Seasons in Formula 1: 29 Races contested: 499 Drivers championships: 2 Constructors championships: 2 Number of wins: 38 Number of pole positions: 51 Number of fastest laps: 38 Number of points: 2,638 2021 – number of wins: 1 2021 – number of poles: 0 2021 – number of fastest laps: 0 2021 – points: 155 2021 – position: 5
BIOGRAPHY
Alpine was founded in 1955 by Jean Redele, a young man passionate about competition. He named his company after his favourite playground for racing: The Alps.
Motorsport is in Alpine’s DNA. From the creation of the brand in 1955 to the present day, models with the arrowed A have always been entered in automobile competitions. Whether by the brand itself or through private commitments, Alpine has shone on rally stages or on circuits all over the world.
As soon as Alpine’s relaunch in 2012 was announced, a competition programme was decided to develop the brand’s awareness. This commitment was underlined in endurance racing, through a partnership with the Signature team, which has enjoyed numerous successes on international circuits.
The team, named Signatech Alpine, won the European Endurance Championship (ELMS) in its first season in 2013, and repeated the triumph the following year. Alpine’s intention has always been to take up challenges at the highest level. The team then met the challenge of the World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC) in the LMP2 category. The results were not long in coming, after a victory and a podium finish in the 2015 season, Signatech Alpine won the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the LMP2 world title in 2016, a feat that the team repeated in the 2018-2019 ‘Superseason’ by winning both editions of the 24 Hours of Le Mans and the LMP2 world title.
In September 2020, Luca De Meo, announced the creation of Alpine F1 Team, a renaissance of Groupe Renault‘s F1 team, one of F1’s most historic and successful teams.
Already recognised for its records and successes in endurance and rallying, the Alpine name naturally finds its place in the high standards, prestige and performance of Formula 1. The Alpine brand, a symbol of sporting prowess, elegance and agility, will be designated to the chassis and pay tribute to the expertise that gave birth to the A110.
It is part of Groupe Renault‘s strategy to clearly position each of its brands. For Alpine, this is a key step to accelerate the development and influence of the brand. Renault remains an integral part of the team, with the hybrid power unit retaining its Renault E-Tech moniker and unique expertise in hybrid powertrains.
“It is a true joy to see the powerful, vibrant Alpine name on a Formula One car,” said Luca De Meo at the launch of the A521. “It is a true joy to see the powerful, vibrant Alpine name on a Formula One car. New colours, new managing team, ambitious plans: it’s a new beginning, building on a 40-year history. We’ll combine Alpine’s values of authenticity, elegance and audacity with our in-house engineering & chassis expertise. That’s the beauty of racing as a works team in Formula 1. We will compete against the biggest names, for spectacular car races made and followed by cheering enthusiasts. I can’t wait for the season to start.
“New colours, new managing team, ambitious plans: it’s a new beginning, building on a 40-year history. We’ll combine Alpine’s values of authenticity, elegance and audacity with our in-house engineering & chassis expertise. That’s the beauty of racing as a works team in Formula 1. We will compete against the biggest names, for spectacular car races made and followed by cheering enthusiasts. I can’t wait for the season to start.”
“The new Alpine entity takes three brands with separate assets and areas of excellence to turn them into an empowered, fully-fledged business,” added Laurent Rossi, Alpine’s CEO. “The craftsmanship from our plant in Dieppe, the engineering mastery from our Formula One and Renault Sport teams will shine through our tech-infused, 100% electric line-up, taking the beautiful Alpine name to the future. We’ll be on the tracks and on the roads, authentic and high-tech, disruptive and passionate.”
“Formula 1 will be at the centre of the business unit. Alpine’s reputation has stemmed from racing and placing the pinnacle of motorsport at the heart of the company is certainly exciting. Formula 1 provides a fascinating marketing platform with half a billion fans worldwide. That brings the unique opportunity for the best possible global branding to create value around Alpine. In addition, Formula 1 is built on ingenuity and cutting-edge features, with every detail absolutely paramount to success. This Formula 1 know-how will play a seminal role in transitioning expertise from the track into our road cars.
“More immediately, as a team, we enter an exciting chapter in the sport with the 2022 regulation changes on the horizon. This marks a new era for Formula 1 and an opportunity to climb the summit. This year is a transitional year – as it is for all teams – and we look forward to racing and putting Alpine on the global stage.”
Renault first entered the world championship in 1977 with Jean-Pierre Jabouille and the famed R.S.01, which featured the first ever turbocharged engine in Formula 1.
