Following the replacement of Laurent Rossi as Alpine CEO, team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane have left by mutual consent following last weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
With chief technical officer Pat Fry also moving to Williams, the attention on Enstone has been squarely focused at the depleted senior-level structure.
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But Abiteboul, who served as managing director of the team under its previous Renault guise until a 2021 rebrand, reckons the team also requires a clearly defined talismanic lead driver.
Speaking to broadcast network France Info, the current Hyundai World Rally team boss said Alpine needed to take inspiration from Lewis Hamilton at Mercedes or Sebastian Vettel then Max Verstappen taking charge at Red Bull.
He said of current drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly: “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.
“You need a driver who is also a bit of a team boss, and this power 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. What will make the difference is ambition and determination.”
Source: Autosport