Frank Montagny, a former Renault and Andretti driver and now Canal + F1 TV consultant, has spoken out in support of Alpine’s decision to fire Alan Perman.
Montagny believes that the team’s morale has improved since Perman’s departure. He stated that he had worked with Perman before and that the driver had been removed from the Renault racing team in 2003 because he had become too much of a burden on the team and was toxic.
Montagny added that Perman had also caused problems in the testing team. “He has been in the sport for 34 years and it was the right decision to let him go”. Montagny was the official test driver for Renault at the time.
Montagny went on to say that the team’s performance was improving, and the ban on toxic behavior had helped to calm things down at Alpine. Although he admitted that he is friends with Bruno Famin, the team’s director, he said that it was the right decision to let Perman go.
I think that the rising morale of the troops is mainly due to the fact that Perman, Szafnauer, etc. were fired, and frankly, they were useless. I was already with Perman when I was at Renault in 2003, and Renault took him off the race team because they couldn’t stand him on the race team any longer and was toxic, and put him on the test team. When he returned to the test team, he tired everyone out, and he’s been with the team for 34 years. I think it was the right thing to do, bravo Bruno Famin. Because you should also know that Perman can’t stand French drivers.
Franck Montagny on Perman and Szafnauer departure from Alpine F1
The team was going in the right direction, and the mechanics were happier. Perman had been critical of the French drivers on the team and had claimed that if the team had a better engine and different drivers, they could have finished higher in Monaco.
Montagny concluded that Alpine was on the right path, and the decision to let Perman go was necessary. He said that the team’s results had been the same for the last five years, and there had been no improvements. The focus had been on trying to get into Q3 and score points, but there had been no progress. He believes that the team needs to work harder if they want to achieve success.
Montagny praises the performance of Pierre and Esteban
Montagny also praised the performances of Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, who have been driving for Alpine. He said that he had enjoyed watching them drive and that they had done a great job. He added that they had driven well, both on the outside and the inside.
Montagny’s comments come at a time when Alpine is looking to improve its performance on the track. The team has struggled in recent years and is looking to make changes to improve its results.
The decision to fire Perman is just one of the steps the team is taking to improve its performance.
