Davide Brivio is a MotoGP great, but 'four wheels doesn't make a difference'

It seemed for a while that with the name change from Renault to Alpine, little would change behind the scenes. With the departure of Cyril Abiteboul, change has suddenly happened and although his replacement has no experience in Formula 1, Renault CEO Luca de Meo does have high hopes for him.

Davide Brivio has been active in the world of motorsports for almost 30 years. He started as team manager with the Yamaha World Superbike team in 1992, before moving to their MotoGP team in 2001. There he was involved in Valentino Rossi's greatest successes. In 2013 he left for Suzuki and brought that manufacturer back to the top.

"He is, of course, the outgoing world champion in MotoGP with Suzuki," De Meo tells Corriere Della Sera. "That's on two wheels, but it doesn't matter that there are four wheels here. He is an excellent professional, he knows the race track like the back of his hand and understands the importance of having a close-knit team, where everyone is entrusted with a specific role. He knows how to organise the work in that way."

So, at both Yamaha and Suzuki,rivio can be held responsible for the return of that brand to the highest level. In both cases, this resulted in a return to world titles after a long drought. That is, of course, exactly what De Meo also has in mind for Alpine / Renault.