FIA Team principals press conference – Belgium

TEAM REPRESENTATIVES: Bruno FAMIN (Alpine), Laurent MEKIES (RB), Frédéric VASSEUR (Ferrari), Alessandro ALUNNI BRAVI (Kick Sauber)

Q: Alessandro, can we start with you? Your team was front and centre in the news cycle coming into this Grand Prix. with the news that Matti Binotto is replacing Oliver Hoffman and Andreas Seidl. What can you tell us about why this change has been made?

Alessandro ALUNNI BRAVI: First of all, good afternoon to everybody. As you know, I think that as a part of the complete takeover by Audi AG of all the shares in the Sauber Group, there has been a realignment of the control structures, aiming at redefined responsibilities, to have an efficient decision-making process with a clear management structure. In order to reach this goal, there has been also a new leadership team that has been put in place with Mattia Binotto, that has been appointed as a CTO and COO, reporting directly to the Audi AG CEO, Gernot Döllner. So I think that this is a very important, again, proof of the commitment of Audi into the F1 project. Mattia has a proven track record. He has a vast experience, more than 25 years in Formula 1, having led important project, first as an engine a leader of the engine department at Ferrari, then of course overviewing the technical department until his appointment as a team principal in 2019. So I think that is an important decision that give again the sign of the Audi commitment and that should help the team to bring our team up to the F1 speed in terms of decision process, in terms of leadership, and I think it is an important and good move for all our team.

Q: Alessandro, you talk about the leadership and the reporting structure. Can you tell us from your point of view, what was it like working with Andreas and Oliver?

AAB: First of all, let me say thank you to Andreas and Oliver because, of course, they have helped the team to start the project for the entry into Formula 1. So the first thing is for them, and to thank them about their contribution. I think that as of the Audi takeover, there was a need for a change of speed into the F1 project. We know that there is a lot of work to be done ahead of us, but we know also that it's important that we appoint people that can help us to have a clear management structure. In order to work in a very integrated way between Hinwil and Neuburg, Because, of course, this is the target, you know, to work as a Formula 1 factory team. And this is something that will be even better implemented through the appointment of Mattia. And, of course, it's not for me to comment on the individual, you know, background and the reason why. But I think that we need to not judge what has been done, if not thank Andreas and Oliver, but we need to look at the future. We need to look at the next steps. As I mentioned, there is a lot of work ahead of us. And I think that with Mattia, we can achieve the targets that are both the targets of Audi AG and all the people working in Hinwil and in Neuburg.

Q: So looking at the future, are you expecting Mattia to do things differently?

AAB: Every person has a different approach. It's not a matter of just the profile, the background, the personality, of course. I know Mattia from many years, thanks to the partnership we had when Fred was our team principal at Sauber and the relationship with Ferrari. I think he's very competent with a very proven background. And I think that he has a vast competence, especially in the technical matters. The message is clear. He will be leading Sauber Motorsport. He will have a full responsibility and accountability for the sporting success of the Audi factory team. I think he has all the characteristics in order to reach this goal and guide our structure towards 2026 and onwards.

Q: OK, thank you very much for that. I'm sure there'll be more questions for you on this topic in a moment. Can we come to the other team that was creating a few headlines coming into this weekend, Bruno and Alpine? But before we get into the power unit business and other things, I just did want to ask you about FP1 and Esteban Ocon's problem. What were his issues?

Bruno FAMIN: Good afternoon everyone. It was a leak on the cooling circuit of the battery. It was super difficult to access and we had to remove the engine to access that part.

Q: Thank you for clarifying that. Let's stick with the power unit because there's been a lot of speculation about what you're going to do in the future. What is going on? What's the latest?

BF: The latest is that we have presented a project. In fact, the project is not the power unit. The project is much bigger than that. It's a transformation project at the level of the Alpine brand. You know, the Alpine brand is developing, has a huge, huge project of development, with seven new models in the coming years with high-end technology. Very, very ambitious to build this new sporting brand and to make it known outside of France, everywhere in the world. And then the project which has been presented at the beginning of the week to the staff representative in Viry-Châtillon is to reallocate the resources from one side to another, one side being the development of the Formula 1 power unit, which is being made in Viry, to dedicate those resources and skills to developing new technologies for the brand, for the new product of the brand. And then, one of the consequences of this project, if it's accepted, would be then for Alpine F1 team to buy a power unit instead of developing its own power unit. And then we'll have more resources to develop the brand and a different power unit to race for the Formula 1 team.

