Alpine teases new look for F1 team as ‘Renaulution’ plan revealed

Alpine has teased its new brand look by releasing Formula 1 livery renders ahead of the upcoming 2021 season as the ‘Renaulution’ plan was revealed.

Groupe Renault CEO Luca de Meo revealed more details of the company’s ‘Renaulution’ strategic relaunch plan during a press conference held in Paris on Thursday morning.

The ‘Renaulution’ will see a re-alignment of the company carried out, with Alpine becoming Renault’s upper-end brand as the ‘Avant-Garde’ branch ahead of the main Renault range and budget Dacia range.

The Alpine unit has announced it will be developing a next-generation electric sports car as part of a new project partnership with British manufacturer Lotus.

Early renders for the rebranded F1 team were also unveiled, including a "temporary winter livery" that is predominantly black with Alpine’s blue, white and red logo adorning the engine cover, paying tribute to the A500 F1 prototype from 1975.

New Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi said that F1 will “remain at the heart” of the company, with the rebranded Alpine team entering the 2022 technical regulation overhaul with the aim of “constantly competing for podiums” following a “transitional” 2021 campaign.

Rossi confirmed that the Alpine team will reveal the livery that will cover its newly-named A521 car in February ahead of the upcoming 2021 F1 season.

"The livery presented today is the first evocation of the Alpine F1 team's new identity," Alpine design director Antony Villain explained.

"Some of the structural graphic elements will remain on the racing livery while others will change. The 'oversized' Alpine emblem in a tricolour graphics system is the first clear-cut symbol of the brand's identity in motorsport.

"The blue, white and red refer to the colours of the French and British flags, which is very important to us. Numerous variations on all the motorsport assets are still to come."

The first F1 car under the new Alpine guise will be powered by its Renault E-Tech power unit and driven by returning two-time world champion Fernando Alonso and Esteban Ocon as the team looks to improve on its fifth place finish in the 2020 constructors’ championship.

Further changes are expected at the team in the coming weeks surrounding its senior management, following the unexpected and surprise departure of Cyril Abiteboul from the Renault Group earlier this week. 

While there has been no official announcement, executive director Marcin Budkowski has been tipped to takeover from as team principal from Abiteboul, meanwhile expected incoming Davide Brivio is also set to take on a senior position within the Alpine organisation. 

Negotiations over which role Brivio will be moving into are continuing after it was announced he was leaving as boss of the MotoGP team Suzuki, having led the Japanese manufacturer to its first championship title since 2000 last season.