Zinedine Zidane, the legendary French footballer and Alpine ambassador, welcomed Alpine Racing’s roster of drivers in Madrid, together with F1 duo Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, for an immersion day and reflection of the 2023 racing season.
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Relying on his decade’s price of elite footballing expertise, Zidane, as a part of his ambassadorial function, is passing on his wealth of information to Alpine’s Company Social Duty (CSR) programmes, together with the well-established Rac(H)er and Concours Excellence Mecanique (CEMA).
Launched in July 2022, Alpine’s Rac(H)er programme is designed to bolster meritocracy throughout genders in all firm areas. From racing drivers to engineering and technical roles, the Rac(H)er programme lays out a transparent and outlined roadmap to extend the variety of expertise inside Alpine.
CEMA is Alpine’s programme devoted to aspiring automotive mechanics. It’s sponsored by Esteban, with the competitors providing alternatives to college students in France throughout the automotive mechanic sector to focus on expertise and experience within the subject. The three-stage competitors throughout concept and sensible checks has an finish end result of a piece placement at Alpine’s Viry Chatillon base in Paris.
Yesterday’s occasion in Madrid featured an unique tour of Actual Madrid CF’s Santiago Bernabeu Stadium and trophy-lined museum, of which Zidane has contributed 5 honours as a participant between 2001-2006 and eleven as a supervisor throughout his stint on the helm of Los Blancos from 2016-2021.
Following the stadium tour, Zidane, together with Esteban, Pierre, Alpine’s younger drivers and the 2 2023 CEMA placement winners, took to A110s to make the brief journey throughout the town to a karting occasion. Zidane took half, leaping behind the wheel of an electrical go-kart, and obtained steerage and suggestions from Lisa Billard and Sukhmani Khera, two of Alpine’s Rac(H)er drivers at the moment competing in worldwide karting.
After that, it was a whole function reversal, with Zidane internet hosting a light-hearted soccer match between all of the Alpine drivers.
Zinedine Zidane:
It was an ideal privilege to host the Alpine household in Madrid. It’s additionally a method to have a good time one yr since I joined Alpine. This ambassadorial function, supporting their equal alternative programmes, is crucial to me due to my path. I’m proud to go on a few of my sports activities, life-related, and private experiences to Alpine’s Rac(H)er and CEMA programmes. Whereas we come from completely different areas, we every have a standard objective in striving for top efficiency and excellence. Due to this fact, sharing moments, experiences, and concepts is nice to profit these concerned in these two magnificent and genuinely significant programmes.
I stay up for extra days like this shortly and particularly listening to of the success and achievements of Rac(H)er and CEMA in years to return.
Julian Rouse, Interim Sporting Director:
It’s been a captivating day in Madrid, and we wish to thank Zinedine Zidane for internet hosting us and for his invaluable engagement in our CSR initiatives. Our foremost objective is to utilise Zinedine’s expertise and extract that data to profit Rac(H)er and CEMA programmes. For Rac(H)er, I used to be very proud to see a few of our Rac(H)er women collaborating in all of the activations throughout the day and studying from a real sporting icon. The target is to proceed changing that data into on a regular basis observe and to maintain growing our secure of younger racing drivers.
Esteban Ocon:
As we speak was all about being within the presence of a real sporting legend—an enormous thanks to Zinedine Zidane for a memorable day. I’ve been a proud ambassador of the workforce’s CEMA programme for the reason that starting, as it’s a true ardour of mine to encourage the following technology of motorsport mechanics. I’m thrilled that, along with Zinedine, we are going to assist the third version of CEMA once more, which can start very quickly. Having the 2 placement winners from CEMA right here right now was nice to see and reveals that Alpine’s CSR initiatives are amongst the perfect and provides these deserving of it the proper alternatives.
Pierre Gasly:
Zinedine is my sporting hero, so to spend the day with him in Madrid was an actual privilege. As we speak was all about championing the Rac(H)er and CEMA programmes and, in my function as a racing driver, I have to be an excellent function mannequin for the following technology, whether or not that be younger feminine racing drivers like Lisa and Sukhmani, or aspiring future race mechanics. Even for me, to be with Zinedine and discuss and listen to tales and classes is efficacious. For that, I’m very grateful and already stay up for persevering with our work with him.
