Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi has offered a less than glowing assessment of Esteban Ocon’s potential, saying he “might not be guaranteed world champion material”.

Rossi nevertheless saw enough in Ocon to give him a new three-year contract earlier this season, after which the French driver’s fortunes dipped.

He failed to score a point in any of the next three races but, with a new Alpine chassis clearly suiting him better, Ocon finished ninth in the British Grand Prix.

Alpine already have a former World Champion in their ranks in the shape of Fernando Alonso, whom Rossi says is “doing everything for me to consider exercising his [contractual] option for 2022” which appears to be nothing more than a formality.