Renault Group CEO Luca de Meo has recently opened up on Alpine’s brutal sackings earlier this season. Alpine sent shockwaves in the paddock several weeks ago when they sacked not only team principal Otmar Szafnauer but also CEO Laurent Rossi and sporting director Alan Permane. While speaking on the sidelines of the Monaco Motor Show (as quoted by news.italy24.press), De Meo explained his reasoning for the same.
The axing of Szafnauer, Rossi, and Permane came after the team failed to meet the targets under their leadership. De Meo, who has now put interim team principal Bruno Famin in charge, explained how he, as the team’s boss, expects the side to meet the targets when he has not set them.
Luca de Meo acknowledges he was “brutal” in his axing of Otmar Szafnauer
Luca de Meo did not show any hesitation in brutally sacking senior members of Alpine after the team failed to meet the targets they set out themselves. “They promised me things that were not kept,” explained de Meo (as quoted by newsitaly24.press). “When you tell your boss something, then you have to do it. It’s in the dynamics of a company.”
He added, “It seemed like a brutal action, and it was, but we are behind what we set ourselves as goals. Not that I forced them to set targets, but they set them themselves“. After stating the same, De Meo made it clear that “people who don’t work must leave the system.”
The 56-year-old then concluded his remarks by expressing his displeasure with where Alpine is currently at the moment. While De Meo has blamed the leadership of Otmar Szafnauer for the French outfit‘s poor form, the Romanian previously made claims in stark contrast.
Szafnauer previously lashed out at Renault for lack of time to make an impact
Soon after Alpine had confirmed that they were parting ways with Otmar Szafnauer, the 59-year-old did not hold back in his criticisms of Renault’s unrealistic expectations. He explained to Sky Deutschland in an interview about how it takes time to reap the rewards of any change.
As quoted by planetf1.com, the Romanian said, “You can’t really push development if people aren’t there. It takes time for people to come, and it takes time for people to work together correctly. I always say, you can’t get nine women pregnant and hope you have a baby in a month.”
Alpine has definitely struggled this season, as they are currently sixth in the championship this season as compared to fourth last year. The French outfit have scored just 73 points so far this campaign and are 42 points behind fifth-placed McLaren and a whopping 144 points behind fourth-placed Aston Martin.
