Laurent Rossi: “We have a fabulous heritage”

Thursday March 4, 2021, 9:30 a.m., Technocentre Visitor car park Renault in Guyancourt (Yvelines). Laurent Red finishes with his first meeting on his calendar. For the new bossAlpine, the days are at the same time, paradoxically, very long and too short. Unknown to the battalion just a few weeks ago, reading his CV could raise fears of a meeting with a careerist and dispassionate leader capable of selling cars as well as shampoos, and more sensitive to the emotions that reading an Excel table provides than the adrenaline of driving. Well it's quite the opposite...

Thank you for allowing us this ride in the A310, which is probably the same age as you, since you are 45!

This kind of exercise is always a nice break in the day. Technically speaking, she's older than my age. The first A310 dating, from memory, from 1971. Wait, I want to check something (he goes to examine the bumper. Editor's note).

What's bothering you?

I wanted to make sure it was a V6 version, which versions have a slightly different front end. It must be one of the last produced with the GT pack (Gr.4 body kit, rims and spoiler. Ed.), around 1983, I think (this model actually dates from 1985. Ed.), so I can confirm that it is older that she (laughs. Editor’s note).

Watching you get behind the wheel, I see that you have a strangely good command of this interior and how to accommodate your large size. It's suspicious!

I know the A310s well thanks to my father, who was a mechanic and spent his entire youth tinkering with these machines. This is where my passion for automobiles comes from.

From a morphological point of view, the case of this A310 speaks for itself: either the cars were too small at the time, or man grew too quickly...

What is certain is that I have grown a lot. As soon as I want to shift into gear, my leg hits the steering wheel (laughs. Editor’s note).

Let's be fair from the outset and don't see any aggression on my part: the world of our sport suddenly discovered your identity on January 11 at the time of your appointment...

This is completely normal, especially since I disappeared from the perimeter for several years, having gone to the United States.

Exactly,