Over the last few weeks, Alpine has changed its face. Almost all the key figures who had managed the Formula 1 team from a managerial and technical point of view until July left Enstone within a few days. A real revolution certainly not silent. On the contrary, noisy in the scope and in the limited timescales with which it was carried out.
Luca de Meo, CEO of the Renault Group – to which Alpine belongs – first replaced the CEO of the sports brand, Laurent Rossi. That was the first step that announced the turnaround that materialized in the following days.
Otmar Szafnauer, the team principal who arrived from Racing Point a few years ago, was let go. Sports director Alan Permane has passed away, at Enstone since 1989. 34 years of service ended with this revolution.
Pat Fry, technical director, also left the team and moved to Williams to open a new course at Grove. Yet there are those who argue that the team needs a true leader among the riders. A Michael Schumacher figure in the Ferrari era or, more recently, what Lewis Hamilton is for Mercedes or Max Verstappen for Red Bull.
That someone is Cyril Abiteboul, current team principal of Hyundai Motorsport and former team principal of the Renault Formula 1 team, now known as Alpine.
Abiteboul spoke to the microphones of France Info, starting immediately with a strong statement linked to the riders, but also to Alpine. The Parisian manager said about the current riders, Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon: “Two names is having one too many.”
“When you close your eyes and think of Mercedes, you think of Lewis Hamilton, even though Nico Rosberg has done some extraordinary things. When you think of Red Bull, you think of the first cycle built around Sebastian Vettel. Then, of the second cycle, you think to Max Verstappen. You need to have a rider who is also a sort of team boss, a point of reference. This type of personification is fundamental.”
Max Verstappen, Red Bull Racing, Sergio Perez, Red Bull Racing
Photo by: Erik Junius
“At the moment the starting grid is very competitive and all the cars often finish on the same lap. In a little time there will be an even closer starting pool in terms of performance of the cars. Ambition and determination will make the difference “.
These declarations come like a boulder at Enstone, considering that up to the past year there was a figure of the caliber of Fernando Alonso pushing the team inside the garage. The Asturian was left free to join Aston Martin Racing due to his contract request – he asked for a multi-year contract, while the then Alpine board didn’t think it could be a deal given the age of the two-time world champion – and Alpine she protected herself with the excellent Pierre Gasly. A driver who has done very well in AlphaTauri in recent years, even winning a grand prix, but Alonso’s caliber has proved to be far superior.
Abiteboul didn’t stop to judge the lack of a lead driver, an implicit way of affirming the inadequacy of Gasly and Ocon for the role, but he also spoke of the many changes to the organizational chart decided by Luca de Meo.
“The absence of a leader puts team spirit and culture at risk, both of which are now lacking in the team. Any element that is changed potentially puts team spirit and culture at risk.”
“It is precisely these two aspects in particular that Alpine is missing. The investments have been made, the resources, the ambitions of the group, the corporate strategy with the Alpine brand: everything is there. When a team has everything, it needs something that transcends it, of someone who guides it. The strength of an individual who manages to bring together 1000 people unites a lot”, concluded Abiteboul.
#Abiteboul #Alpine #boss #rider #lead #team