Former Renault boss, Cyril Abiteboul believes that Alpine wants a lead driver within the mould of Lewis Hamilton or Max Verstappen.
The Frenchman, who now leads Hyundai’s WRC programme, was talking within the aftermath of final weekend’s firing of Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane, and the departure of Pat Fry for Williams.
A yr on from the debacle which noticed the French crew lose Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri to McLaren, Alpine seems to be in freefall with no signal of it coming to an finish anytime quickly.
Whereas the general crew administration is within the technique of being restructured, Abiteboul, who left Renault in 2021 because it morphed into Alpine, believes the crew wants on-track management additionally.
With out naming names, Abiteboul, who was liable for luring Daniel Ricciardo to Renault from Pink Bull, believes that neither Esteban Ocon or Pierre Gasly has what it takes to guide a crew.
“Two names is one too many,” he tells France Data. “If you shut your eyes and consider Mercedes, you consider Lewis Hamilton, although Nico Rosberg did some extraordinary issues. If you consider Pink Bull, you consider the primary cycle round Sebastian Vettel, then the second cycle round Max Verstappen.
“You want a driver who can also be a little bit of a crew boss,” he continues, “and this energy of personification is key. In the intervening time, the grid could be very aggressive with all vehicles ending on the identical lap. Shortly, there can be a near-level taking part in subject. What is going to make the distinction is ambition and willpower.
“Each component that’s modified probably places the crew spirit and tradition in danger,” he warns. “It’s these two features specifically which are missing at Alpine.
“The investments have been made, the assets, the group’s ambitions, the company technique with the Alpine model, it is all there.
“When a crew has every little thing, it wants one thing that transcends it, somebody to drive it. The energy of a person who can pull 1,000 folks collectively could be very unifying.”
