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The Alpine F1 team has rubbished rumors suggesting that Renault want to sell the team after a dismal start to the 2024 season.
The French outfit is currently fighting with Williams F1 and Kick Sauber for the bottom spot in the Constructor's Championship standings. All three teams have failed to score a point in the first four races this year.
It has been a fall from grace for Alpine in 2024 as they finished P4 and P6 in the past two years and were fighting for points and podiums. As per Motorsport, the parent company Renault is interested in listening to the offers for the French outfit amidst its struggles on the track.
There were rumors in the Suzuka paddock last weekend that Renault might be interested in looking for offers only if the engines made in Viry continue to be used in F1 till 2029.
As the news engine regulations commence in 2026, Renault is deep in the process of manufacturing the new turbo-hybrid engines in an attempt to save the jobs of engineers working at Viry. A statement from Alpine has now rubbished reports of a sale and read:
“The rumors and stories about the team being for sale are false. The team is categorically not for sale.”
Esteban Ocon chimes in on Alpine's 'backward' performances in 2024
Alpine F1 driver Esteban Ocon recent stated that the car looks decent in qualifying but has been going backward since the opening race of the season in Bahrain.
Speaking with Motorsport.com, the French driver said:
“I think we did this weekend a good step forward in qualifying, but in the race, that's probably the first step backward that we're doing since Bahrain. And there are some similarities between here and Bahrain, so we need to look at that.”
While commenting on the recently concluded Japanese GP, Ocon added:
“Strategy-wise, we tried to be bold, and we tried to undercut a lot of cars, which we did. We passed four cars at one point but yeah, I could not do anything to hold them behind. And that was it today, unfortunately. I felt like I couldn't fight. The other ones were in another category.”
Alpine experiencing an uptick in form in the upcoming races looks highly unlikely at the moment. Personnel working in the team have suggested that the car might not return to its previous glory in the 2024 season.
