Fernando Alonso has expressed that he still holds the Alpine Formula 1 team in high regard and hopes for a swift improvement to its “surprising” recent struggles.
Alonso has represented the Enstone-based squad across three separate spells in his illustrious F1 career, including when he won two successive titles in 2005 and 2006.
The Spaniard returned to F1 with the Renault-owned squad upon the rebrand to its current guise in 2021 but elected to move to Aston Martin when an extension stalled.
Having finished fourth in the opening campaign under the current aero regulations in 2022 with Alonso, Alpine slipped back to sixth place in the championship last term.
The Anglo-French marque has endured an even more dismal start to the current season with an overhauled car and sits bottom of the standings after the first two rounds.
Alonso had been critical of Alpine’s current regime since his exit, blaming a “lack of professionalism” within its ranks for his decision to accept Aston Martin’s proposal.
However, Alonso has avoided taking a dig at his former team, citing that he still cares about Alpine due to the connections there from his championship-winning period.
“When I was there, obviously I had great time,” Alonso said when he was asked about Alpine’s current predicament.
“Most of the team when I was in Alpine were the same people as we had in Renault, and is the team that I will always love, and will have on my heart.
“So, it’s difficult to see when they are at the back. But hopefully they can find more performance.”
The two-time F1 champion has suggested that the series of management changes that have occurred since his exit has contributed to Alpine’s slump in recent times.
Alpine elected to part ways with ex-Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane last year, with Laurent Rossi being relocated from his CEO role.
Meanwhile, Technical Director Matt Harman and Head of Aero Dirk de Beer have resigned, with Alpine implementing a revised three-pronged technical arrangement.
Pressed on whether he was shocked to see Alpine’s downturn, Alonso answered: “This is difficult to comment from the outside.
“It’s a team that I love, a team that gave me a lot of great things in my career. So, I hope they can get better.
“When I was there obviously, the team maybe was different. It was a great atmosphere, it was a good performance as well, especially 2022. We were within the top five, top six in every race of the year. So, it is a bit surprising to see the current results. But hopefully they fix things quickly.”
While Alpine has endured a dramatic plight, Alonso capitalised on Aston Martin’s remarkable emergence as a front-running fixture to bag eight podiums last season.