Q: Okay, a couple of questions on that. Can you tell us who you're speaking to? And does this apply for 2025 or 2026?

BF: The project which has been presented to the staff representative in Viry and to different governance bodies, is talking about ‘26 onwards on the power unit, clearly. And of course, we are talking to different PU manufacturers. And for the time being, of course, nothing is done because, again, it's a project. We cannot… We have to follow, you know, in France, unions, we have a social process, very strict to follow. And we have to follow it very strictly. And we cannot take any decision until having reached the end of that process. For that, I mean, we are talking to some PU manufacturers, but we cannot sign anything until this process is over.

Q: One final one from me. There's also been speculation in the Formula 1 paddock about your future as the team principal of Alpine. What can you tell us?

BF: I read that, yes! You know, for the later year, I've been doubling my activities with one, the VP motorsport role, where I am managing Viry-Châtillon, with all the endurance, Dakar and Formula E projects we are managing there. And on top of that, acting as the managing director of BWT Alpine F1 team. And considering the stakes of the new project I was just mentioning about Viry, I think it will be much more useful for the company to dedicate my time, to concentrate my time to the Viry activities. I mean all the other motorsport activities and to the transformation project, if it's confirmed, because it will be a huge impact on all the Viry people. Let's not forget that the guys in Viry are making an amazing job. We all know that since 2014, we don't have the best engine in Viry, but it's one of the engines which improved the most since 2014. And now, we're still not exactly at the top, but the improvement has been very good. And the job which is being done in Viry to prepare the 2026 engine is incredible. We fixed a very high target and I am confident that we can reach that target. The figures we have from the dyno are very good. All the people are very involved, very professional, very skilled. And it's a very difficult situation there. And I think all the people, they are worth that we dedicate the necessary time to be with them in this project, which is huge. And that's why I will finish. My answer is a bit long, I know, but the topic is important. And, you know, we have a new executive advisor, since sometimes. I have no problem with Flavio. The little time we spend together, I have absolutely no issue, no problem. Everybody knows him. He has his own way. He has his own goal. I have no problem. But I think it will be clearer on that side if I step down from the team principal role of Alpine F1. And I will dedicate my time… Then I will step down from the team principal role by the end of August and be fully dedicated to the Viry-Châtillon activities from the 1st of September.

Q: Bruno, thank you very much for explaining that. I'm sure there will be more questions from the floor in just a moment. If I could just come to the other two members and I'm sure we'll come back to you, Bruno, in a minute. Laurent, just very quickly, one question from me. A lot of speculation about drivers. Are you expecting to have a new driver in your team when we go to Zandvoort after the summer break?

Laurent MEKIES: Well, yes, there have been a lot of speculations. But you know what? What we kept saying is, look, guys, we spent the best part of the first part of the season just to get the car better, just to give a better car to Daniel and Yuki. And we have always said there is, from a team perspective, there is no rush. As much as there is excitement out there, there is no rush in choosing the drivers for next year. Now, equally, we are getting to the middle part of the seasons. Yes, it's been very public. I think we've made it very public that we will sit down in the summer break in order to discuss the drivers' futures. It doesn't mean that there is necessarily a change in Zandvoort, but it's only fair that halfway through the season we sit down and we look at what's the best way to move forward.

Q: Okay, thank you for that. And Fred, just coming to you, one question for me. Just what have we learnt in FP1? It seemed that the car was better in Hungary. Is that going to translate to the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend?

Frédéric VASSEUR: I think it's a bit early stage to do a conclusion now, but more than everywhere else, the engine mode and the level of fuel and so on are crucial in FP1 in Spa. We'll have a better picture perhaps tonight.

QUESTIONS FROM THE FLOOR

Q: (Christian Menath – Motorsport-magazin.com) Questions for you, Alessandro. What does the reshuffled Audi mean for you? Mattia, as you mentioned, is CTO and COO. You're a team representative. Will there be a team principal as well, or will Mattia take that role? What's the plan for that?

