Bruno Famin, for the third instance in recent weeks, has once again dismissed ongoing speculation that Alpine's Formula 1 team is being offered for sale.
Following several turbulent seasons in management and ownership, Renault's factory squad has debuted possibly the slowest vehicle of the 2024 lineup.
In China, Esteban Ocon received an upgraded floor for his Alpine and shared with Canal Plus his optimism about the car's upgrades.
"These are small but not insignificant improvements," the French driver stated. "You have to see satisfaction in that - that you work hard and it pays off."
Nevertheless, Ocon cautioned that "a big gap" persists. "There are still three tenths to P12, which is a lot," he remarked. "We must not get excited, but we are not far from the points."
Julien Biliotte, a prominent French F1 reporter for the esteemed Auto Hebdo magazine, described the scenario as humiliating.
He reflected on France's rich and victorious motorsport history, noting "and now we are a joke."
"They (Alpine) want to compete with the best, but are not prepared to invest enough. Alpine is not even hitting the budget limit while the others find loopholes to spend even more. Alpine wants to taste champagne, but they're not prepared to buy a really good bottle," Biliotte criticized.
Team boss Famin was the target of Biliotte's criticism.
"He's the team boss in Formula 1, but also responsible for endurance projects and is vice-president of Alpine," he explained. "Other team bosses are fully focused on Formula 1."
Louis Dekker, a respected Dutch journalist from NOS, noted: "The fact that the team operates from both France and England is difficult, but the investors have also contributed to this. They have put more into financial adventures than race strategy and motorsport."
As of now, it seems Alpine is not in a hurry to divest itself further.
"It is very clear that the team is not for sale," Famin confirmed to L'Equipe.
"We have a real brand project which is to develop Alpine internationally, and for this we have the support of the group's top management. The Alpine project and the F1 team remain. We are well aware of the issues and the requirements."
