Prior to Formula 1’s Belgian Grand Prix, there was a bit of a Twitter – and not X variety – amongst the photographers in the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps’ paddock entrance.
The source of this was the new BWT Alpine F1 motorhome and not the usual photo opportunity to snap the drivers arriving at the track.
For what can only be described as a lacklustre performance together with some questionable management decisions by the Anglo-British marque, I immediately assumed some cosmetic tweaks similar to those seen around the entrance of their pit garage. How wrong I was. Immediately in front of me, nestled between the Mercedes F1 behemoth and McLaren’s equally large motorhome, was this sleek, three-storey elegant glass facade, crisscrossed with metal struts proudly displaying distinctive “A” badges.
For those unfamiliar with an F1 paddock, each team usually has a substantial hospitality unit opposite the entrance to their pit garages. For the European races, this usually means an impressive transportable unit that comprises the equivalent of multiple motorhomes but more about that later.
The international “fly away” races tend to have more formal brick-and-mortar villas or elaborate marquees. Because of the unique geography of the Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, the team facilities are split on different levels with the motorhomes having a high street-style village configuration completely separate from the pit and garage set-ups.
With two welcoming but mismatched chairs by the doorway, I decided to invite myself in immediately only to discover a colourful and cosy interior with the hospitality team scuttling around with big smiles on their faces.
Later, I sat down with Alpine’s Project Manager, Simon Lake and Communications Manager, Kate Binder to discover how this delightful and innovative structure had come about.
Before Alpine, Simon had worked directly with McLaren’s Ron Dennis and then Aston Martin F1 so he is not a man to skimp on the size or detail of a project.
A new motorhome concept had been on the cards for over two years as the old one was well past its sell-by date. But things only really started to gain momentum in September 2023 once Simon was on board. In December 2023 a bold decision was made to appoint Philippe Starck, one of the most influential and versatile designers of our time. This French genius has filled the world with iconic products, buildings and interiors for nearly fifty years, always creating comfortable, beautiful, and functional objects and sometimes controversial.
Starck’s breakthrough came in 1982 when he was tasked with designing the private rooms of President François Mitterrand at the Élysée Palace. Over the next four decades, he crafted over 10,000 innovative designs spanning various categories, including furniture, lamps, plastic products, super yachts, and motorbikes. So, an F1 team motorhome…no problem!
The Starck design team made an initial presentation to and with wholehearted approval from Luca de Meo in February 2024, immediately followed up with detailed design work in March 2024.
Simon credits the success and speed at which this project advanced down to the small team collaboration with commitment from every individual to focus on turning around ideas and decisions within an hour of receipt!
Specialists in race bases & motorhomes, Schuler based in Ebhausen, Germany were commissioned to build but through close collaboration with the UK-based project team made significant contributions to the design and function of the motorhome. The fifteen-trailer structure is based on a strong shell container built with each of the three levels completely weather-tight.
Unique to Alpine is the dedicated mobile crane, essential to the efficient and speedy build and pack down of the whole unit and especially useful for the precise alignment of the glass façade. This is a first for the F1 paddock but something I am sure we will see more of in the future and will ensure an overall build time of 11 to 12 hours or less. Given that I have seen some teams arrive up to two weeks in advance of a race to set up, this is impressive indeed!
Not unsurprisingly, Simon was not divulging the budget figures except to say that due to the small tenacious procurement team the overall project came in well under budget.
In keeping with F1’s Net Zero by 2030 campaign, the project team were keen to set the stage for a glide path for energy efficiency, saving and sustainability throughout their entire F1 team. Only LED lighting and kitchen induction hobs, no plastic, no generator, and their own water filtration system – all compliant with the latest EU standards together with all the haulage vehicles with a biofuel option.
Technical details aside, what can we expect from the interior? The design team may have made some adjustments for the official launch in Monza, the final European race of 2024. In essence the “look and feel” was pretty much established in Belgium.
One can find almost everything in Philippe Starck’s portfolio – from innovative toothbrushes and private airfields to Olympic medals and over-the-top yachts. I won’t be surprised to see Alessi’s Juicy Salif juicer (1990) on the bar counter, or some version of the Louis Ghost Chair (2002) or even something similar to the iconic Marie Coquine chandelier (2011).
Perhaps playing on the “alpine” name it very much has a French ski chalet feel together with some Mama Shelter playful accents – another Starck design. There is plenty of natural materials used in bold designs from the moss-encrusted real bark feature wall which is impossible not to touch and the embossed leather-clad pillars, low-level lighting and soft drapes together with wood-clad walls and motorsport pictures hung chalet style adjacent to the ceiling. Talking to both Simon and Kate, it is clear that this space very much had the race team in mind not just the VIP guests – somewhere to come away from the hustle and bustle the F1 paddock. A calm but vibrant place to recharge and relax.
This appears a genuine statement of intent for the future from Alpine amid the questions that have continued to swirl around the team’s long-term prospects in the sport.
