Renault 2020 livery presentation, Melbourne, 2020

Renault to announce its F1 team will be renamed Alpine

2021 F1 season

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Renault is expected to announce plans to rebrand its Formula 1 team for the 2021 season.

The team will take on the name of Renault’s performance car division Alpine, RaceFans understands. The Alpine brand, which was founded in 1955, resumed production of road cars in 2017 following a 22-year hiatus.

From next year the French team will be formally titled ‘Alpine F1 Team powered by Renault E-Tech engines’. The blue ‘E-Tech hybrid’ brand was added to the cars’ engine covers earlier this year.

Renault announced changes to its group brands yesterday including the appointment of Renault F1 team managing director Cyril Abiteboul in charge of Alpine, one of its four main business units.

Speaking earlier today Abiteboul did not confirm the rebranding, saying it was a matter for new CEO Luca de Meo. “It will be up to him to decide what way he wants to market the different brands,” said Abiteboul. “I’m just running the team.”

Abiteboul said his role in charge of Alpine will be to build up its organisation as he has at Renault’s F1 team.

Gustavo Menezes, Nicolas Lapierre, Stephane Richelmi, Signatech Alpine, WEC, Silverstone, 2016
Signatech Alpine squad races in WEC
“We have a new CEO, Luca De Meo, come in with clearly a great vision for the group,” he said. “In particular, to move from ‘value driven’ to a ‘value driven organisation’, positioning clearly four brands at the heart of the system.

“One thing that he has announced is that he has big expectations indeed for Alpine. What he has asked me to do as a mission, on top of what I am currently doing, running the team, is to provide a couple of suggestions in order to build an organisation around that brand.

“Right now that brand is one car, one model – A110 – but we want do more and that needs an organisation: An engineering department, a product department, a sales, marketing and communication department. So that’s what I’d like to do.

“That’s what I’ve done for the team: building an infrastructure and a platform. That’s what I will be doing at the top. But that has absolutely no implication for the marketing strategy.”

De Meo is expected to attend this weekend’s Italian Grand Prix.

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Didier Pironi, Jean-Pierre Jaussaud, Renault-Alpine, Le Mans 24 Hurs, 1978
Renault and Alpine triumphed at Le Mans in 1978

45 comments on “Renault to announce its F1 team will be renamed Alpine”

  1. so.. he is putting aside nice and clean, and who will lead the team?

    1. Dennis Achterberg
      4th September 2020, 23:51

      He’s not being put aside, he is making a plan and strategy for the Alpine business unit besides his job as a team principle. You didn’t read the article it seems.

    2. Abitofbull will continue to lead the team.
      Expect the F1 team to be positioned within the Alpine division.

  2. Alfa, Alpha, Aston, Alpine… A’s are so in right now.

    1. @rocketpanda just wait for Mclaren rebranding as Ayrton F1 Team

      1. Matthew S Goelz
        5th September 2020, 5:24

        Or extend the IndyCar name over: Arrows McLaren

      2. That made me get sick to my stomach

    2. AMG Mercedes

    3. Maybe some of the other teams will rebrand to historic names from the past: Arrows, AGS, ATS, ATeS, Alta, Andrea Moda…

      1. Andrea Moda, because the two ‘a’s in Haas just weren’t enough

    4. So … Dr. Seuss got it right all those years ago.
      Little a, BIG A, what begins with A …?

    5. Aardvark Racing will be the new name for Williams. You read it here first.

  3. They are removing Abiteboul from the F1 team by promoting him (in the Group). Sounds about right…

    Alpine has a lot of history but in Endurance and Rallying (in that case both Renault and Alpine have history) but as far as I remember they were never related to F1 so in a way it sounds weird. It makes sense because Alpine is the sports brand from the group so better suited for top competition but it is just that Renault has been involved (team and engines) for quite some time so to me is sad to see the team rename.

    1. @bakano before Alpine was merged with Gordini to form the Renault Sport division, Alpine (and in particular Andre de Cortanze) was commissioned by Renault to develop the first prototype turbocharged car, the Alpine Renault A500.

      The A500 was only ever intended to be a rolling test bed that would allow Renault to develop the engine and to learn more about building a Formula 1 grade chassis, but Andre de Cortanze was also involved in the design of the RS01, which would be the first car that Renault raced. It could therefore be noted that Alpine did have an important role in establishing Renault’s operations in Formula 1.

      1. Thanks anon, I wasn’t aware that the A500 was the basis for RS01 so Alpine was indeed very much involved with the beginnings.

    2. @bakano It makes sense though, as it will still be a Renault engine (the only one on the grid), so that would make it Alpine-Renault. That’s publicity for both brands at the same cost as one.

