Alpine break silence after Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds' investment in £171m deal

Alpine

Alpine break silence after Hollywood star Reynolds' investment in £171m amid 'REALITY CHECK'

Laurent Rossi says Alpine may change their approach following the progress of one of their rivals in 2023

Dan McCarthy

Tuesday 27 June 2023 15:57

Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi admits the success of Aston Martin this season has been a "reality check" for his team.

The French team finished fourth in the constructors' championship in 2022 and there was optimism they would have a good season, particularly in light of persuading Pierre Gasly to switch from AlphaTauri and join his compatriot Esteban Ocon.

Currently, they sit fifth with Aston Martin the big movers from 2022 after a stunning opening to the new campaign, spearheaded by the experience of two-time champion Fernando Alonso.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly are yet reach their full potential

Alpine have managed one podium finish so far after Esteban Ocon finished third in Monaco but they have largely been stuck in the mid-table pack.

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Rossi admits the progress made by Aston Martin took them by surprise and says they need to up their game to compete in the future.

"It was a reality check for Mercedes, Ferrari, us," he told the BBC. "We were comfortable thinking we were on the rise, and everyone else was, and suddenly there is a guy leapfrogging all of us."

Rossi: We need to re-evaluate

Aston Martin were seventh last year in the table but a very promising display in pre-season has been matched in races proper.

Off the track, owner Lawrence Stroll has ploughed money into their resources with a new factory for employees and that has translated into good performances.

Rossi says his team are now looking at their own process to see if they can match the progress made by their rivals.

Things might change with Ryan Reynolds (right) and Rob McElhenney on board

"It's an industry that has been doing more or less the same thing for so long that it's become a norm that it takes that much time to get there," he added. "It's true for everything. It's true for road cars.

"We are trying to change things here. But for that you need to put yourself in a bit of a tricky situation, an uncomfortable situation. If you do that, it works.

"What do we have to believe to get there? People start scratching their heads a bit more thinking: 'Maybe we are being a bit too conservative here, maybe we are doing too many validations, maybe we can shorten the process here and there.'

Alpine were given a boost this week with the news that Hollywood stars Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney invested in the team with their group taking 24 per cent.

Rossi added: "My goal is by 2025 the Alpine F1 team has the same means as the top teams and is operating in a way that they can put those means to work to become a credible contender for the podium. That's it.

"And we are still going in that direction. We are still hiring, getting equipment and resources and this investment will help us go even faster. That's why I feel we are still on track."