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Alpine F1 Team

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76-628: Alpine F1 Team , currently racing as BWT Alpine F1 Team for sponsorship reasons, is the name under which the Enstone-based Formula One team has been competing since the start of the 2021 Formula One World Championship . Formerly named Renault F1 Team and owned by the French automotive company Groupe Renault as well as Renault–Nissan–Mitsubishi Alliance , the team was rebranded for 2021 to promote Renault's sports car brand, Alpine , and continues to serve as Renault's works team ,

152-703: A French car powered by a French engine since Alain Prost 's triumph at the 1983 Austrian Grand Prix driving a Renault car. Alonso also scored a podium in the Qatar Grand Prix , after qualifying fifth but starting third due to Max Verstappen and Valtteri Bottas gaining grid penalties. In January 2022, both team principal, Marcin Budkowski , and non-executive director, Alain Prost , left their roles. Otmar Szafnauer , formerly of Aston Martin F1 Team ,

228-422: A crowd that was standing in a restricted area, killing 2 photographers and injuring several others. But the race continued on, and with Andretti out, Hunt had no challengers left and he built a large gap, with teammate Mass second and Watson passing Scheckter for third. However, both Mass and Watson had to retire within one lap of each other with engine and gearbox failures, and with Scheckter dropping back, Reutemann

304-415: A few laps later to take the lead. Hunt dropped back with brake troubles as the race progressed, and Scheckter retired when his engine failed, leaving Reutemann and Lauda in second and third. Lauda was soon past Reutemann, and the latter had to retire when he spun off on oil on the track, handing third to Jones. The race finished in that order; with Andretti taking a dominant victory from Lauda, who closed in on

380-442: A fire extinguisher was hit by the car of Tom Pryce at about 270 km/h (170 mph) and was killed instantly by the collision. His fire extinguisher struck Pryce's face, killing and nearly decapitating him. The race continued however, and Lauda won, his first since his own horror crash last year, with home hero Scheckter second, and Depailler's six-wheeler took third from Hunt in the closing laps. The death of Pryce had shaken

456-439: A good start, and so Watson led into the first corner ahead of Lauda and Scheckter, but as the race progressed, a recovering Hunt soon passed both to get up to second behind Watson. The race was set for a grandstand British finish with Hunt slowly closing down leader Watson, but the fans were robbed of it when Watson's fuel system failed with 15 laps left and retired 8 laps later. Hunt took the lead and went on to win his first race of

532-655: A hearing of the Contract Recognition Board determined that Alpine did not have a valid contract with Piastri and was free to race with rival team McLaren in 2023. During the 2022 Japanese Grand Prix weekend the team confirmed that Pierre Gasly has signed a multiple-year contract with them starting in 2023. In July 2023, Laurent Rossi was replaced by Philippe Krief as CEO. During the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Alpine announced that Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane will leave

608-429: A huge circuit. In qualifying, Scheckter took his first pole of the season, ahead of Watson and then Lauda who headed the second row. Scheckter kept the lead at the first corner with both Watson and Lauda keeping their positions. Watson put pressure on Scheckter until his engine failed on the eighth lap, giving second to Lauda who passed Scheckter soon after and began to pull away. Scheckter battled for second with Hunt until

684-458: A lead. Watson and Scheckter battled for second until they collided, with Scheckter having to retire and Watson pitting for repairs. Hunt took second but he began to drop back and was passed by a charging Laffite, and then by his teammate Mass. Andretti however, was dominant until he had to pit due to a fuel metering problem with two laps left, handing the lead to Laffite who went on to take his first ever win ahead of Mass and Reutemann. The next race

760-403: A majority stake in the team, and from 2012 until 2015 the team's name was Lotus F1 Team , after its branding partner, and it raced as "Lotus". At the end of 2015, Renault had taken over the team for a second time, renaming it to Renault Sport Formula One Team . The team raced as "Renault" again, from 2016 , and continued as such until the end of the 2020 season . When discussing the history of

836-535: A popular home victory ahead of Lauda and a disappointed Scheckter. The next round was in Spain, at the Jarama circuit near Madrid, where Andretti continued his recent form with pole and Jacques Laffite 's Ligier springing a surprise, beating Lauda to second, however Lauda was unable to take part in the race due to a broken rib. At the start, Andretti took the lead with Laffite following. Laffite gave chase to Andretti in

