Is Alpine’s plan to fast-track F1 success a pipe dream?

While former team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane both reckoned that it would realistically take a few more years for the Enstone-based squad to hit its victory targets, the French car manufacturer’s senior management believed it could be done quicker. 

It was this disconnect of timeline and ambition that ultimately saw Alpine pull the trigger and part ways with both men after the Belgian Grand Prix. 

But while…