Ex-Renault boss Cyril Abiteboul highlights two crucial elements Alpine is lacking amidst the leadership chaos in the team

Cyril Abiteboul served as Renault’s team principal from 2014-2020.

Alpine's former team principal Cyril Abiteboul (Image credit: Autosport)

Alpine has faced a challenging period in recent weeks, marked by replacing CEO Laurent Rossi with Phillipe Krief. The Belgian Grand Prix saw the announcement of team boss Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane‘s impending departure. However, according to Cyril Abiteboul, a former Renault team boss, the concerns about Alpine’s leadership extend beyond just the senior roles, as he asserts that the team is deficient in essential leadership qualities.

Cyril Abiteboul mentioned that the lack of a leader within Alpine jeopardizes the team’s spirit and culture, both of which are presently deficient. He emphasized that any alteration introduced could endanger the team’s cohesion and culture. He highlighted that Alpine specifically lacks these two crucial aspects. Abiteboul noted that all necessary components associated with the Alpine brand have been established.

“The absence of a leader [at Alpine] 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. The investments have been made, the resources, the ambitions of the group, the corporate strategy with the Alpine brand: everything is there,” Abiteboul told Motorsports.Com.

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Also read: Former Alpine boss Cyril Abiteboul calls out the team for severe lack of a number one driver who can act as a ‘team boss’

Mattia Binotto is in the spotlight as a potential successor in Alpine’s team principal search

Ferrari’s ex-team principal (Image credit: Autosport)

On the cusp of the summer break’s final race, Alpine declared that the Belgian Grand Prix weekend marked the conclusion of Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane’s tenure with the team. This decision concluded Szafnauer’s role as team boss after just 34 races, a departure from the much-discussed 100-race plan.

For Permane, it marked a farewell after more than thirty years with the team. As the second half of the 2023 Formula 1 season approaches, resuming in Zandvoort at the end of August, the French outfit Alpine faces a time-sensitive quest to appoint a new team principal. The midseason hiatus in Formula 1 presents an opportune moment for this appointment.

?: Rumors heat up as ex-F1 boss Mattia Binotto reportedly set to make a swift return to Alpine F1. Sources suggest he's agreed to take over as team principal, replacing Szafnauer. Could an official announcement be just around the corner? ?
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— F1 Naija (@f1_naija) August 8, 2023

Amidst the current midseason pause, Alpine, currently positioned sixth on the grid, is considering several candidates for the vacant position. Among them, the former Ferrari team principal, Mattia Binotto, emerges as a prominent figure, attracting the attention of numerous observers.

Amidst ongoing changes, the team’s performance has fallen short of expectations. Esteban Ocon‘s Monaco podium and Pierre Gasly’s Belgium Sprint podium are rare bright spots in Alpine’s 2023 season. The team failed to score in four of twelve races, with dual driver points in only three Grands Prix.