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Cake day: June 12th, 2023

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  • Former Alfa Romeo technical director and Ferrari engineering boss Philippe Krief, who joined Alpine in early March, has been appointed as Rossi’s successor.

    He will continue in his role as vice president of engineering and product performance until further notice and report to Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo.

    Rossi “will now focus on special projects linked to the transformation of the Group”.

    De Meo said: "I would like to thank Laurent for his unwavering commitment over the last two years at the helm of Alpine.

    "Laurent has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has put Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals.

    “Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its development and to become a brand of the future. take Alpine to new heights.”

    This change at the top arrives hot on the heels of Alpine restructuring its racing senior management set-up, with F1 engine chief Bruno Famin promoted to vice president of Alpine Motorsports.

    He was to report directly to Rossi, with Szafnauer in turn going to Famin.

    Rossi was appointed to the top job at sportscar firm Alpine in January 2021. His remit also covered the overall management of the F1 team.

    He replaced Cyril Abiteboul, who was at the helm from 2014 as Renault poorly adapted to the 1.6-litre turbo hybrid rules and faced heavy criticism from engine customer Red Bull.

    As the F1 team was rebranded from Renault to Alpine for 2021, Rossi outlined an ambitious 100-race plan to grow the team into a regular podium contender come the 2024 season.

    While Esteban Ocon scored an unlikely victory in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix, the team has only logged one further top-three result since. Ocon finished third in the 2023 Monaco GP.

    Last year, Alpine was praised for out-developing McLaren to finish fourth in the constructors’ championship and set out to close the gap to Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull this season.

    However, amid a poor start to the campaign - exacerbated by unreliability and penalties - Alpine has fallen to sixth behind McLaren and Aston Martin ahead of the Hungarian GP this weekend.

    This difficult start to the term prompted Rossi to arrange an interview with French TV network Canal+ ahead of the Miami GP in May. He used the platform to blast his team as “amateurish”.

    Given the heightened scrutiny, many believed team principal Otmar Szafnauer to be under heightened pressure to keep his job.

    This also followed Alpine’s handling of the 2022 driver market when it lost two-time champion Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and protege Oscar Piastri to McLaren.













  • As part of the championship’s push to be net carbon zero by 2030, F1’s chiefs have been looking at areas where more sustainable solutions can be introduced.

    One idea, which is now being rolled out at the Red Bull Ring this weekend, is a central power generation farm that it is hoped can cut emissions by around 90%.

    The farm, which will be located at the inside of the final corner, will deliver power to the paddock, garages and pitlane – including the pit wall, timing rooms and the main broadcast centre.

    It is to be powered by sustainable sources, including hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) biofuel and 600 square metres of solar panels.

    F1’s logistics director Ian Stone said: “We’re going to be powering everybody from a single sustainable power station.

    “The aim here is to basically stop the teams being dependent on generators. They all bring their own equipment, and they all fuel their own generators because the local infrastructure doesn’t support them on demand.

    “So we’ve physically put this generator farm in place, and will run a very complex power distribution network to all of the key points so that the teams can plug in - whether it be for their trucks or their motorhomes.”
    A scenic view of the Red Bull Ring, a spectator bank

    A scenic view of the Red Bull Ring, a spectator bank

    Photo by: Mark Sutton / Motorsport Images

    Calculations of the carbon emissions savings that can be made from the farm are quite dramatic, according to Stone.

    “Our estimation is that in 2022, there were around 200 tonnes of CO2 produced [at the Austrian Grand Prix],” he explained. “We’re looking at, subject to receiving that data, to reduce that to around 10 tonnes of CO2.”

    The use of the power station in Austria is a one-off for now, but F1 wants to analyse its impact and the data from the weekend to see if it can be rolled out at future events.

    Ellen Jones, Head of ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) at F1, added: “Formula 1’s approach to driving innovation that creates meaningful impact and influence on the wider world goes beyond hybrid engines and sustainable fuels.

    “This approach drives everything we do, including how we run our own operations, and the trial in Austria is the latest example of this, demonstrating the commitment from Formula 1 and key stakeholders to develop new ways of working.

    “Using the latest technology and innovations, we’re continuing to explore new opportunities to deliver events in a more sustainable way to reduce our carbon footprint.”