Why Alpine F1 turned into a pressure cooker for F1 drivers and team bosses?

The French Formula 1 racing team, BWT Alpine F1, became the hot topic after its team principal, Oliver Oakes, resigned from his duties. Immediately after his resignation, Franco Colapinto was announced as the replacement driver for Jack Doohan. 

There have been rumours surrounding Doohan’s place in the team, as the Australian driver hasn't scored any points for his team since the season started. The Argentine driver will now take over the duties from the Australian at the Imola GP.

But why is there always uncertainty for the drivers driving for the Alpine F1 team? Even the team bosses were not spared by the corporate and since their name change to Alpine, there have been tremendous amounts of replacements and resignations. Let us check out the details one by one.

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Why is Alpine a pressure cooker for drivers and team bosses?

Renault to Alpine transformation

For many years, they competed in F1 as Renault, their official brand name. Alpine is a part of the premium performance cars, and they have been competing in F1 since the 2021 season. Only their name changed, and the team's culture remains the same. They are still following the firing order policy if they don't get the results from a driver.

Failure of Team culture

Every company needs to provide the best atmosphere for its employees to succeed. Unfortunately, the team culture at Alpine is not that great. In the last four years, more than dozens of employees have resigned from the team. It includes big names like Alain Prost. Davide Brivio, Fernando Alonso, Cyril Abiteboul, Otmar Szafnauer, Oliver Oakes, and Oscar Piastri. Without a good team culture, there will always be fear and uncertainty.

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Business is more than racing

The management and the board members see F1 as a business more than racing. That is why they fire people if they don't get the results. Racing is an art, and it takes more time to master. Even a great brand like Ferrari hasn't won an F1 title in two decades. It looks like the leadership inside the Renault team doesn’t understand F1 racing, and there is a lot of confusion. Even the great Fernando Alonso wanted to run away from the team in 2022. 

Limited investments and engine deals

Once upon a time, Renault was the biggest engine manufacturer in Formula 1. Many F1 teams like Red Bull, Williams, McLaren, Lotus and Benetton used their engines and won world titles. But recent years haven't been that great for them, especially after the turbo hybrid era. Their engines didn't have enough pace, so teams like Red Bull and McLaren have switched to different power units.

Only Alpine uses Renault engines, and next year they will become an independent team of Mercedes. They also have limited sponsors compared with other big teams. Their driver lineup is also not that attractive to the fans. So they are only relying on race results and the constructors' championship prize money. That is why there are always constant changes. The life of an Alpine driver or a team boss is always difficult.

Arrival of Flavio Briatore

Formula 1’s OG team boss, Flavio Briatore, was brought back after many years. He was appointed as the team advisor, with Oliver Oakes as the team principal. After Flavio’s arrival, Oliver Oakes didn't have the independence to make big decisions, and one of those was continuing with Jack Doohan as a driver for this year. Flavio will now resume as the advisor, and at the same time, he will take over the duties left by Oakes.

What’s next for them?

The next step for them is to move forward with the decision they made on Franco Colapinto. Jack Doohan will remain a reserve driver for the rest of the season, and we don’t know his F1 future. Colapinto is a talented driver, as he performed well last year for the Williams Racing team. Now, the Argentine driver needs to prove himself to stay in F1. 

Also Read: Oliver Oakes' reigns as Alpine F1 Team principal ahead of the Imola GP