Credit: Twitter
On July 28, Friday, Alpine made the announcement that they will part ways with the Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane, after the Belgian Grand Prix this weekend. The F1 team, owned by Renault, was aiming to finish in fourth place or higher in the constructors’ championship in the 2023 season, following a successful last year, but instead, they are currently in sixth place, behind Aston Martin and McLaren.
In the statement from Alpine on their website, it was revealed that “Otmar will continue his duties as normal for this weekend’s race in Belgium, before leaving the team ahead of the summer break.” Meanwhile, the team confirmed that they will dissociate with Permane, “by mutual agreement,” while also stating that he will continue in his role at Spa-Francorchamps.
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The official Instagram account of Formula One broke the news this evening with a post, which read, “Alpine Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer and Sporting Director Alan Permane to depart Alpine following the Belgian Grand Prix”.
Notably, Alpine thanked their Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer for his work in the last 18 months, helping them finish in fourth place in the constructors’ championship last year. They also extended their thanks to the Sporting Director Alan Permane for his 34 years of service at Enstone. The Renault-owned team also wished both the best of luck in their future endeavors.
The interim Team Principal for the team from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards will be the Vice President of Alpine Motorsports, named Bruno Famin. Furthermore, they named Julian Rouse, the Alpine Academy Director, as the interim Sporting Director from the next race onwards, on the F1 calendar.
