Aug.1 (GMM) Gerard Larrousse, a Formula 1 legend, thinks Renault might be clearing the path to withdraw from the sport altogether.
The management turmoil and shakeups at the French carmaker’s Alpine F1 team rolls on, as the successor for the now-departed boss Bruno Famin is named.
As expected, it is Oliver Oakes, who at just 36 years of age becomes the second-youngest team principal in Formula 1 history.
‘Oli’ Oakes, a former single seater racer who at 17 was karting world champion in 2005, has made his name as co-founder of the F2 and F3 outfit Hitech.
Not long ago, along with Andretti-Cadillac, Hitech even applied to become the 11th or 12th team on the grid, but is rumoured to have been rejected because of its links with Nikita Mazepin’s family and suspect Kazakhstani backing for its F1 bid.
Larrousse, now 84, ran Renault’s original works F1 team in the mid-80s, and told France’s Auto Hebdo this week that he could barely believe the marque was considering stopping its engine program at Viry.
“I thought it was fake news,” he told the magazine. “For me, it’s a terrible shock and a great sadness. We put together an extraordinary engine manufacturing team for Renault.
“I don’t see how you can race an Alpine with a Mercedes engine,” Larrousse added. “Those two don’t marry together. An Alpine is made to have a French engine. So I must admit that I don’t understand.
“Or perhaps I do understand that it is the beginning of an operation by Renault aimed at withdrawing completely from F1.”
Tobias Gruner, a correspondent for Auto Motor und Sport, agrees.
“Alpine has so far always denied that the team is for sale,” he wrote. “However, all the signs indicate that the team is being prepared for a takeover.”
Auto Hebdo journalist Jean-Michel Desnoues thinks new Alpine executive advisor Flavio Briatore is very much involved in the current sweeping decision-making.
“It only took one man – Flavio Briatore – to draw a line under half a century of history, demolishing an entire section of French automotive heritage,” he declared.
Pierre Gasly is signed up for 2025, and reports indicate that reserve and rookie Jack Doohan will almost certainly be his teammate next year in Esteban Ocon’s place – although Oakes is rumoured to be pushing for his own protege, Paul Aron.
Mick Schumacher is also in the running, but 1997 world champion Jacques Villeneuve doubts the 25-year-old German has a real chance.
Schumacher’s mother Corinna was in the Spa-Francorchamps paddock last weekend for a second ultra-rare F1 visit in recent months. Villeneuve said: “The push has been made by Mick and his people, but no one seems to be jumping to get him on their team.
“For teams, it’s worrisome. Do they want to take the risk of hoping Mick is better than he was? It doesn’t look like it at the moment,” the Canadian added.
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