And we think we know why.
In a rather shocking turn of events, Alpine has replaced its outspoken but arguably efficient CEO, Laurent Rossi. Philippe Krief has replaced Rossi with immediate effect, but he will carry on in his role as vice president of engineering and product performance until a suitable replacement can be found. He will report to Luca de Meo, the CEO of the Renault Group.
Krief has an impressive resume, having worked for Michelin, FCA, and Alfa Romeo. He was the director of engineering for Ferrari when he decided to join Alpine in February 2023 in the role mentioned earlier.
Rossi has not been fired, but Alpine says he will now focus on special projects linked to the transformation of the Renault Group.
Whatever way you cut it, it's a demotion for Rossi, which is quite a surprise. Rossi played an integral role in establishing Alpine as a separate brand. He was appointed as the CEO in 2021 as Alpine took over Renault Sport's road car and motorsport operations. Splitting the two brands was a brilliant move.
As a standalone brand, Alpine is strong enough to compete in the tough US market, where its upcoming products will go head-to-head with established American, Japanese, and European brands.
There are two main reasons why Alpine is so successful. The first is brand visibility, thanks to the Alpine F1 team and its strong position in the midfield. The second reason is a great product. Alpine only sells the A110, but it is the only car in nearly two decades that is considered a realistic alternative to the Porsche 718 Cayman. You don't have to justify your choice as you would if you purchased a BMW Z4.
Our Take
Alpine gave no reasons for the apparent demotion, but if you follow news threads over the past two years, you can see the negative impact Rossi had on the F1 team. The most recent evidence of this dates back no more than two weeks. The Alpine F1 team put its former lead power unit engineer into the newly created role of vice president of Alpine motorsports. It's widely accepted that Alpine created this role as a buffer between Rossi and the F1 team.
Rossi was also in charge when the F1 team lost several prominent members, including Marcin Budkowski, Alain Prost, Fernando Alonso, and the most high-profile of all, Oscar Piastri. He was also pessimistic about the team earlier this year when it did not live up to expectations but took credit when Esteban Ocon scored a surprise podium at the Monaco Grand Prix in May. Despite this, the team is in excellent shape and recently scored a massive investment from a few celebrity big-hitters.
Rossi seemed like a toxic boss to us, and the negativity inevitably filtered down to the entire team. It will be interesting to see how Alpine performs this weekend in Hungary without Rossi looking over its shoulder.
Keyword: Alpine Boss Replaced By Ferrari's Ex Director Of Engineering