Renault’s newly-appointed CEO, Francois Provost, has reiterated the French marque’s commitment to Formula 1 with Alpine.
The last few years have been a torrid ride at the Enstone-based team’s parent concern, Renault.
Amid rumours of a potential exit from the sport owing to its poor track record bolstered by the shutdown of its Viry-Chatillon-based engine program and a share restructure, the French marque’s former CEO Luca de Meo handed in his resignation earlier this season.
That said, Renault was quick to fill in the gap at the upper echelons of its management by promoting Provost from Head of Procurement to its latest CEO ahead of the Hungarian Grand Prix.
And despite a difficult outing for the team at the Hungaroring last Sunday, Provost has reiterated Renault’s commitment to F1.
“Formula 1 is part of our core strategy for Alpine, and this I do not intend to change,” he asserted in a statement released by the Company.
“The unique priority for the Formula 1 team is performance, improved performance this year and, of course, moreover, to succeed in 2026 with the new car. This is a unique priority given to Formula 1.”
Gasly hopes for 2026 dividends with Alpine
Pierre Gasly took the chequered flag after the 70-lap race in Budapest in a disappointing 19th place.
Alpine currently sits last in the Constructors’ Championship with Gasly’s team-mate, Franco Colapinto, yet to score a point for the team since his debut at Imola.
Despite this squalid run of form, exacerbated by the A525’s high-speed instability as pointed out by the Argentinian, Gasly is hopeful that the combination of Provost at the helm of Renault and the internal decisions taken by Alpine with respect to the 2026 regulations reset can propel the car’s competitiveness next year.
“It’s really clear. He’s been a very long time working in Renault. He knows the DNA of the group, of the team,” Gasly told media including Motorsport Week.
“He’s been part of it for all these years when Renault has been part of Formula 1. He’s fully committed to the sport, to the Formula 1 team.
“Obviously wants to see performance, and he’s backing everybody in the team. Looking forward to the future with the team.
“We know where we’re heading. We know ’25 is a compromise we decided to take at the start of the year to focus on ’26. Hopefully, it’s going to pay dividends next year.”
READ MORE – Why Alpine is having no regrets about sacrificing F1 2025
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