Fittipaldi: When Alpine lost Alonso, they lost a leader

Alpine have been going through a major shakeup with Laurent Rossi sidelined from his CEO role, Otmar Szafnauer fired from his Team Principal position, while long-serving Sporting Director Alan Permane was also shown the door at Enstone, and all in a matter of days.

The French team have been struggling in 2023 after finishing fourth in the 2022 F1 Constructors' Championship, and double F1 Champion Emerson Fittipaldi told MyBettingSites.co.uk, why he thinks that is the case.

"It’s possible that when they lost Fernando, they lost a leader in setting up the car," Fittipaldi said.

"The lack of a driver like Fernando that can help develop the car and make it competitive. It doesn’t matter how much telemetry you have, the driver still has the feeling. Finish testing, finish qualifying, finish the grand prix and he still has the mind to analyse where he was losing time and where the car is weak and can be improved," he explained.

"Telemetry, the numbers and analytics are not human beings. They are still very important when it comes to developing an F1 car," the Brazilian added.

However, the retired F1 great believes Renault and Alpine can turn the situation around; he said: "They are very committed and France has such a strong history in races. They are proud of their work and they know how to do it.

"They have the financial support, a very good team and they will come back, for sure. The last races have been disappointing but they have good drivers and they know how to do things," he concluded.

Former Renault F1 boss Cyril Abiteboul, suggested something in line with what Fittipaldi said, insisting the current driver pairing at Alpine - Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon - do not have what it takes to lead the team.

Speaking to France Info, Abiteboul was asked about the matter; he said: "You mention Esteban and Pierre. Two names is one too many.

"When you close your eyes and think of Mercedes, you think of Lewis Hamilton, even though Nico Rosberg did some extraordinary things.

"When you think of Red Bull, you think of the first cycle around Sebastian Vettel, then the second cycle around Max Verstappen," he added.

"There needs to be a driver who is also a bit of a team boss, the strength of personification is fundamental. At the moment, the grid is very competitive with all cars finishing on the same lap. In a while, there will be a near-level playing field and what will make the difference is ambition, determination," the Frenchman explained.

“Every element that is changed potentially puts the team spirit and culture at risk. It is these two aspects in particular that are lacking at Alpine," he suggested.

Then added: "The investments have been made, the resources, the group’s ambitions, the corporate strategy with the Alpine brand – it’s all there. When a team has everything, it needs something that transcends it, someone to drive it.

"The strength of an individual who can pull 1,000 people together is very unifying," Abiteboul concluded.