Jul.18 (GMM) Employees and followers of Renault’s Formulation 1 crew Alpine could also be feeling nervous forward of the Belgian GP subsequent weekend.
Lately, Renault CEO Luca de Meo immediately resigned – and now devastating monetary outcomes have compounded the French carmaker’s distress.
“Yesterday, Renault Group shares collapsed,” mentioned Elmir Valeev, a Formulation 1 commentator for Setanta Sports activities.
“Not fell, however collapsed by virtually 20 %, and a day later there isn’t a signal of a rebound.”
Certainly, Renault has already introduced cost-cutting measures, having admitted money circulate within the first half of 2025 of simply 47 million euros – tons of of thousands and thousands of euros under expectations.
“That’s virtually a catastrophe,” mentioned Valeev.
Within the void left by de Meo, who final 12 months appointed Flavio Briatore as his government advisor for Formulation 1, Renault has now appointed a brand new CEO however solely “for an interim interval”.
“The choice course of for the brand new Chief Government Officer is already effectively underway,” a Renault assertion declared.
Whoever is in the end appointed will certainly really feel growing strain to look critically on the costly funding required for the Alpine crew.
“In such a state of affairs,” mentioned Valeev, “it’s important to eliminate non-core belongings. And their important non-core asset is the Formulation 1 crew.
“Think about the state of affairs – your organization is struggling colossal losses and has big issues with money. Then you could have a not-particularly core asset – a Formulation 1 crew. A crew during which you invested a number of hundred million {dollars}, however which now, after the explosive progress of the championship, is price one and a half billion.
“And regardless of such a cosmic price ticket, there are teams and consortiums swarming round – actually swarming – wanting to offer you this cash in trade for a crew that isn’t your core enterprise.
“What would you do?” he wrote on Telegram.
It’s being rumoured that if Mercedes succeeds at signing Max Verstappen for 2026, Toto Wolff will do a cope with Briatore to mortgage Kimi Antonelli to Alpine.
Rookie Antonelli, simply 18, has admitted to struggling for efficiency not too long ago – and likewise grappling with the massive strain of getting changed Lewis Hamilton at an enormous crew.
“It’s like swimming in a sea filled with sharks,” the younger Italian tells Corriere della Sera newspaper. “It takes only a second to fall into the entice and be eaten.
“I realised this in Imola, the place I understood how necessary it’s to find time for myself. Moments the place I’m alone, in a quiet place, the place I can mentally swap off and isolate myself.”