Alpine with Ferrari power unit: contacts intensify in F1 Austrian paddock
07/01/2024 01:18 PM
In recent days, a rumor has emerged that the Italian team is in the running to supply the power unit from 2026, when the new, more sustainable units will arrive. The French team is considering the possibility of abandoning their proprietary power units to use the Italian ones in the next regulatory cycle. Rumors that seem to be confirmed in the paddock of the Austrian Grand Prix, with Alpine and Ferrari potentially negotiating for the power unit from 2026.
According to recent information, Alpine appears to be considering switching from being a constructor team to a customer team in the next regulatory cycle. Bruno Famin, team principal of the French team, has reflected on the situation and may have had contacts with rival constructors for engine supply. On Sunday at the Austrian Grand Prix, it emerged in the Formula 1 paddock that negotiations between Alpine and Ferrari could be more genuine, with representatives from both teams spotted behind the motorhomes.
The intense conversation in Austria
During our walk in the Austrian paddock, we encountered Enrico Gualtieri and Éric Meignan engaged in a conversation behind the McLaren motorhome. Enrico Gualtieri plays a key role within Scuderia Ferrari in managing the Ferrari Power Unit department. He is the technical director of the area and, at the moment, with his team, is working on designing the new power unit for the next regulatory cycle. On the other hand, the Alpine representative is the current technical director of the Power Unit for the French team. Therefore, it was a conversation between homologues of the two teams, who talked for several minutes in a secluded corner of the paddock.
Given the duration of the conversation, if it was focused on the supply of the 2026 power units, it might have touched on the state of progress. After this delicate discussion, which took place away from prying eyes, the two moved to the central corridor of the paddock, after several people noticed their conversation.
Source: f1ingenerale
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