Yahoo Autos Famin’s key to getting more out of Alpine: ‘Align the planets’
Alpine team principal Bruno Famin believes there is much more potential within the employees at both Enstone and Viry-Chatillon that can be tapped into by improving the way they’re asked to work together.
Famin took over on an interim basis following the departure of Otmar Szafnauer in July, but recently stated he would not be replacing himself in the team principal position unless told to by his superiors. Since stepping into the role, Famin has done some internal reshuffling that he says has started to pay off, but added that he sees the interaction between the two Alpine factories — one in the UK and one in France — as an area that can lead to stronger results.
“What is sure now is that, to be performant and with such level of competition, you need to use the potential of everybody,” Famin said. “And you need to align the planets. We need to be good in extracting the performance of the car, we need to be good in developing the car and developing the engine.
“Even if [you say] we don’t have the best engine, maybe we don’t have the best car, I think we can align the planets to have a very good car at the end of the story and have good results. Of course it won’t be tomorrow, but the work now is to align the planets. Of course there is the potential of improvement between Viry and Enstone. To me, it’s a small part of the project of the work we need to do.
“What we need to do is make sure that our people are working well together, and we can extract the best of everyone. And whatever the nationality, whatever the place the person works, let’s push altogether and let’s free the energy and creativity of everybody. In terms of techniques, but in terms of processes as well. That’s really, this momentum we’re having trackside, to bring it to the factories.”
Given the complexity of running an organization with a power unit department in a different country from the rest of the team, Famin admitted it will be a gradual process to improve the way Alpine operates.
“I have no idea how long it will take,” he said. “I don’t want to fix a target which will not be matched. The objective for next year, for this winter and for next year, will be to develop that attitude, that mindset, changing the culture.
“Again, it’s not Viry against Enstone, it’s the whole thing altogether, and to continue and to develop the momentum in order to make a better team, a better company, and to be able to develop a better car, and then the result will come.
“How long it will take? I have no clue. The sooner will be the best of course, and I will do my best with all my colleagues to develop that on both Viry and Enstone sides.”