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912-650: A position the team will keep until Renault pulls out of Formula One after 2025. The chassis and managerial side of the team is based in Enstone , Oxfordshire, England, and the Renault-branded engine side of the team is based in Viry-Châtillon , a suburb of Paris, France. The team competes with a French licence . The team has a long history, first competing in Formula One in 1981 as Toleman , when

988-601: A result which moved Alpine from ninth to sixth in the Constructors' Championship ahead of the Haas, RB and Williams teams with three rounds remaining. This marked "Team Enstone's" first double podium under the Alpine name and their first double double under any name since the 2013 Korean Grand Prix when the team was known as Lotus F1 . For 2025 , Gasly will be retained by the team for what will be Alpine's last season with

1064-401: A suspension failure took teammate and race leader Hunt out three laps later. Watson took the lead again, but he also had suspension failures and let teammate Carlos Pace through. Watson eventually retired, and Pace struggled towards the end due to heat in his cockpit and was passed by Jody Scheckter 's Wolf and Andretti, but the latter retired then with a wheel bearing failure. Scheckter took

1140-497: A works Renault power unit. Jack Doohan , who has served as the teams' reserve driver in previous seasons will be promoted to a full time race drive replacing Esteban Ocon who will join Haas . On 30 September 2024, owing to lack of strong results with its power unit during the V6 turbo-hybrid era since it began in 2014 , Renault announced it would be ending its engine programme following

1216-469: The 2016 Formula One World Championship . For the 2021 Formula One World Championship , Renault renamed the team after their subsidiary marque Automobiles Alpine to the Alpine F1 Team . Italics indicate factory team. 1977 Formula One season The 1977 Formula One season was the 31st season of FIA Formula One motor racing. It featured the 28th World Championship of Drivers and

1292-542: The Monaco Grand Prix , Ocon collided with Gasly during an overtake attempt in the first lap, resulting in the former's retirement from damage. Ocon was issued a five-place grid penalty at the Canadian Grand Prix and later apologised for his role in the incident. Team principal Bruno Famin commented that there would be "appropriate consequences". A week later, Alpine announced that Ocon will leave

1368-631: The 1980s. The original constructor in the lineage was Toleman , which competed in other categories of motor racing during the 1970s, initially operating out of a workshop in Kidlington and moving into the Witney factory ahead of the 1980 European Formula Two Championship , before entering Formula One starting from the 1981 Formula One World Championship . Toleman was sponsored by the Benetton Group fashion brand before being purchased by

1444-440: The 20th International Cup for Formula 1 Constructors . The season commenced on 9 January 1977 and ended on 23 October after seventeen races, making it the longest Formula One season in the sport's history at the time. The season also included a single non-championship race for Formula One cars, the 1977 Race of Champions . Niki Lauda won his second championship, despite Mario Andretti winning more races. Lauda did not complete

1520-828: The Alpine A350 Grand Prix car was built, powered by a Gordini V8 engine. However, after initial testing with Mauro Bianchi at Zandvoort , the project was ended when it was found that the engine produced around 300 horsepower (220 kW) compared to the Cosworth V8 engines' 400. In 1975 , the company produced the Alpine A500 prototype to test a 1.5 L V6 turbo engine for the Renault factory team which would eventually début in 1977 . In September 2020, Groupe Renault announced their intention to use "Alpine" as their works team's new name going forward to promote

1596-889: The Alpine brand, and thus the team became known as the "Alpine F1 Team" whilst retiring the "Renault F1 Team" moniker after five years. In June 2023, a group of investors, including actor Ryan Reynolds agreed a deal to pay €200 million for a 24% stake in the Alpine Formula One team. More investors joined the group later in 2023, including NFL players Patrick Mahomes , Travis Kelce , golfer Rory McIlroy , former heavyweight champion boxer Anthony Joshua and footballers Trent Alexander-Arnold and Juan Mata . For 2021 Alpine signed two-time World Champion Fernando Alonso to replace an outgoing Daniel Ricciardo . This would mark Alonso's third spell driving for Team Enstone having driven for them from 2003 to 2006 and again from 2008 to 2009 and won two drivers championships with

