Four-time Formula 1 World Champion Alain Prost has slammed ex-Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi as an “incapable leader”, during a huge attack on the Frenchman.
Rossi was replaced as CEO of the Enstone-based team by Philippe Krief two weeks ago after being moved to work on other projects within the Renault group, who own Alpine.
One of his final acts as CEO was to highly criticise the F1 team and its team principal Otmar Szafnauer, who’ll be leaving the side after this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix.
Until 2022, Prost had been working for Alpine and Renault as a non-executive director, the side he claimed his first title with in 1985.
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Following Rossi’s switch to a different role away from the F1, Prost has attacked the individual for being arrogant and lacking in “humanity towards his troops”, making it no surprise that the side have fallen backwards.
“First of all, I have to say how attached I am to this team,” Prost told French publication L’Equipe.
“Through its original name, Renault, which enabled me to race and fight for a world crown for the first time. And then through my involvement in the current structure, the Enstone-Viry association, over the last few years.
“I love this team and to see it in this state today saddens and distresses me. It deserves better and has everything it needs to get there.
“I simply believe that you have to look at history to understand what went wrong. If you look at the great successes of the last thirty years, you will find a simple structure, detached from an industrial organisation chart, built around three or four strong personalities, coupled with a champion driver.
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“Laurent Rossi is the most beautiful example of the Dunning-Kruger effect, that of an incapable leader who thinks he can overcome his incompetence by his arrogance and lack of humanity towards his troops.
“The one who was Alpine’s boss for 18 months thought he understood everything from the start when he was totally mistaken. His management broke the momentum that had been put in place since 2016 to reach these podiums and this victory.
“It is to be hoped that the decision taken on Friday to change other heads will be a salutary electroshock for the stable.”