F1 team brutally cuts 300 jobs as major decision made over its future in the sport
Alpine have cut around 300 jobs at the F1 team's UK base in Enstone this season, it has been confirmed.
The former Renault team, which was re-named in 2021 to promote the French car manufacturer's sports car brand, enjoyed a superb Brazilian Grand Prix to turn around what has been a largely difficult 2024 season.
Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly produced stunning drives to finish second and third respectively in Interlagos, rocketing Alpine up from ninth to sixth in the Constructors' Championship.
But the car has been uncompetitive for the majority of the season amid turmoil off the track as well.
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Team principal Bruno Famin stepped down from his role in June, after the team's technical director and head of aerodynamics had quit earlier in the year.
Plans for Renault to build a works engine for the Alpine team for 2026 were also shelved despite employees in France going on strike in their opposition, and the team are now working with Mercedes.
And finally, Alpine were found to be in 'procedural breach' of the power unit financial regulations by the FIA earlier this month and were fined $400,000.
All that has happened amid the backdrop of the ever-controversial former Renault chief Flavio Briatore returning to the team.
The 74-year-old spearheaded the team through its Benetton and Renault guises between 1990 and 2009, and was in charge when Fernando Alonso won two world titles in 2005 and 2006.
But he resigned from his position in 2009 following the 'Crashgate' scandal, for which Renault were punished after driver Nelson Piquet Jr alleged that the team had ordered him to intentionally crash his car at the 2008 Singapore Grand Prix
He returned to Alpine as a 'special supervisor' in May 2024, and has been outspoken about areas of the team which he believe need to change.
And in a new interview, the Italian has confirmed that, since he returned to the team, around 300 jobs have been cut from the team's UK base in order 'to get back to people working for a race team'.
He told Sky Sports Italia (quotes via Daily Mirror): "This year we have done some spring cleaning. Cleaning up in the sense that we need to get back to people working for a race team and not a company.
"We are putting things back to the way they should be. Alpine UK is completely independent of everything else.
"We have gone back to the Renault days. The engineers are F1 engineers, everything is focused on the team. Those who were going to leave have left.
"When we arrived, there were around 1,150 people. Now there are 850."
There will also be a departure on the driving front next season, with Ocon leaving Alpine after a five-year spell.
He will be replaced by Alpine reserve driver Jack Doohan, with the Frenchman moving to Haas to team up with Oliver Bearman.
Ryan Smart