Luca de Meo seeks 'stability' at the head ofAlpine

At Alpine Racing, the reasons to celebrate are as numerous as the headaches to manage. On the one hand, the team entered in the World ChampionshipEndurance shines; on the other, the F1 team is making headlines due to the sudden departure of its director, Oliver Oakes, and the replacement of Jack Doohan by Franco Colapinto. In the midst of this emotional maze, Luca de Meo tries to keep the ship on course Renault, which he has been managing since 2020. The Italian is banking heavily on the Racing division of the Diamond, now assigned to the brand Alpine, which replaced Renault in 2021 on the grid of the Formula 1.

De Meo was notably responsible for the return of Flavio Briatore during last season, in an executive advisory role whose real power exceeds what the official title suggests. Officially, however, he was not the team principal ofAlpine F1 Team until last Tuesday. In the evening, the French team released a statement announcing the resignation, effective immediately, of its boss Oliver Oakes: a surprising decision, coming just two days after the Miami Grand Prix. The Briton left his post due to legal troubles in Great Britain, where his brother William was arrested on May 2 for "transfer of criminal property" in connection with the Hitech team he had led since 2024, after Oliver left for Alpine.

While the future of the British entity engaged in F2 et F3 is uncertain, that ofAlpine is just as much. Oakes' departure is for the moment compensated by the expansion of the role of Flavio Briatore, who will assume the functions of Team Principal initially, pending the appointment of a successor. Alpine is thus preparing to experience yet another change at the top, after a series of internal reorganizations in recent months.

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Renault will continue to invest

This chronic instability gives rise to legitimate concerns. What future for the project? Alpine in Formula 1? And, above all, how long will the Renault group remain involved without convincing results? While some are already imagining a gradual disengagement, Luca de Meo, on the contrary, assures his desire to continue investing to makeAlpine a leading stable.

"We're trying to find some stability in this team. One thing there's no doubt about is that we'll continue to invest until we find the alchemy to perform well.", declared the Italian on Canal+ on the starting grid of the French GP MotoGP. « Alpine is involved in many disciplines, including endurance. On Saturday, we had good results (podium at the 6 Hours of Spa) which give us a lot of hope for Le MansThere are things that work, there are things that don't. You have to be stubborn and keep working."

The instability of the team does not only affect the organizational chart, but also the drivers, who succeed one another at a frantic pace. Since the announcement of the departure ofEsteban Ocon during last season, Alpine had placed its trust in Jack Doohan, who had previously been a reserve driver. The Australian competed in the last 2024 Grand Prix in Abu Dhabi, then in the first six rounds of the current season. But his adventure ended in Miami: on Wednesday, the team with the arrowed A announced his replacement, starting with the Emilia-Romagna Grand Prix in Imola (May 18), by Franco Colapinto.

The Argentinian, recruited at the beginning of the year as a reserve driver, seemed destined to get his chance sooner or later. That has now happened. However, he has reportedly only signed a five-race contract and could also be replaced during the season if his performances do not outperform Doohan's. A real challenge awaits Alpine in the coming weeks and a little stability would undoubtedly help make everything work.