Alpine's success: 'Returned to its roots'
F1 News
- GPblog.com
We mostly see Otmar Szafnauer at the forefront of Formula 1 as Alpine's team boss. But, Alpine's CEO Laurent Rossi is also very involved with the French team. In the official Formula 1 podcast Beyond The Grid the Corsican explained why the team's mentality helps it achieve success.
Not only good drivers are essential for successful performance of a race team, a well-functioning mentality throughout the team is also a requirement. About Ferrari, for example, many people are of the opinion that such a thing is missing - with all its consequences. "Our true DNA is racing," Rossi says of Alpine. Something that helps to motivate the team.
Rossi explains that that DNA originated with Alpine founder Jean Rédélé, who built only race cars in the 1950s. "He had no interest in road cars," he said. Production of cars for commercial use came later in partnership with Renault.
Back to their roots
Alpine and Renault now join forces within F1 under one banner, that of Alpine. “We have gone back to our roots, racing being at the center of everything. Alpine means racing, this is what we are.” Asked if Rossi was a racer himself, he replies that he was a big fan of racing from a young age. Studying, incidentally, seemed to him a better choice than racing:
“It’s probably for the better, I love what I’m doing. I love the strategic part, the execution part of the job.”
Rossi also feels inspired by the drivers and engineers around him. The combination of a CEO with a racing heart and a team with a mindset that has its origins in 1950s racing will hopefully help Alpine achieve success this year.