Alpine deny “false” F1 team sale rumours after woeful start to 2024

Alpine have denied “false” reports suggesting that Renault is considering selling the Enstone-based F1 team.

Motorsport had reported on Wednesday that parent company Renault could consider offers to sell the F1 team “on the condition that any new owner would continue to use Renault engine power for the foreseeable future”.

However, in a statement supplied to Crash.net, Alpine have moved to dismiss suggestions of a possible sale.

“The rumours and stories about the team being for sale are false,” a team spokesperson said. “The team is categorically not for sale.”

Alpine have endured a terrible start to the 2024 F1 season and are rooted to the bottom of the constructors’ championship, having failed to score a single point so far.

The Anglo-French squad appears to have the least competitive car on the grid, with Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly finishing a lowly 15th and 16th at the Japanese Grand Prix.

Neither driver has been able to register a finish higher than 13th across the opening four races in Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Japan.

It has been an incredibly turbulent 12 months or so for Alpine, with CEO Laurent Rossi, team principal Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane and technical director Pat Fry, all leaving.

Following Alpine’s poor start to 2024, the team reorganised their design department following the double resignation of technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer at the Bahrain Grand Prix.

Current team principal Bruno Famin has admitted Alpine’s performance is “not acceptable” for a works F1 team.