After a year of setbacks, Alpine is striving to regain its upward trajectory. The appointment of Steve Nielsen as the new general manager of Alpine F1 is seen as a crucial first step in this process. The British executive has already voiced his ambitions, and he’s remarkably candid about the team’s shortcomings.
For Nielsen, Alpine is familiar territory: he previously worked with the team when it was still known as Renault and won world titles with Fernando Alonso at the helm. Now, he returns in a completely different situation. Alpine is languishing at the bottom of the constructors’ championship, performance is lagging, and there has been considerable turmoil.
Yet, Nielsen sounds both combative and hopeful. “We have fantastic facilities, but the product we put on the track does not do justice to the efforts of the people here and the resources we have,” he asserts. With this statement, he acknowledges the gap between what Alpine possesses and what it actually demonstrates on the track. The goal of the Alpine chief is crystal clear: “My top priority is to ensure that Enstone builds the best possible car.”
Future-Oriented
Nielsen emphasizes that Alpine is primarily focused on 2026, when the team will switch to Mercedes engines and the new technical regulations will come into effect. This transition is expected to mark the beginning of a new, more successful phase. “You have to have an eye for the future. You must be willing to sacrifice short-term success and invest in what’s to come – and that’s the process we’re in the middle of right now,” he explains.
However, this doesn’t mean that the team will be sitting on its hands until next year. Especially in this challenging phase, Nielsen wants to strengthen the team’s character. “I strongly believe that you get to know people better when things are going badly than when everything is going well. That’s when you see what they’re really made of. There are people who are then willing to dig deeper, find an extra gear, and just keep pushing.”
