After Ferrari and Aston Martin, engineer Adrian Newey is now being courted by Alpine and his advisor Eddie Jordan is preaching falsehoods to cover up the ongoing negotiations which should soon come to a conclusion…
It would be a spectacular twist in the saga, but seeing the star Formula 1 engineer join Alpine F1 Team would represent an unexpected choice to say the least.
Since the takeover of the French team by Flavio Briatore, mandated with full powers by Renault CEO Luca de Meo, things are moving and the team’s sustainability is no longer in question.
Rather than preparing for an inglorious exit by adopting a Mercedes customer engine, the Italian manager is loudly proclaiming sporting ambitions for the future.
Alpine comes out of the woods
In this context, trying to attract the most brilliant designer of his generation with 25 world drivers’ and constructors’ titles won with Williams, McLaren and Red Bull is quite daring but would give a boost to Alpine’s presence at the start of the Grands Prix.
“Who is it ? Briatore joked when asked about the possibility in Zandvoort. It’s too cheap for me! But hey, when you’re in this business, you talk to everyone. Alpine was a bit on the ropes and no one considered us, whereas now it’s different.”
“We are determined to succeed, we have the finances and the support of the president, with a large industrial group behind us, he assures. If it came to fruition, it would be a good possibility and we would do it, it’s as simple as that.”
The culture of victory
“But it’s not a question of ego for one individual, he emphasizes. A single engineer cannot change the game, there are plenty of examples of this. You can’t buy the culture of victory, many teams invest without counting without it being proportional to their results.”
So, is this true or false? Very close to Briatore, Eddie Jordan, Newey’s manager, could very well manipulate him to raise the stakes with Lawrence Stroll, the owner of Aston Martin, who seems determined to secure the services of the father of the Red Bull world champions.
An offer of 100 million euros for four years is on the table and it is hard to see Alpine matching it or the engineer being won over by the idea of shaping “Team Enstone” to his liking…
“Everything is possible in life” concludes the sly Flavio mischievously.