Axed Alpine boss Otmar Szafnauer believes the team’s 2024 struggles “are a result of previous management”.

The 59-year-old was axed by the F1 team’s owners, Renault, eight months ago for failing to align with their ambitions.

Their subsequent slide down the pecking order has been striking, and they are yet to score a single point this season.

When asked by The Mirror whether Alpine can meet Renault’s ambitions, Szafnauer said: “Not from what I saw.

“The best thing for big car companies to do, and I’ve seen it a lot even with car companies that have racing as part of their DNA, they shouldn’t meddle.

“It’s so much different from a car company – you should leave it to the experts. The only similarities are there are five wheels on a car and five on a race car – four wheels and a steering wheel – and that’s it. The rest is so different.”