Nielsen on Alpine’s recovery: I don’t believe in “a five-year plan”

Once upon a time, Alpine put its faith in a 100-race project to reach the top of Formula 1, but that is no longer the case under the team’s current management

Alpine managing director Steve Nielsen downplayed the idea of long-term recovery timelines as the Enstone-based team looks to rebuild itself in Formula 1.

This marks a clear departure from the philosophy of Alpine’s previous management, which committed to a so-called 100-race plan designed to return the team to the front of the grid. That project began in 2021, when Renault rebranded its Formula 1 operation as Alpine, with the expectation that the team would be fighting for podiums by 2024 and victories in 2025.

Instead, Alpine has just completed its most difficult season in Formula 1, finishing last in the constructors’ championship after halting development of the A525 in early June to focus fully on the 2026 regulations.

Nielsen, who joined the team in September, insists there is no fixed timeframe for Alpine’s return to competitiveness.

“I’m not a person who believes in a 100-race plan or a three-year plan or a five-year plan,” Nielsen said in Abu Dhabi. “I believe you put the best people you can get in the right positions, you give a clear mission, get the army marching all in the same direction, and you work as hard as you can and do the best job you can.

“You mill away at it, it’s a slow grinding process, and you hope, eventually, you do a better job than everybody else.

“I can tell you we’re building a better car next year than we have this year. I can’t tell you whether that will line up first, 10th or 20th on the grid. I’m confident we’ve made a step, but the other nine teams are doing the same, so you don’t know how much progress they’ve made.

“All I know is we’re improving our structure, we’re recruiting in the areas where we’re weak, and that grinding process starts now. You can’t turn these things around in a few months or even a year.”

Nielsen previously spent multiple stints at Enstone during the Benetton and Renault eras, including serving as sporting director during the title-winning seasons of 2005 and 2006. Drawing on that experience, he recalled how long it took the team to become a championship-winning operation and how difficult it is to apply that metric to Alpine now.

“I was here when Renault bought Benetton the first time around,” Nielsen added. “It took three years to win a race and five years to win the championship, and that metric doesn’t necessarily apply today. It might be shorter, it might be longer – you just do the best you can.”

Alpine ended the 2025 season last in the standings with 22 points, scoring points in only one of the final 11 grands prix. Nielsen says the priority for 2026 is to ensure the team is competitive on a far more consistent basis and can contend at the top of the midfield.

“I want to be racing every week, ideally for points,” he said. “We’ve managed that on the odd weekend this year, but too often we’ve been a long way off at the back. That’s not where this team belongs, it’s not where Enstone traditionally is, and it’s not where we want to be. We need to be fighting at the top end of the midfield for points every weekend.”

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- The Autosport.com Team

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