Famin acknowledges Alpine’s bleak reality: ‘It's not a fun period’

Alpine F1 team boss Bruno Famin acknowledged the bleak reality currently facing the French manufacturer, but reiterated its long-term commitment to Formula 1, feeling confident a course correction is in the works.

Alpine's A524 contender is far from competitive, languishing at the back of the grid, and the team has yet to put its first championship point on the board in 2024.

Needless to say, the Enstone squad’s aspirations of podium finishes and victories remain a very a distant dream, replaced by the harsh struggle to escape the bottom of the standings.

But even if its on-track performance paints a starkly desolate picture, Alpine is sticking to its long-term vision, with Famin making it clear once again that the team isn’t for sale.

“We have a real project with Alpine,” the Frenchman told Formula1.com. “

“We have the project to develop the Alpine brand awareness globally through motorsport and Formula 1 in particular.

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“We have the full support of the top management. The team is absolutely not for sale. We will keep pushing to reach our goals.

“It’s not a fun period,” admitted Famin. “We are not where we want to be in terms of performance, we are not doing the project to be P15 or P16.

“We want to be ahead, we want to develop the performance of the car – and we want to fight for podiums and for victories as soon as possible.”

Alpine’s commitment to F1 is unwavering, but the team’s immediate future hinges on its ability to find solutions and translate promising actions into tangible results.

To fight its way out of its current turmoil, Famin says his team is drawing inspiration from Renault’s past, when they overcame initial mockery to become a force to be reckoned with in Grand Prix racing.

“Everybody [on the board] understands it is not an easy challenge,” he explained. “It’s a very difficult challenge – we owe a lot of respect to our competitors. To fight ahead, we have to raise the bar, raise our level, we need to improve.

“In the history our team, previously branded Renault – at the start of the project in the 1970s, everyone was laughing at us – and we were strong in those moments.

“We want to use those difficult moments now. We know everyone has ups and downs. We are in a down – but we will use the opportunity to be stronger very soon and for sure make the necessary changes within the team to reach our goals.”

“The car we have now is the result of previous management. But what is important is what we are doing now. And I’m happy with what we are doing. Of course the way is very long, and we have a lot to improve.”

With the car's lack of competitiveness casting a shadow, retaining current drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, whose contracts expire at the end of this year, could prove to be a major hurdle for Alpine.

However, Famin remains outwardly confident and salutes both drivers’ enduring resilience and determination in the face of adversity."

“We are happy with our drivers, and our drivers are happy with us,” he said. “We are talking to them regularly. Let’s see what we can do in the future.

“There are ups and down, we are in a down but we have a strong project with a long term vision.

“We have a good strength for the 2026 project – we are a manufacturer, we are developing the PU – which is on track, we can optimise everything.

“We have a project which doesn’t need to convince them [to stay]. I would like to use this opportunity to thank them.

“We are in a difficult position. It is not the start of the season we wanted and I appreciate how constructive they are with the team, not only in communications with journalists but also internally.

“When trying to find solutions with the car, both of them are very helpful.”

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