Otmar Szafnauer will step down from his position as principal of Renault-owned Alpine after the Belgian Grand Prix, with Bruno Famin taking over as interim principal. This change comes amidst a series of departures within the Formula One team, including top engineers Alan Permane and Pat Fry. The shakeup follows the departure of Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi. Fry will be moving to Williams to take on the same role.
Alpine announced that Permane, who has been with the team for 34 years, will be leaving by mutual agreement, while Fry will be joining Williams. In the interim, Julian Rouse, the Alpine Academy director, will take over as Permane’s replacement, and Matt Harman will lead the technical team at Enstone.
Alpine stated that Szafnauer will continue his duties for the Belgian Grand Prix before leaving the team ahead of the summer break. Szafnauer, who joined from Aston Martin last year, explained that the decision to part ways was mutual and stemmed from a disagreement over the timeline for improving the team’s performance.
Famin, the newly appointed interim principal, stated that the changes were made to accelerate the team’s progress towards their performance goals. He emphasized that the decision to split ways was mutual.
Szafnauer faced an early setback last year when reserve driver Oscar Piastri declined a seat offer and joined McLaren instead. This came after Fernando Alonso, a double world champion, unexpectedly moved to Aston Martin. Laurent Rossi, the person who appointed Szafnauer, was replaced as the chief executive of the Alpine brand and reassigned to special projects within the Renault group.
Famin was recently given overall responsibility for all of Alpine’s motorsport activities, including Formula One. Szafnauer reported to him. Famin clarified that the reshuffle of the team was a decision made by top management and not a sudden change.
Alpine, who aim to become regular winners by 2026, finished fourth overall last season but have dropped to sixth place. They have failed to score points in their last two races.
Williams confirmed that Fry, who has held senior roles at McLaren and Ferrari, will begin working for them on November 1. Principal James Vowles expressed excitement about Fry joining the team and praised his knowledge and experience.
In conclusion, there have been significant changes within the Alpine Formula One team, with Szafnauer, Permane, and Fry all leaving their positions. Famin has been appointed as the interim principal, and Rouse and Harman will take on interim roles as well. The team aims to improve their performance and achieve regular wins by 2026. Meanwhile, Fry will be joining Williams in November to strengthen their technical capabilities.
