Meo sets out his one goal for Alpine in 2021

Michelle Foster
Alpine F1

Alpine F1

Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has one simple goal for the Alpine team in the 2021 F1 season, do “better than in the previous” campaign.

Last season Renault finished fifth in the Constructors’ Championship, securing two podium finishes as the team scored 181 points.

Although one of the biggest improvers in the second half of the campaign, the Enstone team fell short in their battle for third, losing out to McLaren and Racing Point.

This year Meo wants better.

“Doing better than the previous one, that is to win more podiums,” he said in an interview with Corriere dello Sport when asked about his goals for 2021.

Get your hands on the official Renault 2020 collection via the Formula 1 store

This year Renault is racing under a new moniker, bringing the Alpine name to Formula 1.

“Formula 1 for Renault is the history of the Alpine,” Meo said, “it is at the center of our business, we have been participating in the great circus for 43 years, the series cars are produced in the Dieppe factory, the example of the best French industrial manufacture, the racing one between Viry, France and Enstone, England.

“Alpine for us means sport, competition, the application of Renault’s technological excellence, on the road we want to make it a brand that is only zero emissions, but always sporty.

“I like to look for the soul of a brand in the roots of its history to project it into the future. And Alpine has a lot of history and a future too.”

With the new name comes a new look with the team revealing its 2021 car, the A521, in a temporary black winter livery. The colour is tribute to the A500 F1 prototype from 1975.

The team also has a new old driver with Fernando Alonso returning to Enstone for a third stint. The Spaniard is the last driver to win a World title with the team, taking the crown in 2005 and again in 2006.

There’s also a new team boss in place after Cyril Abiteboul abruptly left the team with Davide Brivio joining the team as the new Racing Director of Alpine F1.

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