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1672-494: The Brabhams of Stuck and Watson. Stuck got the best start and took the lead into the first corner followed by Hunt and Andretti. Scheckter was on a charge and passed many drivers, including Lauda, in the early stages to get up to fourth, which became third when leader Stuck crashed out. However, Hunt and Andretti continued to pull away from him and, with Lauda running fourth, Scheckter needed something extraordinary to happen to keep

1748-586: The International Cup for Formula 1 Constructors: The 1977 season started in Argentina, returning after a year's absence. It was reigning world champion James Hunt who started off his title defence with pole position in his McLaren . Countryman John Watson shared the front row with him in the Brabham , and Patrick Depailler in the six-wheeled Tyrrell was third on the grid. The weather was, as

1824-491: The Monza Autodrome near Milan did not deter Hunt who took pole, whereas Reutemann cheered the home fans by starting second in front of Scheckter. Scheckter took the lead after a brilliant start, and in second place was Clay Regazzoni 's Ensign who got an even better one. Regazzoni however did not have the pace and soon dropped down the order, whereas Andretti was on the move, passing Hunt on the second lap, and Scheckter

1900-412: The championship, and Jones who took his second podium in three races. The scenario going into the second race in the eastern United States at the picturesque and fast Watkins Glen circuit in upstate New York was that if Lauda had a single point or if Scheckter did not win the race, Lauda would be world champion. Scheckter's hopes looked bleak as he qualified ninth to Lauda's seventh, as Hunt took pole from

1976-455: The company ahead of the 1986 Formula One World Championship ; the organisation was rebranded into a new constructor called Benetton Formula . Although officially a different constructor, Benetton was still effectively the same team as Toleman. The purchase took place in the first half of 1985, leading the team's staff to consider that season to be the first season of the Benetton era even if

2052-608: The conclusion of the 2025 championship and would not be making engines for the new 2026 regulations. This means Alpine will lose its status as a works team and become a customer team of Mercedes . Alpine will utilise Mercedes engines and gearboxes from the 2026 season onwards. Team Enstone " Team Enstone " is the colloquial name for a Formula One team based in Britain which has competed under five different identities and three different nationalities and been owned by various companies during its history; its name comes from

2128-405: The defending champion retired with an engine failure, giving third to Watson's teammate and home driver Hans-Joachim Stuck . That was how it stayed to the end; Lauda winning from Scheckter and Stuck. One notable highlight of the race involved German touring car legend Hans Heyer , who started the race despite failing to qualify. With two-thirds of the season complete, Lauda led the championship as

2204-539: The drivers went to the very fast and scenic Österreichring in Austria. This circuit had been modified from the year before – a chicane had been put in to replace the ultra fast, flat out Voest-Hugel Kurve. Lauda pleased his home fans further by beating Hunt to pole, with Andretti settling for third on the grid. The race started in damp conditions, and poleman Lauda led into the first corner followed by Hunt, but Andretti passed both at one corner soon after. His teammate Nilsson

2280-409: The early stages but had to pit with a deflating tyre, leaving Andretti to romp to victory with Reutemann second. Hunt inherited third but retired with a misfire, giving it to Watson until he lost places due to a spin, leaving Scheckter to take the final spot on the podium. In the elite Monaco race, Watson took his first career pole for Brabham with Scheckter also on the front row and Reutemann third. It

2356-456: The entire field, but they themselves were separated by nothing as they ran nose-to-tail. With less than 20 laps left, they came to lap third-placed Mass during which there was a misunderstanding between the McLarens who collided and spun off, Hunt retiring and Mass pitting for repairs and rejoining fifth. Andretti was left well over a lap ahead until his engine failed with three laps left, giving

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2432-473: The fast and flowing Mosport Park near Toronto, and the field went in minus Lauda, who was unconvinced that Ferrari could prepare three cars efficiently for a Grand Prix – the third car was for French-Canadian Gilles Villeneuve in his debut race with Ferrari. In qualifying, Andretti took yet another pole ahead of Hunt, with Ronnie Peterson's six-wheeled Tyrrell in third. The safety of the Mosport Park circuit

