F1 star details talks with management as immediate departure rocks team

Daily Mirror

a day ago

Luca de Meo's surprise departure as CEO of the Renault group has raised questions over Alpine's long-term future in Formula 1 and prompted Pierre Gasly to seek assurances about the project
Pierre Gasly has admitted seeking assurances from Alpine management after the shock announcement of Luca de Meo's departure. The Italian announced after the Canadian Grand Prix that he would be stepping down immediately as chief executive of the Renault group.
The French carmaker owns the Alpine team and De Meo was a huge advocate for its continued presence in F1. He was also the one who brought controversial former boss Flavio Briatore back into the fold last year to help make the outfit more competitive again.
So his departure to become head of the Kering luxury goods company triggered some alarm bells about what it might mean for the future of the Alpine outfit. And Gasly admitted himself that he would be speaking to top bosses at the team to get a better sense of what was going on.
Reporting back on what he heard, ahead of this weekend's Austrian Grand Prix, the Frenchman seemed reassured about the future of the team which he leads on track. "It's something that was important to me," the 29-year-old said.
"Since the Canadian GP, I've spoken to everyone on the phone, namely Luca and other people involved at the management level. I needed confirmation regarding the project I've been involved in since joining Alpine. These are normal conversations given the situation, but there are no concerns about what comes next.
"I have the necessary answers, but you can understand that it's not something I can make public, I let the team go into more detail. For me, personally, it was important to have these conversations, they were very clear and everything is very clear in my head, which is the most important thing.
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"At Enstone, some people are asking questions and that's legitimate, but Flavio has already given answers and everyone knows where they stand, it doesn't change anything about the work to be done or the evolution of the team."
It is another major shift at Alpine which has undergone many personnel changes in recent years. And it is also in the process of moving away from being a works team with its F1 engines operation being sunsetted, Renault having signed a deal to use Mercedes engines from next year.
Perhaps with that in mind, Gasly remains confident about the team's chances in 2026 despite currently being the bottom side in the championship. He said: "We should be much more competitive. I'm closely following the development of the 2026 car and for the moment we're happy with what we're doing. We don't know where the others are, but we have a vague idea of what we think is acceptable and for the moment we're holding the course.
"I'm pretty confident about what we've found. There are six months of development left, I hope that our difficult sporting situation and this tenth place in the Championship will give us an advantage in terms of wind tunnel hours and that we can use this advantage as best as possible to arrive at the first 2026 tests with a car that should be in a good window."