Alpine has created quite a buzz in the F1 world, but for all the wrong reasons as some of their sudden radical decision have come under a lot of criticism. Amidst the current managerial turmoil at the Enstone outfit, former Renault team principal Cyril Abiteboul believes that the team needs someone like Lawrence Stroll, who is executive chairman of Aston Martin with a net worth of $3,900,000,000, to get them through the tough time.
Alpine has been struggling for quite some time now, failing to put in the performance that has been expected of them. Ahead of the Belgian GP, the Alpine management took the decision to sack some of the major heads that were leading the team.
📰: Otmar Szafnauer expresses sadness for the people he left behind at Alpine after his departure as team principal. Alpine also parts ways with Alan Permane and Pat Fry. Szafnauer praises the team’s appreciation of his leadership skills and respectful approach. He feels… pic.twitter.com/547kAmG4Px
— F1 Naija 🇳🇬 (@f1_naija) July 31, 2023
Team principal Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane, and chief technical officer Pat Fry were all sacked by the French team, with internal appointments being made to fill the positions interim. These changes came just a week after Renault decided to sack then-CEO of Alpine, Laurent Rossi.
These behind-the-scenes changes at Alpine are understood to be part of a major shake-up aimed at rebuilding the struggling team. However, Abiteboul believes that only a figure like Stroll would be able to complete this renovation process.
The Lawrence Stroll factor is required to build a successful team
According to Cyril Abiteboul, Alpine currently needs a figurehead who would be able to act as a bridge between the corporation and the racing team. Abiteboul used the example of Lawrence Stroll at Aston Martin to explain his statement.
As per motorsport magazine Car and Driver, Abiteboul said, “Lawrence Stroll has provided it at Aston Martin, Ferrari has done it too. And Mercedes is capable, despite its corporate structure, of building a structure that offers that in the management of Mercedes F1. I think that is what is needed.”
Selon #AMuS, Otmar Szafnauer et Alan Permane ont été informé de leur licenciement le Mardi avant le Gp de Belgique. #F1 #Alpine pic.twitter.com/WPSy2mtIWQ
— Pierre Gasly Fan Page Fr (@PG10_FanactuFr) August 3, 2023
He further commented that for a team to succeed they need to have someone who is ready to back them up and provide a protection net by establishing a good relationship with the corporation. This is definitely far from what is happening with Alpine right now, with the parent company suffering from impatience and lack of confidence in their racing team.
Stroll played this role in Aston Martin when he took over the company in 2020 and rebranded the already existing Racing Point team as Aston Martin Racing. This ensured that the F1 team had strong backing from a strong corporation and Stroll left no stone unturned in his attempt to take the Aston Martin Racing team to the top of F1.
The revolving door continues to spin at Alpine, with a number of high profile departures this season – including Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane 🔄
Former Renault team boss Cyril Abiteboul thinks the disruption is having a negative influence on the team culture at Enstone. pic.twitter.com/fKsGSaKupA
— Autosport (@autosport) August 3, 2023
The silver lining at Alpine
Despite everything going on at the team, Alpine has had some silver lining in the form of a major investment. Backed by Hollywood star Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenny, a group of investors injected a fund of $218,000,000 into the team.
As per Esteban Ocon, he feels very inspired by Reynolds and commented that the actor could be a great asset to the team. He pointed out what Reynolds has done with Wrexham, and believes that the American actor could bring about many positive changes at Alpine.
