F1 world champion Damon Hill has reacted to a frank statement from Alpine team principal Bruno Famin. The French team sit bottom of the championship after a miserable start to the season.
Alpine scored 120 points in 2023 to finish sixth, but they’ve fallen to the back of the field at the beginning of 2024. They’re one of three teams yet to get on the board alongside Williams and Sauber.
The fortnight gap between the races in Japan and China gives them time to formulate a plan for improvement. And through his Instagram story, Hill has offered his take on what he’s seen from the factory.
Famin took over as the team principal on a full-time basis at the start of this year after they sacked predecessor Otmar Szafnauer last summer. According to Ted Kravitz, he’s already coming under ‘immense pressure’.
Szafnauer is one of a host of high-ranking figures to leave the team, forcefully or otherwise, within the past year. Sporting director Alan Permane and CEO Laurent Rossi are among the other major casualties.
Damon Hill praises Bruno Famin as statement issued
In a statement, Famin said: “I’m here in Enstone [the team’s base]. Friday morning, spring is coming, we are really pushing hard after the first four races of the season where we are not where we want to be.
“It’s a low, it’s clearly a low, but we all know that motorsport and Formula 1 is made of highs and lows. We are in a low but please be sure that we are all pushing hard at the track, at Viry [the Renault engine HQ], in Enstone to bring upgrades to improve our performance and to improve our team.
“I’m very happy to see all the guys working here at the factory, working on new parts. It’s good to see all the guys working hard and the engineering office at the track everywhere.
“We really want to move from where we are and we will really push hard. Thank you very much for your support all, and I’m really happy to have you on board for our incredible project. Let’s push together.”
Writing on his Instagram story, Hill simply commented ‘I like this’, followed by an applause emoji. Clearly, he thinks it’s the kind of leadership the team requires at the moment.
Will Alpine lose Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon?
While Famin’s future may be uncertain, perhaps a bigger concern for Alpine is that their drivers may want out. Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon are both Grand Prix winners, and will feel they deserve better than battling at the back of the field.
‘Nasty people’ in the paddock have been mocking Alpine for claiming they would be contending for regular podiums by 2024, and Gasly and Ocon may feel misled about the team’s direction. Crucially, both are out of contract.
And there are set to be plentiful options for wantaway drivers this year, with more than half the field in the same boat. Ocon could be a stop-gap option for Mercedes, while he and Gasly may also have their eye on Sauber before the arrival of Audi in 2026.
The former Red Bull man says he wants to drive for a works team, and Audi could tick that box. His teammate, meanwhile, has voiced his frustration with Alpine’s low ceiling.
It remains to be seen whether Fernando Alonso’s decision to commit to Aston Martin sparks the driver market into life. If not, Gasly and Ocon may bide their time before making a decision.
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