2508-407: The field up, and then before the next round at Long Beach, California in the western United States, there was more news, as Carlos Pace , who had finished second in the opening round in Argentina, was killed in a plane crash. The field, in a somber mood, went to this relatively new street circuit near Los Angeles, and Lauda took pole ahead of home hero Andretti, with Scheckter third. At the start, it

2584-534: The final few laps, leader Watson and Andretti were running nose-to-tail but Watson held him off till the last lap when his engine missed a beat and immediately Andretti was past. Andretti thus took the win ahead of a crestfallen Watson and Hunt. British drivers had not much luck this season, so it was a relief to the British fans at the fast Silverstone circuit to see defending champion Hunt on pole for his home race with Watson alongside, and Lauda next. Hunt did not get

2660-491: The first win of 1977, with Pace second, and home hero Carlos Reutemann completing the podium for Ferrari . The second round took place at the longest circuit of the year – the very demanding and difficult 5-mile Interlagos circuit in São Paulo, Brazil. Hunt took pole again with Reutemann second and Andretti third on the grid. Home hero Pace took the lead at the start, with Hunt dropping behind Reutemann as well but soon Hunt

2736-501: The five different constructors in the lineage in 778 Grands Prix, winning fifty of them. The outfit has been noted for its frequent changes of identity . The organisation won the Formula One World Constructors' Championship as Benetton Formula in 1995 and as Renault F1 Team in 2005 and 2006 . Although the organisation has changed names several times, it has legally remained the same company since

2812-444: The lead at the start, and Scheckter and Mass jumped up to second and third, whereas Andretti had a terrible start and was at the tail of the top ten. On the second lap, Andretti was involved in a collision while trying to gain places, putting him out. But this race, like South Africa was marred by terrible tragedy. Peterson and Villeneuve came together at the end of the straight, and Villeneuve crashed appallingly and his Ferrari flew into

2888-498: The lead. Scheckter led the early stages ahead of Nilsson, whereas Reutemann made an early charge but spun off. The track began to dry and everyone had to pit for tyres, and those who stopped early were the ones who benefited, as now Lauda was leading from Jochen Mass and Scheckter was down to fifth. Mass spun off from second, handing it to Nilsson who then went on to catch and pass Lauda before driving away to his first career victory. Behind second-placed Lauda, Ronnie Peterson completed

2964-527: The organisation as a whole rather than those of specific constructors it has operated, the colloquialism " Team Enstone " is generally used. The team operates in a 17,000 m (180,000 sq ft) facility on a 17-acre (6.9 ha) site in Enstone. By May 2023, Alpine had approximately 1,000 personnel in Enstone and 350 in Viry-Châtillon . The involvement of the sportscar manufacturer Automobiles Alpine in Formula One can be traced back to 1968 , when

3040-552: The outfit in March 2000 and renamed it to the Renault F1 Team for the 2002 Formula One World Championship . Renault sold a seventy-five percent stake in the organisation to Genii Capital ahead of the 2010 Formula One World Championship , before selling the remaining twenty-five percent to Genii a year later, with Lotus Cars becoming the Renault team's title sponsor for the 2011 Formula One World Championship . While

3116-452: The podium for Team Tyrrell after Scheckter retired with an engine failure. The Swedish race at the isolated Anderstorp Raceway was full of anticipation after Nilsson's win last time out, but once again in qualifying, it was his teammate Andretti leading the way from Watson, with Hunt heading the second row. At the start, again it was Watson who led into the first corner followed by Scheckter, but soon Andretti passed both of them and opened up

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3192-518: The podium. Belgium was host to the seventh race of the season, and in qualifying at the Zolder circuit Andretti took a comfortable pole with Watson just beating the second Lotus of Gunnar Nilsson to second. The race was wet due to rain earlier in the day, and Watson took the lead at the first corner, but later in the first lap, Andretti ran into the back to him while attempting to retake the lead, resulting in both of them spinning out and Scheckter taking

3268-462: The record books still name them as Toleman during that year. The Benetton Group being Italian was perceived as easing Toleman in securing a tyre supply from Pirelli , and it was considered important to find a buyer that would retain the design team led by Rory Byrne . Benetton initially continued to race under a British licence, before switching to an Italian licence for the 1996 Formula One World Championship . French car-maker Renault purchased

