Alpine drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon have the support of interim-team principal Bruno Famin.

Famin assumed control of the Enstone operation after sacking Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane over the course of the Belgian Grand Prix.

Their fates were bizarrely announced on Friday at Spa-Francorchamps with the pair seeing out the event before departing the team – in Permane’s case after 34 years.

In their place, Famin offered little more than vague rhetoric regarding the need for a new plan, though did acknowledge that the car and power unit were both in need of attention.

The latter is an issue as F1 is in an engine freeze ahead of new regulations coming into play for 2026.

But while Famin was quick to make changes to the team’s hierarchy, he has thrown his support behind its drivers.

“The team is not where we expect it to be this year,” he told select media, including Speedcafe.

“Last year we were fourth in the championship, and the idea was to aim for at least the same, maybe be a bit closer to the third.

“Scoring points in the end is the driver but also the full car and we need to talk about the package.

“For the time being, we don’t have the best car, we don’t have the best engine, for sure, but we need to think about the package.

“Right now, we have the potential to give our drivers a better package and a better environment to help them to score better results.”

It’s at this point that Famin’s grandiose statements require further detail.

His vague statements regarding the need for a new plan do nothing to explain how the team will improve having shed its senior leadership.

Szafnauer and Permane, together with the Williams-bound Pat Fry, have decades of experience in F1 behind them.

They know how to run and develop teams and between them have won swathes of races and championships.

Famin is not bereft of experience, though his has not come at the same coalface, working instead in sportscars and with the governing body before his appointment at Alpine at the start of 2022.

“We are developing the car. There is no issue about that,” he stated.

“The team is working and there is no problem. The power unit is not the best one. Okay, we are a bit down.

“We are very happy with our drivers, and if we give them the best package, a better package, then we will do better results,” he added

“Third place in Monaco, from Esteban, was a very good result, and I think the driver is one of the keys to that result that we need to set up.”