Alpine, the sports brand of French car manufacturer Renault, has a new CEO: Philippe Krief takes over the position from previous CEO Laurent Rossi, with immediate effect.
A message not without explosiveness. Because it was only in May, on the sidelines of the Miami Grand Prix, that Rossi had described Alpine’s Formula 1 team as “amateur” and the results as “really bad” – an interview that was taken by many as a signal that there could soon be changes in management.
But while team boss Otmar Szafnauer remains in office, Rossi has to leave with immediate effect. While he’s staying with Alpine, his new responsibilities are now just “special projects related to the transformation of the group.” That sounds a lot like siding to industry insiders.
At least officially, Renault CEO Luca de Meo finds friendly words to say goodbye: “I would like to thank Laurent for his tireless efforts over the past two years. He has defined a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has placed Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals. Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase in its development and become a brand of the future. “
However, someone else will now take this path as CEO. As brand manager, Krief will report directly to de Meo and will initially also remain Vice President for Engineering and Product Performance until a successor is found for this task.
That says CEO Luca de Meo
De Meo says: “Philippe combines many years of industry experience and great technical knowledge with the leadership qualities that are critical to the success of our project, including the launch of the brand’s new vehicles from next year. I have full confidence in Philippe and his team to take Alpine to new heights.”
Krief worked for Michelin and FIAT before Alpine. He then continued his career at Ferrari and Maserati, where he was Head of the Vehicle Department and Technical Director, respectively, for the Alfa Romeo brand. In June 2016, Krief returned to Ferrari and was appointed Director of Engineering. Since February 21, 2023 he has been Vice President of Engineering and Product Performance at Alpine.
Rossi was appointed to the top of the sports car manufacturer Alpine in January 2021. His area of responsibility also included the management of the Formula 1 team. He replaced Cyril Abiteboul, who had been at the helm since 2014 and had faced severe criticism from engine customer Red Bull since the introduction of hybrid engines.
Rossi’s 100-race plan and what became of it
When the team was renamed from Renault to Alpine for 2021, Rossi unveiled an ambitious 100-race plan to make the team a regular podium contender from the 2024 season. While Esteban Ocon clinched a surprise win in Hungary 2021, the team has only had one other top-three result since (Monaco 2023).
In 2022, Alpine was praised for edging McLaren into fourth place in the constructors’ championship and aiming to close the gap on Ferrari, Mercedes and Red Bull. After a poor start to the season, made worse by unreliability and penalties, Alpine has slipped to sixth behind McLaren and Aston Martin, ahead of Hungary.
Even before that, Alpine’s management had not cut a good figure when Fernando Alonso left the team for Aston Martin in the summer of 2022 and his designated successor Oscar Piastri was first confirmed, but then reluctantly handed over to McLaren because his contract was apparently not watertight.