Nico Hülkenberg signed with Audi, does that change anything for you?
It doesn’t change anything in my plans. No, that doesn’t change anything. I think you are aware of the situation on the transfer market. For the moment, I have nothing to announce.
What else do you expect from the team for your future? There’s David Sanchez arriving, that must be a good signal…
Yes, there are good recruits in the team. We know this car was not born well. It happens that some years it works, and others it is wrong. I think the most important thing is how we react to it. So I realize that it takes time. You can’t expect a huge change in a very short period of time, but I feel like we now have enough data to spot what’s working and what’s not.
Afterwards, it depends on how we go about it, because we are already in May… Not only for what it is possible to do this season, but also next year, and at the same time for 2026 , which will require a lot of work and a completely new car. So there are a lot of things to take into account. But I see all the processes going on at the factory. I know it will take time, but it is important to react and not stay with what we have today which is not competitive enough.
There are the times, but also the progress behind the scenes, which is harder to really perceive to know if things are going in the right direction. Are there any positive things?
Yes, clearly. Behind the scenes it’s a bit hard sometimes, because the team is progressing in many different areas. It doesn’t show on the track and it’s sometimes hard for the guys, because everyone puts in a lot of effort. For now, the car concept we have doesn’t work. And that doesn’t mean we’re doing everything wrong. We do a lot of things well. But there are these crucial points to adjust to unlock performance.
Are you already trying to get information on the engine program for 2026?
It would be stupid not to do it. This is obviously something very important, especially when looking to the future, to ensure that you are in a competitive car. I see the progress. That doesn’t take away from the focus on what we’re doing today, but it’s of course something I follow closely at the factory.
Would you say that now the priority is to stay with Alpine?
I’m not going to dwell on the subject. I will say more when there is something to announce. For the moment, no comments.
Do you have a personal deadline?
No comment.
Do you have one?
Interpret my answer however you want, but I won’t dwell on the contractual situation.
But generally speaking, we expect everything to be resolved faster than in previous years, because Hülkenberg and Hamilton have already made announcements, which is unusual…
I said I wouldn’t comment on that. As I said, it is taken care of, and you know the different situations.
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