Alpine set for another major reshuffle as senior member set to depart: Reports
Two days after Sauber decided to make radical changes to their F1 team, Alpine followed suit. As per reports, the French team is all set to remove Bruno Famin from the team principal duty amid their continuous poor run of form.
During the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix, Alpine sacked their then-boss Otmar Szafnauer, and now, one year later, it is Famin's time to leave. However, it is believed that Bruno Famin is expected to remain with the French giants and take up a different role within Alpine or Renault.
Paddock chatters suggest that the spree of the reshuffle is taking place under the guidance of Flavio Briatore. Briatore joined as an advisor to Renault's Chief Executive Officer, Luca de Meo.
The Enstone-based team is yet to announce their new boss. However, one could expect the decision to come soon, as Pierre Gasly and the company need to come out of the pit they are in.
The French team has been struggling from race one and after 13 races, there is no sign of improvement. Even though they managed to claim nine points and climbed to P8 in the Constructors' Championship, they have not performed according to their potential.
The hopes were high when Gasly and Esteban Ocon joined hands together to form an all-French driver line-up last year. However, one year down the line, the pair is making a little difference as the A524 failed to deliver race after race.
Under such conditions, one could expect a major reshuffle within the team. While they are struggling to return to a point-scoring situation, their long-time partner, Esteban Ocon, decided to join Haas in 2025.
Alpine is in talks with Mercedes for power units from 2026
The 2026 season will bring in new regulations and Alpine has taken a monumental decision to improve their future already. Reports say that Briatore and company decided to bid goodbye to the Renault engine and switch to Mercedes.
The Silver Arrows are renowned for their engine and paddock chatters suggesting that Toto Wolff's team could have an advantage over their rivals under the new regulations. Compared to that, Renault's engines have weak track records, which resulted in Red Bull picking Honda over them a few years back.
However, F1 expert Joe Saward revealed that the Enstone-based team might look for Mercedes power units as early as 2025, and this brings a risk. According to Saward, the Renault engine department could call for a strike as they read about the team's link to Mercedes PU. This would put the French team in real jeopardy, as they might miss out on Renault PUs in 2024.