Abiteboul: Ocon podium shows Alonso what he will have to deal with

Alonso, a two-time Formula 1 world champion with Renault in 2005 and '06, will be returning to the Enstone outfit (rebranded as Alpine) in 2021 after a two-year hiatus from the sport.

In so doing, he will replace the outgoing Daniel Ricciardo, who is headed to McLaren having largely outshone Ocon in the latter's return to F1 after a one-year absence.

Nevertheless, Abiteboul believes Ocon's results have not been helped by circumstances out of his control, while his first career podium on Sunday is a sign there are greater things ahead for the 24-year-old Frenchman.

“I’m really happy for Esteban,” he said after the race. “We’ve had good moments with Daniel, but with Daniel leaving and Esteban being part of the team for next year it was important to show something positive around Esteban.

“We could feel [a podium] was absolutely possible, but for some reason, and for sure some reliability issues that he had no responsibility for, we let him down, but this time everything worked out.

“This moment with Esteban was really crucial because it shows to Fernando what he will have to deal with next season.”

At the same time, Abiteboul conceded his team could have done better than Ricciardo's fifth in the sister car, and particularly given the 1-3 finish of constructors' rivals Racing Point.

“It’s bittersweet because I feel we could have done slightly better with Daniel, and obviously from a championship perspective it doesn’t help our case, but its 100 per cent for Esteban and fully deserved.

“We are in a part of the field where it’s very tight but we still feel there are good points up for grabs. The swing effects are quite big, so it’s open. We are on the back foot, but we will give the maximum until the chequered flag.”