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Aston Martin and Alpine are the two new teams on the grid for the 2021 Formula 1 season. Last season's Renault was rebranded as the Alpine F1 team. They have entered the series sporting an iconic livery representing the French flag, similar to their World Endurance Championship liveries.
History
Alpine was founded in 1955 in the French town of Dieppe by Jean Redele, a young pilot cum Renault car dealer. After functioning as an independent entity for 18 years, French giants Renault bought Alpine in 1973 and then merged it with the Renault Sport department three years later.
The A110 which was first built in 1961 is regarded as their most famous car. The two-door coupe served for over 15 years. During this time, it won several accolades, including winning six races in the 1973 World Rally Championship. The Alpine A110 was revitalized in 2017 when the Renault and Nissan partnership launched a modern version of the 60s classic.
Alpine in Motorsports
Alpine has been in modern motorsports for the past 8 years. Alpine first entered endurance racing in 2013 when Renault Alpine partnered with the French motorsport team Signature. They entered the 2013 European Le Man series in the LMP2 category. They achieved their first major glory in endurance racing in 2016. The Signature Alpine side won the 2016 FIA World Endurance Championship in the LMP2 category, including a win at the historic 24 Hours of Le Mans. Another World Endurance Championship and Le Mans victory would follow in the 2018-19 season, with Frenchman Nicolas Lapierre being involved in both of their class victories.
Formula One Entry (2021- )
The Renault Sport Formula 1 team came into existence in 2016 after buying the Enstone-based Lotus F1 team. After 5 years of underachieving, the Renault hierarchy rebranded the team to Alpine. One of the significant changes is the livery. Renault's black and yellow livery was replaced by blue, black and red, said to represent France and the United Kingdom.
There has been major reshuffling in terms of personnel as well, both on and off the track. Two-time Formula 1 world champion Fernando Alonso replaces McLaren-bound Daniel Ricciardo on a multi-year deal.
Esteban Ocon has kept his seat for another year after an impressive podium at the 2020 Sakhir Grand Prix.
Off the track, there have been substantial personnel changes. Cyril Abiteboul left the role of Managing Director after 7 years in charge of the team. In place of him, Renault have gone for a unique scenario with multiple Team Principals. Along with CEO Laurent Rossi, Alpine have appointed Marcin Budkowski, their former Technical Director, as Executive Director. Davide Brivio also comes in as their Racing Director from MotoGP team Suzuki.
The only works team on the grid apart from Mercedes and Ferrari, Renault have put all their top motorsport executives into Formula 1, under the Alpine brand.
Renault's strong finish to the 2020 season and the arrival of two-time world champion Fernando Alonso have given Alpine reason to be optimistic. Alpine F1 team will look to build on Renault's performances from last year as they look to dominate the midfield and hopefully snatch podiums along the way.
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