3344-474: The season with Laffite alongside on the front row, and Hunt third. At the start, Hunt jumped both the front row starters to lead but before the end of the first lap, Andretti tried to drive alongside him but some aggressive defending from Hunt forced him to lift, and Laffite took advantage to get second. Five laps later, Andretti had got back past Laffite and was again attacking Hunt, who defended aggressively but this time Andretti did not lift and they collided. Hunt

3420-480: The season, departing Scuderia Ferrari after securing the title at the 1977 United States Grand Prix . Ferrari won its third consecutive Constructors' title, with new driver Carlos Reutemann having a solid season. The season was marred by a horrific accident during the South African GP : Tom Pryce was unable to avoid hitting 19-year-old race marshal Frederik Jansen van Vuuren, who had tried to cross

3496-518: The season, with Lauda second. Scheckter ran third until his engine failed, thus giving the place to Andretti until he too suffered a similar fate, leaving Nilsson to take the final spot on the podium. The West German race took place in Hockenheim because the Nürburgring track was deemed to be too dangerous to race on because of the inability of the 'Ring's organizers to effectively manage such

3572-472: The second Lotus of Nilsson attacked him, and the two collided with Nilsson out and Reutemann rejoining at the back. This sensationally left Patrick Tambay in the Ensign third, but he ran out of fuel on the last lap, thus handing the place to Scheckter. This meant that Lauda had a 21-point lead over Scheckter with four races left. Italy was next on the calendar, but the fact that it was Ferrari's home race at

3648-522: The team (for the first time), and by the 2002 season its name was changed to Renault F1 Team , and it was racing as Renault. Renault won the Constructors' Championship in 2005 and 2006 and its driver, Fernando Alonso won the Drivers' Championships in the same two years. In 2011 , Lotus Cars came on board as a sponsor, and the team's name changed to Lotus Renault GP , though still racing as just "Renault" for that season. By 2012, Genii Capital had

3724-474: The team after the race. Chief technical officer Pat Fry will leave the team at the end of the year to join Williams . Alpine finished the season sixth in the constructors' championship, while Gasly and Ocon were 11th and 12th, respectively, in the drivers' standings. The team reportedly lost about half a second per lap on average because the Renault power unit was lagging behind its rivals. Without this deficit,

3800-615: The team at the end of the season following his contract running out. During the Belgian Grand Prix weekend, Alpine announced that team principal Bruno Famin would leave his role as team principal. Famin is set to move to Renault 's mainline motorsports divisions. Famin's position was taken by Oliver Oakes from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards. Alpine scored a double podium at the 2024 São Paulo Grand Prix with Ocon finishing second and Gasly third behind only race winner and defending drivers champion Max Verstappen of Red Bull Racing,

3876-529: The team could have had performance similar to that of the Mercedes team. Alpine retained the driver pairing of Gasly and Ocon for the 2024 season . At the Bahrain Grand Prix , the team locked out the bottom of the grid in qualifying and finished the race in 17th and 18th. After the race, it was announced that Alpine's technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer had left

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3952-514: The team in 2005 and 2006 when the team used the Renault name. and Esteban Ocon was retained from the 2020 Renault team . The Alpine car used Renault engines. Renault team boss, Cyril Abiteboul , announced he would leave as Renault transitioned to Alpine. Abiteboul was replaced by Davide Brivio , who previously worked for Suzuki in MotoGP . Alpine's first race ended with Alonso being forced to retire, after debris caused his car to overheat. Ocon

4028-498: The team switched from a French to a British licence, they continued to officially compete as Renault in 2011. From the 2012 Formula One World Championship the team represented a new constructor called Lotus F1 , whose cars chassis designations contained an "E" which stood for "Enstone". Renault repurchased the team from Genii at the end of the 2015 Formula One World Championship , and the Renault F1 Team name returned for

4104-465: The team was based in Witney , England. In 1986 , following its purchase by Benetton Group , it was renamed and competed as Benetton . As Benetton, it won the 1995 Constructors' Championship and its driver, Michael Schumacher , won two Drivers' Championships in 1994 and 1995 . Prior to the 1992 season it moved to its current location in Enstone , UK. By the 2000 season, Renault had purchased

