Monza (Italy) (AFP)

The Formula 1 Renault cars will be called Alpine next year and blue-white-red will replace yellow and black, the new CEO of the French manufacturer, Luca de Meo, announced on Sunday.

"We will be racing under the Alpine name with tricolor colors," he said at a press conference on the sidelines of the F1 Italian Grand Prix at Monza, calling this development a "big change".

Himself Italian and passed among others by Volkswagen and Fiat, the new boss of Renault has decided to strike a blow with this new name which covers a change in strategy of Renault, currently in great difficulty.

The Alpine brand is famous in the history of French and international motorsport for having secured many successes, especially in rallying in the 1970s.

The first world rally championship in 1973 was notably won by an Alpine "berlinetta".

"The Alpine brand has a nostalgic side, but we want to look to the future," said Luca de Meo.

"Renault has been in F1 for 43 years and the name will remain on the engines," he said, however, adding that Cyril Abiteboul, current manager of the Renault F1 team, will retain his functions which will be extended to the entire Alpine group.

- Return of Alonso -

Just arrived at the head of the French manufacturer, he announced on Wednesday a reorganization of the group around four brands to aim for better product quality and higher margins.

"Our activities in motorsports will be placed under the Alpine name to ensure their sustainability," he said on Sunday.

The Spaniard Fernando Alonso, double world champion with Renault in 2005 and 2006, will return to F1 next year with Renault, which will therefore bear the name of Alpine.

The other driver is the young Frenchman Esteban Ocon.

"Alonso is a brand in itself, it represents a very important asset", said Luca de Meo, launching: "you have to win on Sunday and sell on Monday" and for that "we want to see results".

The Renault team has not yet reached an F1 podium since its return in 2016. Its engines are currently also used in McLarens, but this collaboration is due to end from 2021.

A new F1 design regulation is due to come into force in 2022 and a gradual cap on authorized spending will be introduced from 2021.

- "Straighten the group" -

This new regulation "gives us a good chance to bring ourselves to the same level" as our competitors, said the CEO, confirming that the French group's commitment to F1 was guaranteed for several years.

Founded in 1954 by Jean Rédelé, Alpine came under Renault control in 1973. A sports model currently manufactured by Renault bears this name.

"Alpine has always been a big name in motorsport," said Jean Todt, president of the International Automobile Federation (FIA) on Sunday, welcoming this name change.

He himself had been co-pilot at Alpine in the 1970s alongside Jean-Pierre Nicolas.

The Alpine factories are located in Dieppe (north-west of France), but Renault F1 is installed on two sites: in Enstone (Great Britain) for the manufacture of the chassis and in Viry-Châtillon, near Paris, for the engines.

There is currently no question of changing this structure, said the CEO of the group.

Asked about the danger of this name change while Alpine remains a confidential brand, Luca de Meo replied: "We have been around as Renault for 120 years. I don't think we are suffering from a lack of 'identification in the general public'.

"My goal is to put the group back together and I don't want F1 to become a burden on the whole system," he concluded.

© 2020 AFP