AAB: I think that it's clear that Mattia is the leader of the team and of course it will be part of his decision to establish the management team. I don't think that this is relating to a single individual. I think that Mattia will start the 1st of August. He will have time to understand if the current management team and the entire organisational structure is what is necessary to bring up to F1 speed all our group. I think that what I can say is that Mattia has the full support of everybody at Audi, including myself, to have a quick integration and to have a full understanding of what is the current Sauber team and what, in our opinion, could be helpful to do the very next steps.

Q: (Filip Cleeren – Motorsport.com) Just to follow up on that, Alessandro. We've often seen car manufacturers come into F1 in the past and almost get too involved in the running of the F1 team itself. So by Mattia coming on board instead of Oliver and Andres, is that sort of a scenario that Audi is trying to avoid? And will Mattia have a wider reign than Andreas to make the changes that he thinks are needed?

AAB: I think that we have said that there has been, after the complete takeover of Sauber Group, a realignment of the control structure. Targets are clear to have defined responsibility, to have efficiency in the decision-making process. And I think the fact that Mattia will be the clear, we have a clear leadership, reporting directly to Gernot Döllner, is an important sign of this new process that will, I think, help us to even further accelerate this transformation process. So I would say it is not a new dynamic, but it's a correct dynamic that we need in order to perform all the tasks and also the challenges that are ahead of us.

Q: (Scott Mitchell-Malm – The Race) A question to Bruno. You’ve now seen the Viry side of the operation and the Enstone sides up close. Since the Renault works team came back into F1 in 2016 it's just seemed to have failed to effectively integrate both sides to the level enough to be a top team in Formula 1. From what you've seen up close why do you think that is?

BF: I think the story of this team is quite complex. Everybody knows it more or less. It's up and downs, stop and go. And I think it's very difficult to try to build something altogether like that. I think during the last year, I think we made quite a lot of good progress, trying to make this advantage, because I think it was an advantage to be able to do both, to make it work. But yeah, I think the reason is very complex and is located in the complex history of the team. But it has nothing to do with the project which has been presented to Viry people. I think it's really, a project in order to give even more chance for the Alpine brand to develop itself, to use the incredible skills we have in Viry. And I have no doubt that if this project is confirmed, Enstone will work well with any other PU manufacturer.

Q: (Luke Smith – The Athletic) Bruno, two questions to you. Firstly, could you give a timeline on when you anticipate announcing a new team principal? Have you identified who will be taking over your role? And secondly, with the customer engine deal coming in, again, a timeline for when you think there'll be an announcement there?

BF: It's not to me to talk about, to answer that first question, at least. After, I think for the timeline, the timeline is what I said. We need to finish the social process in Viry, and it can take one week, it can take two months. We will need to finish that process and after I think the soonest will be the best for the team, of course, because everybody in Enstone needs to know how to design and with what to design the 2026 car, for sure. Very good people there as well, very constructive co-operation with them and that's for the timeline.

Q: (Carlo Platella – FormulaPassion.it) A question for Lauren, Fred and Alessandro. What are your thoughts about the prospect for Formula 1 of losing an engine manufacturer, as Renault Alpine?

LM: I think it's always a bad news when you lose an OEM. And of course, from what Bruno is saying, the OEM will stay as a team, but obviously, one of the big targets of these new regulations in 2026 was to attract more OEMs. So ultimately, if it goes as Bruno said, it means that we'll get plus one with Audi and minus one with Alpine. So I don't think it's a good news. However, it comes, luckily, at a time where there is many manufacturers in Formula 1. So I would say that the sport can well afford this change. But it's never a good news when we lose a PU manufacturer.

FV: I'm more focused on the people of Renault. I know very well the company that I spent years with them. I started my career in 1992 with Renault and I'm profoundly attached to Renault and I think it's a shame.

AAB: I fully agree with Fred, because I think in this moment that is, of course, critical, and I think we can share this feeling with Bruno, people are important and we need to be focused on them. Then for me, what I think is also maybe something to understand, it seems that this is a decision that is not linked, of course, to the new PU regulation or to the trajectory that Formula 1 is taking towards 2026. I think that the PU regulations are very attractive for new manufacturers and of course Audi is the perfect example that thanks to this new regulation there is an interest from the automotive, you know, to be in Formula 1 because it's the pillar of the technology and the best, you know, testing bench for the future mobility technical solutions. So I think that is something different from the decision from Renault. And I think as a Formula 1, we need to be clear on this, you know. Sometimes it can happen. But now, as Fred said, is important the people. And I hope that the project that Bruno is developing will go forward because Bruno himself and the people at Viry-Châtillon that I also know personally deserve.