4180-411: The team, with the team moving to a structure of three technical directors, with Joe Burnell overseeing engineering, David Wheater for aerodynamics and Ciaron Pilbeam for performance. A few days later, it was reported that Bob Bell will leave his advisory role at Alpine to reunite with Fernando Alonso at Aston Martin in an operational role. On 2 May, David Sanchez , who had left McLaren a month earlier,

4256-402: The title battle alive. That did not happen, as the rest of the race passed on without incident, with Hunt winning ahead of Andretti and Scheckter, with Lauda's fourth place enough to make him the world champion. After the race, Lauda decided not to race in the final two races because of the declining relationship between him and Ferrari. Canada was host to the penultimate round of the season at

4332-409: The title sponsor of the team, in a deal aimed at sustainability drive. Alonso qualified in second for the Canadian Grand Prix , only behind Verstappen. This was his best qualifying position since the 2012 German Grand Prix , though he suffered an issue in the race and finished in ninth. Alonso moved to Aston Martin for the 2023 season because he wanted a multi-year contract extension, and Alpine

4408-519: The top six classified finishers. The International Cup for F1 Constructors only counted the points of the highest-finishing driver for each race. For both the Championship and the Cup, the best eight results from rounds 1-9 and the best seven results from rounds 10-17 were counted. Numbers without parentheses are championship points; numbers in parentheses are total points scored. Points were awarded in

4484-473: The track. The latter was killed in the collision, while his fire extinguisher struck and killed Pryce. His car proceeded to the end of the straight where it collided with Jacques Laffite 's Ligier . There was further tragedy as Carlos Pace lost his life in an aviation accident, only a couple of weeks later. The following drivers and constructors contested the World Championship of Drivers and

4560-680: The village of Enstone in Oxfordshire , where it has been based since late-1991, having previously operated out of Witney . The team's factory is called the Whiteways Technical Centre, and is one of several Formula One team bases located in relatively close proximity to the Silverstone Circuit in Northamptonshire . As of the 2024 Las Vegas Grand Prix , forty-five drivers have competed for

4636-589: The win to Scheckter. Patrick Depailler finished second for Tyrrell, and Mass completed the podium. The final round of the season was in Japan at the fast Fuji Speedway near Tokyo, and Andretti and Hunt continued their late-season battle, with the American pipping Hunt to the pole, with Watson heading the second row. Unlike the previous year, the weather conditions at the Fuji circuit near Tokyo were perfect, and Hunt took

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4712-437: Was Scheckter who got the best start to beat Watson to the first corner, with Reutemann running third in the early stages until he was passed by his teammate Lauda. Watson ran second to Scheckter until mid-race when he had to retire with gearbox trouble, allowing Lauda to close in on Scheckter but the latter was flawless and held on to take his second win of the season. Lauda had to be satisfied with second, with Reutemann completing

4788-443: Was Scheckter who got the best start, and he passed both Andretti and Lauda, with Reutemann going up an escape road and spinning as he tried to follow Scheckter through. The top three of Scheckter, Andretti and Lauda pulled away from the rest of the pack, and ran closely together but the order did not change. However, a tyre began to deflate for Scheckter, and both Andretti and Lauda passed him with two laps left, with Andretti thus taking

4864-594: Was announced as the new team principal in the same month. Former deputy secretary-general for sport at the FIA , Bruno Famin, has been recruited as executive director of Alpine at Viry-Châtillon, responsible for power-unit development. Famin had also previously led Peugeot to three consecutive Dakar Rally victories as head of its sporting division from 2016 to 2018, and a Le Mans 24 Hours triumph in 2009 as technical head of its endurance program. Oscar Piastri replaced Daniil Kvyat as test driver. In February 2022, BWT became

4940-561: Was back behind Pace and attacking. There was contact, and Hunt took the lead whereas Pace had to pit for repairs. Hunt led Reutemann until he began to suffer from tyre troubles and was passed by Reutemann. Hunt pitted for new tyres, and rejoined fourth and soon passed Niki Lauda in the Ferrari and Watson to reclaim second. Reutemann marched on to victory, Hunt was second and Lauda third after Watson crashed out. The race in South Africa

5016-471: Was hit by Aston Martin driver, Sebastian Vettel . Despite a disappointing start, Alpine scored in the next fifteen races, including a victory for Ocon at the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix . It marked the first victory for a French driver driving for a French team since Olivier Panis ' triumph at the 1996 Monaco Grand Prix driving for the Ligier team as well as the first victory for a French driver driving

