Renault CEO Luca de Meo believes their rebranded Alpine team should be targeting “one or two wins” in Formula 1 in 2022.
The Enstone-based team has undergone a transformation for this year, not only with the new name but also new leadership as Laurent Rossi takes over as CEO with Davide Brivio assuming the role of Racing Director.
On the track, Fernando Alonso also makes a highly anticipated return alongside Esteban Ocon, wth Alpine once again set to fight with Ferrari, McLaren and Aston Martin for third in the Constructors’ Championship.
Much of their focus though is on next year when all new cars offer a chance to close the gap to the front, and De Meo is excited about the new era.
“The real challenge will come for us after 2022 with the change of the regulation,” he was quoted by PlanetF1.
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“Formula 1 for Renault is the history of the Alpine. It is at the centre of our business. We have been participating in the great circus for 43 years.
“The road cars are produced in the Dieppe factory, the example of the best French industrial manufacture, the racing ones between Viry, France and Enstone, England.
“Alpine for us means sport, competition, the application of Renault’s technological excellence. On the road, we want to make it a brand that is only zero-emissions but always sporty.
“I like to look for the soul of a brand in the roots of its history to project it into the future and Alpine has a lot of history and a future too.”
And as for what he hopes to see Alpine achieve on the track, De Meo has strong expectations.
“To be seen as often as possible on television and in the newspapers from 2022 at the latest, that regularly makes it onto the podium and wins one or two races,” he told Germany’s Frankfurter Allgemeine.
Last year, the team scored three podiums with Daniel Ricciardo and Ocon, but haven’t won a race since Kimi Raikkonen during their Lotus days in 2013.