Luca de Meo: I’ve never been close to Ferrari

Luca de Meo, the head of the Renault concern, commented on the broadcast of the Italian state radio station Rai Gr Parlamento on the results of the Alpine F1 factory team this season, spoke about the program for working with young racing talents and even commented on rumors about his connections with Ferrari.

“The podium in Monte Carlo was an important achievement, which is doubly appreciated,” said de Meo, speaking of Esteban Ocon’s result in the Monaco Grand Prix. “Alpine F1 is a long-term project and we understand that it takes a lot of effort to compete at a high level against top teams like Ferrari, Red Bull or Mercedes. I dream that we can finish the championship in 4th place in the Constructors’ Championship.

We are looking at young Italian riders, because one part of our project is the Alpine Academy, which is run by Davide Brivio, the former manager of the team that won the MotoGP championship. That’s why we try to get talented people into Formula 1. I am Italian and if I could help one of my compatriots to break into the highest category of motorsport I would be very proud.

We have always tried to promote the development of talent – once upon a time that was exactly the case with Fernando Alonso, as he achieved extraordinary success at Renault, and his glorious career continues to this day, although he has now become our rival.

Formula 1 is now developing very quickly thanks to the extremely effective and important work that Stefano Domenicali is doing, and he is also Italian.”

When asked directly about his contacts with Maranello, de Meo replied: “Do I have close contacts with Ferrari? Before, only rumors circulated. I admired the work of Luca di Montezemolo (the former president of the Italian company), but I was never really close to Ferrari.”