F1 News: Eddie Jordan Blasts Alpine - "Wide Open For Sale"
Former F1 team owner Eddie Jordan has blasted the Alpine F1 team for the way it has been managing its staff, its cars, and its drivers since mid-2023 after it sacked team principal Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane. With further exits of key personnel, Eddie has made a big claim that the team is wide open for sale due to Renault's evident disinterest in its F1 project.
Key Takeaways:
- Former team owner Eddie Jordan criticizes Alpine F1's management and suggests the team is ready for sale due to Renault's diminishing interest.
- Internal politics led to the dismissal of key personnel, impacting the team's foundation, worsened by struggles with the A524 car's development.
- Alpine sits at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship after two winless races, prompting predictions that drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly may seek opportunities elsewhere.
Alpine Press Image
After internal politics played a major role in the sacking of the two senior personnel during the Belgian Grand Prix weekend last year, the team's dwindling foundation became more evident later during the year with the development of the A524, the 2024 F1 car, which struggles with an underpowered engine and added weight.
With two races down out of the 24 this season, Alpine finds itself at the bottom of the Constructors' Championship after failing to secure any points in the opening two races held in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. As a result, Jordan thinks drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly will look for other opportunities on the F1 grid, away from Alpine at the end of 2024.
Suggesting strong views about Alpine and its future, Jordan explained on the Formula For Success podcast:
“I think they got rid of Otmar prematurely. I think that was a mistake.
“I think he’s a talented person who certainly knew how to keep that team in the right direction and the results that they had very soon after they let him go were indicative of where somebody had left a platform of a style of management that they could embrace.
“At the moment, they are the most floundering team. It is absolutely embarrassing. I find it embarrassing to watch.
“Gasly and Ocon are capable of winning races. With Alpine in the current vision, do I see them there next year? Absolutely not. Not a chance.
“I think it’s wide open for a sale. I think Renault have pulled back from it. They don’t want to spend the money on the engines and the engine for 2026 is such a big outlay in terms of development or cost, it’s frightening them even though the value of the team [is high]. They all talk about a billion pounds for a team.
“I just feel that Alpine have been disgraceful in terms of not being able to perform for their drivers, for their team.
“To give them that car for which to compete in a World Championship is just unacceptable. Unacceptable.
“I wouldn’t put up with it. It’s shocking.”