Championing inclusivity and the place of women at the heart of motor racing, Alpine's Rac(H)er program continues its momentum. Alongside the appointment of Zinedine Zidane as ambassador and sponsor of the program, Alpine is showcasing women by unveiling new female talents.
Inclusivity at the heart of the Rac(H)er program
Alpine announced its Rac(H)er program last June. The program's ambition is to promote equal opportunities between men and women to improve its performance. Alpine plans to significantly increase the percentage of women in its Formula 1 team and automotive business, as well as the number of female drivers it enrolls in its Academy development program.
As Alpine points out: “ In 72 years of Formula 1, only 6 of the 885 drivers have been women, an underrepresentation of women, which is also the same in the automotive industry. For Alpine, bringing diversity to its workforce while maintaining meritocracy is an important pillar in improving its overall performance"
Alpine's High Human Performance Centre, located in Enstone near Oxford, next to the F1 factory, will be a major part of this plan. Alpine has designed a scientific protocol and a unique research program to measure the physical, physiological, and cognitive data of its drivers and teams.
Using specialized knowledge of highly specific data, the High Human Performance Center will capture the progress of Alpine athletes, regardless of gender. This data will allow Alpine to better understand its athletes' performance and contribute to the creation of tailored training programs developed by Julian Rouse, Alpine Academy Director, and his team, under the supervision of Otmar Szafnauer, BWT Alpine F1 Team Principal.
Concrete figures support this. Alpine claims to aim to increase the number of women in its team from the current 12% to 30% by 2025. This pilot program will be combined with other innovative initiatives. Alpine has launched and implemented a specific workshop at its Enstone factory, " Allyship Training", for empowerment and created a group " Women in Engineering", of which the Stress team is the pioneer, to raise awareness of women in engineering at Alpine.
New female talents
Rac(H)er has already found its first racing recruits – the German driver Sophia floersch joined the Alpine Academy (which has produced other successful drivers such as Oscar Piastri, Guanyu Zhou, Romain Grosjean and Robert Kubica) and will compete in the Formula 3 championship.
« Joining the Alpine Academy is an honor and a major opportunity in my career. I have big ambitions, and I'm sure that applying Alpine's knowledge and expertise will only help me grow. I'm looking forward to starting this new chapter and representing the Alpine brand on the world stage. “, said Sophia Floersch.
Abbi Pulling, a young British driver, has also committed to the Alpine Academy, after impressing in last year's W Series, and will compete in the new Formula 1 Academy Series in 2023.
Young drivers are also encouraged – six female talents officially join Alpine’s young driver karting program: Aiva Anagnostiadis (15 years old, from Australia), Angelina Proenca (13 years old, from France), Chiara Battig (12 years old, from Switzerland), Lisa Billiards (13 years old, from France), Maria Chiara Nardelli (12 years old, from Italy) and Kaur Kera Sukhmani (10 years old, from the United Kingdom). The six drivers will benefit from a tailor-made sports program, designed to make them the champions of tomorrow.
Zinedine Zidane, new ambassador and sponsor of the Rac(H)er program
The football icon – widely regarded as one of the greatest players of all time – made a surprise appearance as Alpine unveiled its 2023 car at an event in London.
The new A523 car was expected to be the main attraction of the evening, but Alpine's prestigious launch had another surprise in store for everyone when Zidane was announced as the new member of the team.
Recently appointed manager of Real Madrid, the 50-year-old took to the stage to address the audience. I am very happy to be here today and to spend a great evening with you. " he said in French. I've seen great things and I'm still so happy to be part of this team, to be part of the Alpine team and to be with you tonight. ».
He then continued his first words by repeating in English: “ My English is very bad. » This prompted a number of laughs from the audience, who were still reeling from the sudden appearance of the Champions League winner. In his new role, Zidane not only becomes the brand ambassador but also the sponsor of Alpine's equal opportunities programs: Rac(H)er and the Concours Excellence Mécanique.
His new role as Alpine ambassador adds sparkle to a team that is hoping for big things with the new Formula 1 season fast approaching. The former Real Madrid player and manager will be tasked with working on equal opportunities within Alpine. Zidane said he met with Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi and the French manufacturer's team last year in Monaco.
« They had a project to give young people equal opportunities, and that interested me. I had some time too, and we need to highlight interesting projects. " revealed Zidane. The four-time Champions League winner with Real Madrid as a player (2002) and manager (2016, 2017 and 2018) said he was looking forward to sharing his experience on all things sport, professionalism, commitment and passion with the F1 team.
Laurent Rossi, CEO of Alpine, added: “ Zinedine Zidane is not only a great champion and a sports legend, but he is also a dedicated man who has decided to use his global presence to inspire young people and drive change towards creating equal opportunities. He is an example of what we should represent as a company: a tenacious spirit, a natural talent, and an advocate for inclusion for all, while maintaining meritocracy by pushing those around him to excel. We are very proud that Zinedine is joining Alpine to make a difference."
Patrick Koune