      In any case, it’s good to see an indication that they’re staying committed to F1

    3. Dennis Achterberg
      4th September 2020, 23:47

      Abitboul isn’t removed from the F1 team. He will still be the team principal, he just been asked by de Meo to create a plan and strategy for the Alpine group

  4. Hopefully in French Racing Blue livery.

    1. current livery is one of the best on the grid though and i’ll miss it.

      1. They also have kinda sketchy reliability which does the Jordan Honda colors proud

        1. Damn i miss Eddy sometimes xD

  5. That would make it full circle, as Renault’s entry into F1 was based on acquisition of Alpine Cars in 1976, which included the F1 test programme of Alpine 500 car that had become Renault RS01.

  6. I was hoping on a nice blue Vaillante…

    vrrrrrrRRRRRROOOOOAAAAAaaaaaaahh

  7. This just in!
    Alfa Romeo rebranded as Stellantis Mopar Racing.
    Williams as Royal Racing F1.
    Mercedes as HOT Racing (Hamilton’s Own Team)

    1. no no merc would be: VSR (virtue signal racing) :)

      1. “hehe! look how funny my political comment in a racing website is!” :)

        1. Certain drivers are bringing politics into racing.

          1. And that’s the whole issue. Politics inside F1 is most of the time is rich childish people crying, tolerable. However now it’s everybody trying to make you feel guilty for any reason. Is there any room left for plain simple spectacle to relax and enjoy?

        2. @Postreader it was a joke, hopefully that wasnt lost on you.

  8. “From next year the French team will be formally titled ‘Alpine F1 Team powered by Renault E-Tech engines’.”

    Also known as “Renault”.

  9. Bah… really, really don’t like that…

  10. The only Alpine I know about is a Sunbeam…

    1. lol, i just remember them :)

  11. This is a good move and one that I suggested last year.

    There’s no point having a sporting brand and not advertising it in F1, especially when your road car is as good as the current Alpine.

    I remember as a young adult literally salivating over a metallic blue Alpine GTA at Outlon Park. A bright yellow A610 had a similar effect on me a few years later.

    It’s only branding but the Alpine name will resonate far more with me than Renault.

    1. Yes @sonnycrockett. All team should be named like this.
      – Mercedes AMG
      – Alpine Renault
      – Valkyrie Aston Martin
      – Red Bull Mugen Honda

  12. Renault slowly backing away from F1? Supplying only one engine on the grid, title sponsor is a car brand that only makes one car. RIC’s decision to leave at the start of the year is still a puzzle, might this news start to put some of that into context?

  13. Is there some context that anyone can provide why Abiteboul isn’t a guy who’s just constantly failing upwards? As a team principal with one of the largest budgets on the grid, what has he accomplished that justifies his position? Lost all their engine customers, team performance akin to Toyota, no coherent driver strategy… I don’t get it. Am I missing something, or Abiteboul just a good politician?

    1. Loyalty, nothing, no.

      Business people love loyal hard workers, regardless of their results. He must be one hell of a party goer too. Lots of photos seen with other paddock members with massive smiles in the morning over the years.

    2. I keep hearing mention that Abiteboul has “deep family connections” with Renault, but haven’t seen any details about what those are.

    3. team performance akin to Toyota,

      Their budget is sizeable but they’re no Toyota in that respect

  14. Lol, what a nice way of saying Renault is pulling away from F1. Sure they are owned by Renault for now, but putting the whole racing division in one nice and easily attached package definitely means they won’t be selling off any time soon, nope, not at all.

    This is the smart way of avoiding headlines like “Renault abandons F1 with no wins in 10 years” when the time does come.

    1. @skipgamer Yes that’s a reasonable thought.

      I anyway couldn’t really see what gain Renault got out of F1 as they never seem to capitalize on their F1 brand investment with some relevant car models, but were mostly just selling bangers for the mid-market.

      With Alpine it would all make sense both as a marketing platform but also for the exit as you say.

    2. Yeah, now they can write Renault Nissan Mitsubishi alliance abandons F1 with no results in 10 years.

  15. Good.
    Ferrari
    McLaren
    Mercedes
    Aston Martin
    Alpine
    Alfa Romeo

    Now replace the Porsche supercup with a grid full from all these in some of the races next year, perhaps each their “home” race, and drivers from F3, F2 and F1 reserves and inviting some local talent/legends.
    I’ll happily watch driver go out on different car each race. And it would be fun for the drivers, too

  16. Mark in Florida
    5th September 2020, 16:14

    Alpine Racing powered by Alpine Stereo! I don’t know if they would be any faster but they would sound better.

Comments are closed.