Alpine were left wondering ‘what if’ at the end of the 2022 season, as their unreliable Renault engine saw Fernando Alonso retire from a shocking six races over the course of the year.
While the team’s engine provider will be hoping to hit the ground running in 2026 with an engine that is capable of winning races under the new regulations, Renault have promised to solve Alpine’s reliability woes in 2023 before switching their focus to 2026.
The car manufacturer have claimed that the engine itself is reliable, however problems with the fuel and water pumps need to be solved this year if Alpine wish to suffer less DNFs, as this is the root of the problems.
After Alonso become disgruntled with Alpine and their engine issues, the Spaniard made a shock move to Aston Martin and has been replaced at the French team by AlphaTauri’s Pierre Gasly.
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The Frenchman was allowed to leave his former employers as Red Bull did not want to stand in the way of their driver’s dream move to a potential podium contending team.
With Alonso losing so many points due to his retirements in 2022, Gasly understandable sought for reassurance over Renault’s plans with Alpine and has claimed that he is satisfied with the answers he received.
“Of course I was informed about the project and the plans for the next few years,” Gasly told Auto Motor und Sport.
“By Otmar [Szafnauer], Laurent [Rossi] and Luca de Meo. I wanted to know how much Renault is behind this project.
“They want Alpine to fight for the top spots. They will do whatever it takes to get to the top.”
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Alpine managed to secure fourth place and the best of the rest title in 2022 despite their abundance of DNFs, holding off a late charge from McLaren as Daniel Ricciardo found some late form before his departure from the team.
Gasly will be paired with Esteban Ocon at Alpine and despite the pair previously having their issues at junior level, both drivers are confident of achieving success and harmony together.
The Frenchman has explained that he sees “great potential” in his new team, hoping that his development lines up with Alpine’s, as both team and driver hope to become regulars on the podium in the new era of Formula 1.