Although initially going without success, the team secured its first points in the 1978 United States Grand Prix with Jabouille’s fourth place. Regular success soon followed, and the team claimed its first victory in the 1979 French Grand Prix, again, with pioneer Jabouille, who was joined on the podium by Rene Arnoux after his legendary on-track battle with Gilles Villeneuve.
Over the next five years, more wins followed, with Alain Prost signing with the team from 1981 to 1983, a period in which the team won 11 races, including nine for Prost. The team continued until 1985. For the latter part of the 1980s and 1990s, Renault focused its F1 efforts solely on engine supply with extended success mainly with Williams.
The works Renault team did not return to Formula 1 until 2002 – housing its entry at Enstone for the first time. By 2003 it was fighting for Grand Prix wins and podiums and in 2005 and 2006 claimed back-to-back world championship titles with Fernando Alonso for the first time in its history.
The team continued until 2011 with a handful of wins, the last of which occurring in the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix with Alonso.
Renault returned to Formula 1 in 2016 with the aim of climbing its way back to the front of the grid. In 2020, the team secured its first podium since the 2010 Belgian Grand Prix, courtesy of Daniel Ricciardo‘s fine effort in the Eifel Grand Prix before he repeated that feat in Imola weeks later with Esteban Ocon claiming second in Sakhir at the penultimate Grand Prix of the season.
Now, the team takes on a new guise in Alpine, ready to write the next chapter in its F1 history with two-time world champion Alonso partnering Frenchman Ocon at the wheel of the A521.
MANAGEMENT
Team Principal & CEO: Toto Wolff
Managing Director, Mercedes AMG High Performance Powertrains: Hywel Thomas
Chief Technical Officer: James Allison
Technical Director: Mike Elliot
Chief Operating Officer: Rob Thomas
Performance Director: Loic Serra
Chief Designer: John Owen
Sporting Director: Ron Meadows
Trackside Engineering Director: Andrew Shovlin
Chief Engineer Trackside: Simon Cole
Chief Strategist: James Vowles
Senior Race Engineer, Car No 44: Peter Bonnington
Senior Race Engineer, Car No 77: Riccardo Musconi
Chief Mechanic: Matthew Deane
TECHNICAL SPECIFICATIONS
Alpine A521
Chassis: Moulded carbon fibre and aluminium honeycomb composite monocoque, manufactured by Alpine F1 Team and designed for maximum strength with minimum weight. Renault E-Tech 20B power unit installed as a fully-stressed member.
Front Suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones operate an inboard rocker via a pushrod system. This is connected to torsion bar and damper units which are mounted inside the front of the monocoque. Aluminium uprights and OZ machined magnesium wheels.
Rear Suspension: Carbon fibre top and bottom wishbones with pull rod operated torsion bars and transverse-mounted damper units mounted inside the gearbox casing. Aluminium uprights and OZ machined magnesium wheels.
Transmission: Eight-speed semi-automatic carbon maincase gearbox with reverse gear. “Quickshift” system in operation to maximise speed of gearshifts.
Fuel System: Kevlar-reinforced rubber fuel cell by ATL.
Electrical: MES-Microsoft Standard Electronic Control Unit.
Braking System: Carbon discs and pads. Calipers and Master cylinders Brembo S.p.A.
Cockpit: Removable driver’s seat made of anatomically formed carbon composite, with six-point harness seat belt. Steering wheel integrates gear change paddles, clutch paddles, and DRS.
Dimensions and Weight
Front Track: 1600mm Rear Track: 1550mm Overall Length: 5425mm Overall Height: 950mm Overall Width: 2000mm Overall Weight: 752kg, with driver, cameras and ballast
Displacement: 1.6L V6 Number of cylinders: 6 Rev limit: 15,000rpm Pressure charging: Single turbocharger, unlimited boost pressure (typical 5 bar abs) Fuel flow limit: 100kg/h Permitted fuel quantity per race: Max 110kg Configuration: 90° V6 Bore: 80mm Stroke: 53mm Crank height: 90mm Number of valves: 4 per cylinder, 24 Fuel: Direct fuel injection
Energy Recovery Systems
MGU-K rpm: Max 50,000rpm MGU-K power Max: 120kW Energy recovered by MGU-K Max: 2 MJ/lap Energy released by MGU-K Max: 4 MJ/lap MGU-H rpm: >100,000rpm Energy recovered by MGU-H: Unlimited
Weight Min: 150kg
Number of Power Units permitted per driver in 2021: 3 ICE/Turbo/MGUH/MGU-K and 2 ES/CU 8 sets of engine exhausts Total horsepower: More than 950hp
