Alain Prost launches scathing attack on 'incompetent and arrogant' former Alpine F1 chief

Alain Prost has launched a blistering attack on former Alpine chief executive Laurent Rossi, accusing the Frenchman of “incompetence, arrogance and a lack of humanity” towards his employees.

Speaking in the wake of Alpine’s latest shakeup, which will see team principal Otmar Szafnauer, sporting director Alan Permane and chief technical officer Pat Fry all depart Enstone, Prost expressed dismay at what had become of the F1 outfit.

“I love this team, and I am saddened and distressed to see it in its current state,” the four-time world champion told L’Equipe.

Prost, who was an adviser and non-executive director for the Renault/Alpine squad from 2015 until 2022, said too much corporate meddling, and not enough understanding for how F1 worked, was to blame for Alpine’s current chaos.

“If you look at the great success stories from the last 30 years, you will see a simple structure – unlike an industrial organisation chart – built around three or four strong personalities, coupled with a winning driver.

“In my years at Renault, how many times did I hear in the hallways of the headquarters in Boulogne-Billancourt that F1 was a simple sport that could be managed from home by the men in place.

“That was a huge mistake, as was proven with the last of the directors, Laurent Rossi, whom Luca de Meo let go a week ago.

“Laurent Rossi is the best example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, that of an inept manager who thinks he can overcome his incompetence with his arrogance and his lack of humanity towards his people.

“He was Alpine’s boss for 18 months and thought he understood everything from the outset, yet that couldn’t be further from the truth.”

Szafnauer axed as two long-serving staff members follow him out of door

Alpine announced on Friday that under-fire team principal Szafnauer will leave the team “by mutual agreement” following this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, with longstanding sporting director Permane and engineer Fry also departing Enstone.

The announcement came less than a week after group chief executive Rossi was moved aside, and following a nightmare Hungarian Grand Prix where both Alpine drivers, Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly, were eliminated after just two racing laps, due after crashing into each other in a multi-car accident.

Szafnauer has had a long career in the sport with BAR/Honda, Force India, Aston Martin and now Alpine.

But the colourful American really rose to fame as a result of Netflix’s smash hit Formula One show Drive to Survive, which devoted a good chunk of time to his tense relationship with Aston Martin owner Lawrence Stroll, then last season to Alpine’s careless loss of Fernando Alonso to his former employers and also up-and-coming driver Oscar Piastri to McLaren.

Szafnauer could point to the team’s fourth place finish in last year’s constructors’ championship as proof that the team were moving forward under his stewardship.

But this season has seen the American come under intense pressure, with Rossi criticising the team’s “unacceptable” and “amateurish” start to the season in June.

Szafnauer was the guest on this week’s Beyond the Grid podcast where he expressed his confidence that he would be given the time to turn Alpine around. But rumours that he and Fry and Permane were being let go began to circulate in the Spa paddock on Friday morning and Alpine put out a statement shortly after a wet FP1.

“Otmar will continue his duties as normal for this weekend’s race in Belgium, before leaving the team ahead of the summer break,” the statement read. “The team would like to thank Otmar for his hard work over the past 18 months and for leading the team in achieving fourth place in the 2022 Constructors’ Championship. The team wishes him the best for the future.”

Permane, who has been with the Enstone team for 34 years and was famously ‘Witness X’ in the Singapore Crashgate controversy of 2009, will also leave after this weekend’s race, while Fry has landed the same role, chief technical officer, at Williams.

The Alpine statement continued: “Bruno Famin, VP, Alpine Motorsports, will assume the role of Interim Team Principal of BWT Alpine F1 Team from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards. Current Alpine Academy Director Julian Rouse is named Interim Sporting Director, with Matt Harman leading the technical team at Enstone. Both Julian and Matt will report to Bruno Famin.”

Fewer than 10 minutes after the statement was released, Famin was up in the team principals press conference at Spa.

The Frenchman said the changes had been made in order “to move faster in terms of reaching the level of performance we are aiming for”.

“We had different ways of viewing [the way forward],” he added of the reasons behind the departures. “We want to fight for wins and titles as soon as possible.”