1995 Constructors' Championship and its driver, Michael Schumacher, won two Drivers' Championships in 1994 and 1995.[4] Prior to the 1992 season it moved to its current location in Enstone, UK.[5] By the 2000 season, Renault had purchased the team (for the first time), and by the 2002 season its name was changed to Renault F1 Team, and it was racing as Renault.[6] Renault won the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006 and its driver, Fernando Alonso won the Drivers' Championships in the same two years.[7] In 2011, Lotus Cars came onboard as a sponsor, and the team's name changed to Lotus Renault GP, though still racing as just "Renault" for that season.[8] By 2012, Genii Capital had a majority stake in the team, and from 2012 until 2015 the team's name was Lotus F1 Team, after its branding partner, and it raced as "Lotus". At the end of 2015, Renault had taken over the team for a second time, renaming it to Renault Sport Formula One Team.[9][10] The team raced as "Renault" again, from 2016, and continued as such until the end of the 2020 season.[11] When discussing the history of the organisation as a whole rather than those of specific constructors it has operated, the colloquialism "Team Enstone" is generally used.[12][13][14]

Early Alpine Formula One involvement[]

The involvement of the sportscar manufacturer Automobiles Alpine in Formula One can be traced back to 1968, when the Grand Prix car was built, powered by a Gordini V8 engine. However, after initial testing with at Zandvoort, the project was ended when it was found that the engine produced around 300 horsepower (220 kW) compared to the Cosworth V8 engines' 400.[15] In 1975, the company produced the prototype to test a 1.5 L V6 turbo engine for the Renault factory team which would eventually début in 1977.[16][17][18][19]

In September 2020, Groupe Renault announced their intention to use "Alpine" as their works team's new name going forward to promote the Alpine marque and thus the team is set to become known as the "Alpine F1 Team" whilst retiring the "Renault F1 Team" moniker after five years.[11]

Racing history[]

2021 season[]

See also: 2021 Formula One World Championship

Alpine F1 Team signed two-time World Champion, Fernando Alonso,[20] to replace an outgoing Daniel Ricciardo,[21] Esteban Ocon was retained from the 2020 Renault team.[22] The Alpine car uses Renault engines.[11] Renault team boss, Cyril Abiteboul, announced he would leave as Renault transitioned to Alpine.[23] Abiteboul was replaced by Davide Brivio, who previously worked for Suzuki in MotoGP.[24]

Alpine's first race ended with Alonso being forced to retire, after debris caused his car to overheat.[25] Ocon also made contact with Aston Martin driver, Sebastian Vettel.[26] Despite a disappointing start, Alpine have since scored in each of the other races, as of the 2021 Italian Grand Prix,[27] including a victory for Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.[28] It marked the first victory for a French driver driving a French car powered by a French engine since Alain Prost's triumph at the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix driving a Renault car.[29]

Complete Formula One results[]

(key)

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 Points WCC
2021 A521 Renault
E-Tech 20B
1.6 V6 t 		P BHR EMI POR ESP MON AZE FRA STY AUT GBR HUN BEL NED ITA RUS TUR USA MXC SAP TBA SAU ABU 95* 5th*
Spain Fernando Alonso Ret 10 8 17 13 6 8 9 10 7 4 11 6 8
France Esteban Ocon 13 9 7 9 9 Ret 14 14 Ret 9 1 7‡ 9 10
Notes

(*) Season still in progress.
‡ Half points awarded as less than 75% of race distance was completed.

References[]

  1. ^ "Ex-AlphaTauri racer Daniil Kvyat joins Alpine as reserve driver for 2021". www.formula1.com. 2 March 2021. Retrieved 2 March 2021.
  2. ^ Smith, Luke; Noble, Jonathan (6 September 2020). "Renault to be rebranded as Alpine for 2021 F1 season". motorsport.com. Retrieved 6 September 2020.
  3. ^ Straw, Edd (6 September 2020). "Ranking Renault/Alpine's Five Previous F1 Identities". The Race. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Renault return after Benetton deal". BBC News. 16 March 2000. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  5. ^ "Formula 1 Team Histories – Part 2 – Benetton Formula". The Parc Fermé. 2 September 2014. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  6. ^ "Renault R202". GP Technical. 2002. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  7. ^ Hughes, Mark; Piola, Giorgio (26 May 2020). "How the Renault R25 finally ended Ferrari's dominance and delivered Alonso's first title". F1. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  8. ^ "Genii Capital & Group Lotus join forces in Lotus Renault GP". F1 Network.Net. 8 December 2010. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  9. ^ Parkes, Ian (2 February 2016). "Analysis: 'Special' Enstone gets its reward with Renault F1 era". Autosport. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  10. ^ Higham, Peter (April 2016). "Data trace: 'Enstone'". MotorSport. Retrieved 14 September 2020.
  11. ^ Jump up to: a b c "Renault to rebrand as Alpine F1 Team in 2021". Formula 1. 6 September 2020. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  12. ^ Straw, Edd (21 August 2021). "Every 'Team Enstone' F1 driver ranked". The Race. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  13. ^ Newbold, James (23 April 2021). "The hidden hero behind Alonso's Enstone F1 glory years". Autosport. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  14. ^ Smith, Damien (25 March 2021). "Formula One team guide 2021". The Autocar. Retrieved 22 August 2021.
  15. ^ R. Smith "Alpine & Renault: The Development of the Revolutionary Turbo F1 Car 1968-1979." Chapter 3: The Alpine A350 Experimental Grand Prix Car, pp. 24-33
  16. ^ "Alpine A500 (1975)". l'automobile ancienne (in French). 13 September 2019. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  17. ^ Vack, Pete (21 July 2010). "Book Review: Alpine and Renault: The Development of the Revolutionary Turbo F1 Car 1968 to 1979". VeloceToday.com. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  18. ^ "Alpine A500". StatsF1 (in French). Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  19. ^ "Abiteboul en charge d'Alpine, nouvelle identité de Renault Sport ?" [Abiteboul in charge of Alpine. New identity for Renault Sport?]. f1i.auto-moto.com (in French). 4 September 2020. Archived from the original on 14 January 2021. Retrieved 11 September 2020.
  20. ^ "Fernando Alonso Joins Renault For 2021 Formula 1 Season". Eurosport. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  21. ^ "Daniel Ricciardo Leaves Renault for McLaren". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  22. ^ "Ocon would welcome Alonso as Renault F1 team-mate in 2021". Autosport. Retrieved 31 August 2021.
  23. ^ "F1 team principal Cyril Abiteboul leaves Renault ahead of rebranding as Alpine". Wide World of Sports. 12 January 2021. Retrieved 14 January 2021.
  24. ^ "Alpine F1 sign ex-MotoGP boss Davide Brivio as new racing director". Sky Sports. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  25. ^ Butler, Jasmine (1 April 2021). "Alpine F1 Team left empty handed following the Bahrain Grand Prix". The Checkered Flag. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  26. ^ "2021 Bahrain Grand Prix: Vettel crashes into the back of Ocon". Formula 1® - The Official F1® Website. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  27. ^ "Alpine (Sky Sports)". SkySports. Retrieved 30 August 2021.
  28. ^ "2021 Hungarian Grand Prix race report & highlights: Ocon claims shock maiden victory in action-packed Hungarian Grand Prix as Vettel disqualified from P2". www.formula1.com. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
  29. ^ Kelly, Sean (1 August 2021). "Hungarian GP Facts & Stats: Ocon secures first French triple since Prost – and there's a new record for Alonso". Formula One website. Liberty Media. Retrieved 5 August 2021.

External links[]

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Automobiles Alpine
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