Alpine team boss highlights impact of recent key signing

Alpine team principal Bruno Famin has commended the impact of the squad's new executive technical director David Sanchez.

Sanchez joined the squad in the leading technical position last month after splitting from McLaren.

His departure from the Woking-based squad came just three months after he joined the team, with misalignment over the work involved cited as the reason behind the exit.

Sanchez, who has worked with the Alpine squad before when it operated under different guises, has been signed amid a period of turmoil.

A slow start to the 2024 Formula 1 campaign has seen Alpine score just two points across the opening eight rounds.

While Sanchez has had little impact on improving the car during his short stint at the team so far, Famin outlined that his arrival has lifted spirits within Alpine.

“I think there is nothing magic in the performance of the car” Famin told media including RacingNews365. 

“But he has an immediate impact in the mindset of the team, in paving the way for everybody, in setting a clear position we need to follow for developing that car and the following one.”

Reaction to challenges

Alpine currently sit ninth in the constructors' championship, marking a highly difficult start to the season for the team.

Famin has hailed how the squad has reacted to the adversity and expects that Sanchez will have a positive impact on the car going forward.

“Where I'm satisfied is with the reaction of the team, because the car is what everybody knows at the start of the season, but we have been able to bring earlier than planned upgrades to come back to the minimum weight,” he said.

“And that was very good. Now we need to switch to the… And this is what we are doing, to switch to the second phase of the development of that car. 

“You know that we have worked quite a lot in understanding why we were in such situation.  

“Having with us now since two weeks David Sanchez on board will help us to go faster in the recovery, which is what we hope. 

“But for the time being, it's a bit too early to talk about when we will be able to bring the next significant upgrade.”