LONDON : Renault is focused on laying solid foundations for the long-term success of its Alpine Formula One team rather than setting ambitious timelines for a return to the front of the grid, chief executive Francois Provost said.
The French manufacturer has abandoned previous multi-year recovery plans in favour of stabilising a team that finished last in the constructors’ championship in 2025 but is now battling for fifth place after a major restructuring.
Alpine sit one point ahead of Racing Bulls in the standings, although Pierre Gasly’s podium finish at the Monaco Grand Prix remains subject to appeal.
“My unique priority today is to stabilise the team, set a strong foundation for the team and start to recover this year, which is the case,” Provost told Reuters at the British Grand Prix.
“Our objective is P6 (sixth place) minimum. This is the first stage. Based on this we’ll set our new vision, our new ambition.”
Provost succeeded Luca de Meo as Renault CEO last year after the Italian departed to join luxury group Kering.
Since then, Kering-owned Gucci has been announced as Alpine’s title sponsor from the 2027 season.
Provost said Renault remained committed to Formula One for the long term, citing the sport’s growing global popularity, but stressed that performance and organisational stability had to come first.
“When the team is completely lost, when you are nowhere, first you have to set very short-term priorities and refocus the team on delivering very concrete things. This is what I call the one-year plan,” he said.
“It is doing well on the performance side and it is doing well on the sponsorship side, so I’m reasonably satisfied but humble. I know that the journey will be a long way.”
Alpine underwent significant upheaval between 2021 and 2024, cycling through five team principals as the former championship-winning outfit slipped down the competitive order.
The Enstone-based team, which won Formula One titles as Benetton with Michael Schumacher and later as Renault with Fernando Alonso, now fields Pierre Gasly and Argentine Franco Colapinto.
Alpine switched to Mercedes power units this season after Renault ended Formula One engine production at its Viry-Châtillon facility outside Paris.
Despite proposals to introduce sustainably fuelled V8 engines from 2031, replacing the current V6 turbo hybrids, Provost said Renault had no plans to resume engine manufacturing.
“I don’t want to disturb the team and everyone with uncertainty. There is a clear reference today, I do not develop engines for Formula One,” he said.
“We have the Mercedes engine, which is a good engine. It’s clearly a trigger of our recovery this year.”
Renault sold a 24% stake in Alpine to an Otro Capital-led investor group for 200 million euros ($234.5 million) in 2023, with that holding now available for sale subject to Renault’s approval.
Media reports have linked former Red Bull team principal Christian Horner with the stake, but Provost said no discussions had taken place and there was no urgency to complete a deal.
He added that there would be no change to the role of executive adviser Flavio Briatore, who returned to Alpine under former CEO de Meo to help oversee the team’s rebuilding process.