5092-646: Was on a charge and was rapidly up to second, whereas Lauda went backwards. Nilsson had to pit to change tyres, giving second to Hunt and this became the lead when Andretti's engine failed. The Australian Alan Jones in the Shadow was now charging up the order, passing both Scheckter and Stuck and as the race progressed, the recovering Nilsson and Lauda also passed the duo, however none of them could make an impression on Hunt. Hunt seemed to be headed for victory until his engine failed with ten laps left, giving Jones his first ever Formula One victory. Lauda took second and Stuck

5168-450: Was only willing to give him one more year in F1. Alpine announced that Piastri would be replacing Alonso; but Piastri immediately denied he had a contract to race with the team. Team principal Szafnauer criticised Piastri, saying that Piastri should show more loyalty to Alpine, and claimed that Piastri was thankful when told about his F1 promotion prior to Alpine's announcement. In September 2022,

5244-541: Was out on the spot, whereas Andretti spun and rejoined fourth. This left Laffite leading from the Ferraris of Lauda and Reutemann. The latter had a long battle with Andretti for third, repeatedly exchanging places, until the Lotus driver's engine blew up. Soon after, Lauda passed Laffite to take the lead, and he went on build a gap and win comfortably. Laffite finished second. After Andretti's demise, Reutemann ran third until

5320-495: Was over a month later, but Hunt still continued his streak of poles, with Pace alongside and Lauda next. Hunt led off at the start, with Lauda and Scheckter following him after Pace struggled. The order stayed put until the seventh lap when Lauda took the lead and was never headed again, with Scheckter taking second from Hunt 11 laps later. On lap 21, two marshals ran across the track after the Shadow of Renzo Zorzi caught fire. The second marshal, Fredrik Jansen van Vuuren, carrying

5396-484: Was second until he was passed by Laffite. Hunt went on and capped off the season with a comfortable win, whereas Laffite ran of fuel on the last lap, handing over second to Reutemann and allowing Depailler to complete the podium. The Japanese Grand Prix was not held again until 1987 at the Suzuka circuit – there had been talk of moving the race from Fuji to Suzuka for 1978, but this never materialized. Points were awarded to

5472-501: Was signed as executive technical director. In May 2024, Alpine announced the controversial return of Flavio Briatore to the team as a special supervisor. He previously worked at Team Enstone as team principal from 2000 to 2009, having previously resigned due to a race-fixing scandal . After finishing out of the top ten four races later, Alpine scored their first points at the Miami Grand Prix where Ocon finished tenth. At

5548-460: Was staged at the newly extended Dijon-Prenois circuit in France, and once again it was Andretti on pole with Hunt second and Nilsson third on the grid. Hunt got the best start and led into the first corner from Watson and Laffite, with Andretti dropping down to fourth. However, Watson passed Hunt on the fifth lap and started to build a gap until Andretti got up to second and began to reel him in. During

5624-588: Was third, both benefiting after Nilsson also retired with an engine failure. Jones's victory was so unexpected that the organizers did not have a copy of the Australian national anthem, so they played "Happy Birthday" instead (it was not Jones's birthday that day). The field went to the Zandvoort circuit near Amsterdam in the Netherlands for the next round, and in qualifying Andretti took his fifth pole of

5700-508: Was under intense scrutiny, as the ubiquitous bumps and limited safety of the circuit caused a number of nasty accidents including Briton Ian Ashley vaulting barriers and crashing into a TV tower. These accidents were dealt with badly and the severely injured Ashley was only flown out 40 minutes after he crashed. But the race went ahead anyway, and both Andretti and Hunt kept their positions at the start, with Hunt's teammate Jochen Mass charging up to third. Andretti and Hunt then proceeded to demolish

5776-530: Was very often the case in Buenos Aires, oppressively hot, which contributed to the attrition of this race – the track temperature was 51 °C (124 °F). Watson took the lead at the start with Hunt second. Watson led for the first 10 laps until Hunt moved ahead and pulled away, with Mario Andretti 's Lotus third, but soon the other McLaren of Jochen Mass took the place. Mass had to retire soon after with an engine failure which caused him to spin, and

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