Former team boss Eddie Jordan believes Alpine is “very likely to be put up for sale” following the disastrous 2024 F1 season, calling the Renault-owned team “embarrassing to watch”. insisted.
Alpine remains at the bottom of the constructors' championship after failing to score any points in the first two races in Bahrain and Saudi Arabia. The A524 car was found to be overweight and underpowered.
Eddie Jordan slams 'shameful' Alpine
The Enstone team's poor start to the season was due to internal politics, with team principal Otmar Szafnauer and long-time sporting director Alain Permane brutally sacked over the weekend of the Belgian Grand Prix at Spa. It was after a shaky and chaotic 2023 season.
Despite an initial improvement in results after Szafnauer's dismissal, with Pierre Gasly taking podiums at the Spa sprint race and the Dutch Grand Prix during the summer break, Jordan said that releasing Szafnauer to his former Aston was a mistake. ” Martin's boss quits.
He believes Gasly and teammate Esteban Ocon will be looking for a way out at the end of 2024, and claims Renault's disinterest in the project means the team is likely to be sold in the near future.
Speaking on the Formula For Success podcast, Jordan said: I think that was a mistake.
“I think he's a talented guy who certainly knew how to keep the team in the right direction, and the results they got right after letting him go left me with a platform for a management style that someone could accept. It was showing.”
“They're the lowest performing team at the moment. It's totally embarrassing. I think it's embarrassing to watch.
“Gathly and Ocon have the ability to win races. The current vision includes Alpine, but will it be there next year? Absolutely not. Not a chance.
“I think there is plenty of room for a sale. I think Renault has backed away from that. Even if they are valuable to the team, they are scared. [is high]. They're all talking about it costing the team £1bn.
“I feel it's a disgrace to Alpine for not being able to perform for the drivers and the team.
“Giving them a car to compete in the World Championship is completely unacceptable. It's unacceptable.
“I didn't put up with it. It's shocking.”
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Jordan's co-organizer, former McLaren and Red Bull driver David Coulthard, pointed to a lack of leadership within the team following Szafnauer's departure.
Furthermore, he added: “I think they're a little faceless. I have no idea who's running the show.”
Speaking after the season opener in Bahrain, Szafnauer blamed Alpine's poor performance heading into 2024 on bad decisions made by the team's senior management.
He told Viaplay: “The stopwatch doesn't lie and it didn't seem very competitive.
“I get that. When people at the highest level make not-so-good decisions, fire people, and fail to build psychological safety in the team, that's what happens next.
“But I understand that, F1 is a difficult game. You have to do a lot of things right, but if you get some of them wrong, it hurts you.
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