Skip to main content

Sign up for free

  • Get quick access to your favorite articles

  • Manage alerts on breaking news and favorite drivers

  • Make your voice heard with article commenting.

Recommended for you

NASCAR adjusts hot topic rules for Trucks and O'Reilly Series

NASCAR O'Reilly
Charlotte
NASCAR adjusts hot topic rules for Trucks and O'Reilly Series

'Joy' is the key to NASCAR on Prime's success

NASCAR Cup
Charlotte
'Joy' is the key to NASCAR on Prime's success

Team Penske makes another pit crew change for Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Cup
Charlotte
Team Penske makes another pit crew change for Ryan Blaney

The first-time winners of NASCAR's grueling Coke 600 and who might be next

NASCAR Cup
Charlotte
The first-time winners of NASCAR's grueling Coke 600 and who might be next

Why the BMW M3 Touring was even faster than its sister M4 GT3

Endurance
Why the BMW M3 Touring was even faster than its sister M4 GT3

Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Feature
Formula 1
Feature
Canadian GP
Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Question of the week: Is more overtaking in F1 always better?

Formula 1
Canadian GP
Question of the week: Is more overtaking in F1 always better?

MotoGP considering reducing riders to one bike from 2027

MotoGP
MotoGP considering reducing riders to one bike from 2027
Formula 1

Alpine: "Shock" of having slowest F1 car triggered tech revamp

Alpine team boss Bruno Famin says the "shock" of having the slowest Formula 1 car in 2024 further confirmed that changing its technical structure was the right thing to do.

Filip Cleeren
Filip Cleeren
Edited:
Esteban Ocon, Alpine A524
Alpine was already braced for a low-key start to the season after a late concept change, which meant it had initially made a sideways step over the winter while its rival teams were full steam ahead with bringing improvements to their cars.
But team principal Famin admitted the nature of its struggles in Bahrain were still a "shock", with Alpine effectively the slowest team on the 2024 grid, which was also the case in Saudi Arabia.
In the wake of resignations by tech director Matt Harman and head of aero Dirk de Beer, that horror start emboldened the Enstone squad's leadership to revamp the structure of its technical team.
Instead, Alpine is implementing a McLaren-style three-pillared approach with technical directors for aerodynamics, engineering and performance.
Read Also:
"It was a shock because we were really expecting a difficult start of the season, we knew this, and this is what we said during the launch of our car," Famin said.
"But to be on the last row in the qualifying was a shock, to be honest. And it just confirmed the need of changing in our team, and we made the change."
"We really want to bring to the factories what we have done trackside by the end of the last season. I mean, changing the mindset, unleashing the creativity and having three technical directors makes the organisation much more horizontal, much less vertical.
"More activity, more agility, and really the motto is really to develop our people."
Bruno Famin, Team Principal, Alpine F1 Team

Bruno Famin, Team Principal, Alpine F1 Team

Photo by: Motorsport Images

Famin believes the new structure will also yield benefits this season as the team scrambles to bring performance to its re-developed A524.
"The car is totally new," Famin said. "We have developments coming.
"Of course, understanding what are the problems is key to solve it. And we have a quite clear idea of what are the problems and we are really working hard.
"There is potential in this car. We have something coming for sure, but we also need to change our way of developing the car, maybe racing the car as well.
"We need to change really our approach, our general approach on everything."
To add insult to injury Pierre Gasly retired from the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix after just one lap with a gearbox problem, which Famin acknowledged "cost Pierre valuable track time."
Team-mate Esteban Ocon finished the race in 13th after being artificially kept in the mix by Haas driver Kevin Magnussen holding up a train of cars behind him.
Read Also:

Share Or Save This Story

Previous article Hulkenberg: Smaller F1 teams need "unorthodox" strategies to score points
Next article Albon: Williams “can’t access” full potential of 2024 F1 car

Top Comments
More from
Filip Cleeren

Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Formula 1
Canadian GP
Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Enter the simulation - How GM tech accelerated Cadillac's F1 entry

Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Enter the simulation - How GM tech accelerated Cadillac's F1 entry

Will Mercedes or McLaren land the next blow at F1's Canadian GP?

Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Will Mercedes or McLaren land the next blow at F1's Canadian GP?
More from
Alpine

Esteban Ocon calls 2024 Brazilian GP podium the perfect end to Alpine chapter

Formula 1
Formula 1
Canadian GP
Esteban Ocon calls 2024 Brazilian GP podium the perfect end to Alpine chapter

Former FIA aero chief officially joins Alpine in senior F1 role

Formula 1
Formula 1
Former FIA aero chief officially joins Alpine in senior F1 role

What's behind McLaren's fresh A-B F1 team angst?

Formula 1
What's behind McLaren's fresh A-B F1 team angst?

Latest news

NASCAR adjusts hot topic rules for Trucks and O'Reilly Series

NASCAR O'Reilly
Charlotte
NASCAR adjusts hot topic rules for Trucks and O'Reilly Series

'Joy' is the key to NASCAR on Prime's success

NASCAR Cup
Charlotte
'Joy' is the key to NASCAR on Prime's success

Team Penske makes another pit crew change for Ryan Blaney

NASCAR Cup
Charlotte
Team Penske makes another pit crew change for Ryan Blaney

The first-time winners of NASCAR's grueling Coke 600 and who might be next

NASCAR Cup
Charlotte
The first-time winners of NASCAR's grueling Coke 600 and who might be next

Feature

Discover prime content

Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Formula 1
Canadian GP
By Filip Cleeren
Why quirky Montreal will remain F1's true North American gem

Top 10 F1 drivers of the 1960s

Formula 1
By Kevin Turner
Top 10 F1 drivers of the 1960s

The F1 power unit formula solution that could suit all parties

Formula 1
By Jake Boxall-Legge
The F1 power unit formula solution that could suit all parties

How F1's ADUO system works

Formula 1
By Stefan Ehlen, Oliver Trebes
How F1's ADUO system works
View more