Q: (Jon Noble – Motorsport.com) Bruno, I know the final decision hasn't been made yet about the future of the F1 project, but the direction of travel seems quite clear and where it's heading to. But why does no longer being a manufacturer make sense now when it's been part of Renault for almost 40 years in Formula 1?

BF: Because we are at a very specific crossroads where the project for developing the Alpine brand is now very concrete, very clear. We know the resources needed for developing it. And on the other hand, we know that for the 2026 car generation in Formula 1, it's now that the chassis regulations have been published a few weeks ago. It's now that we have to decide, because again, the guy designing the chassis needs to know with which PU they are going to use. It's not why before, it's because now the question at the Alpine brand point of view is how do we use in the best possible way for developing the brand the resources we have.

Q: (Henry Clark – Daily Mail) A question for Fred. Lewis will be your driver next season and yesterday he appeared to suggest that Max's behaviour last week over the team radio was not befitting of a world champion. If your driver was speaking like that over the team radio, would you be pulling him aside after the race for a word?

FV: I don't see the link with Lewis on this, I'm sorry. I don't know if I have to be politically correct or not, but at the end of the day, we have also to keep in mind that we are the only sport in the world where the guys are speaking on the radio during the effort or the race. I'm not sure that if you put a microphone on a football player, it would be much better. Even on the referee sometimes. It means that we have also to calm down with this. Or we have to switch off the microphone, but I'm not sure that it will be a step forward for the show. But I will discuss with Lewis about it.

Q: (Ian Parkes – New York Times) Bruno, you mentioned that French unions are notoriously strict. Presumably that's with regard to protecting the workforce at Viry. They want to ensure that every person there has a safe future, pretty much. But given how slow that they do work in the French unions, is there any danger that there could be a delay in the naming of a new power unit supplier?

BF: It's the French labour law, which are a bit strict, to correct, if I was not correct enough the first time. No, I don't expect any delay. The process will take some weeks and it will be quite fast anyway. We are following all the mandatory steps and there is no reason not to make it properly. A very important thing in the project which has been presented: every single employee will be offered a job. There is no redundancy at all. And we are doing everything to make potentially, because again, it's still a project, but if it's confirmed, to make a very difficult moment as less painful as possible. But we know it's never easy, this kind of thing.

Q: (Edd Straw – The Race) Another one for Bruno. As you've said, it is an advantage to do the car and engine. You've explained the reasons why with this project you may change the way Viry is doing things for the Alpine brand. Is that not confirmation that Renault and Alpine is no longer prioritising Formula 1 success, because you've sacrificed performance potential? and therefore what's the point of pushing on with the Formula 1 team? and is this a move towards selling?

BF: There is a bit of potential in developing the integration, but it's quite theoretical at the end of the story, because now all the PU manufacturers are working very closely, very early in the project with the teams, and all the integration are incredibly optimised. And if we take a Ferrari or Mercedes engine, I'm quite convinced that all the integration, all the packaging will be already very, very good. Then to answer the question, no, the Formula 1 project remains a key project for the Alpine brand. It's thanks to Formula 1 that we want to develop the brand awareness globally. That remains, but the project is just reallocating the resources to develop the brand better always based on the pillar of motorsport and mainly Formula 1 to develop the awareness.

Q: (Adam Cooper – Adam Cooper F1) Fred, it's taken about 18 months, but you and Mattia have swapped teams in effect. You know him very well, you know Sauber very well, you know the challenges of running a team in Switzerland. Can you give us your thoughts on him going there with the skill set he has? and maybe Lauren can comment on Mattia’s qualities as well?

FV: Honestly, not. I'm focused on my team, on my guys, and I know perfectly the fact that it's difficult to do a Formula 1 team, but not only in Switzerland. I think it's tough everywhere. And Mattia did a very good job at Ferrari in the past, that it was successful, that the team was successful, and I wish them all the best. But it's not up to me to make any comments on the potential of Mattia and Audi.

LM: I mean, Alessandro has mentioned it earlier. In terms of skill set, there is no question that Mattia has everything to make it work there and probably anywhere else. So, you know, I guess these guys are going to become an even stronger competitor as a result in the near future.