Alpine has no partner team: "Working to create the right conditions"

Davide Brivio came over from Suzuki's MotoGP team last winter. The Italian is known to work a lot with young drivers and is also willing to give inexperienced drivers a chance. The Renault Academy has proven to be very successful in recent years so it is a good task for Brivio there.

When he was asked by the Italian branch of Motorsport.com if he wants to integrate his philosophy in the Alpine-project, he replied: "I still don't know how to answer this question exactly, I can only say that it wouldn't be a bad thing of course. We have a great Academy program with some interesting young drivers, but we also have to consider that Esteban himself is a young driver."

Brivio has a history with young talent

According to Brivio it always has to be a justifiable and considered choice to choose for a driver from their own training. It's not like someone gets a seat in Formula 1 because they happen to come from their own stable. "In my previous experience I really enjoyed working with young guys, they are always very motivated and focused on the goal. But it always has to be a good mix of experience and talent, and it also depends on the situation you are in."

Esteban Ocon's contract expires after next season, while Fernando Alonso is still locked in for this year and 2022. Since Ocon is a Frenchman and Alpine likes to have a fellow countryman as a driver, a contract extension doesn't seem far away. Mercedes could possibly throw a spanner in the works if they show interest in Ocon's services as a replacement for Valtteri Bottas.

Alpine has no partner team

Either way, there doesn't seem to be much room for young talent in Alpine's main force at the moment."It would be nice to have these guys with us in the future, but it is also necessary to have the opportunity to do so. At themoment we don't have a partner team to allow one of our young guys to make his debut before being included in the main team, but let's say we will work to create the right conditions to make our talents even better," said Brivio.

For Red Bull Racing, Ferrari and Mercedes it's easier to temporarily house young drivers from their own programmes to gain experience. Alpine doesn't have that luxury (yet).