---
title: "Alpine F1 Scraps Key Personnel Including Team Principal Ahead of Summer Break"
date: "2023-07-28"
modified: "2023-07-28"
authors:
  - name: "Jerry Perez"
    job_title: "Deputy Editor"
    link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/jerry-perez"
url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/alpine-f1-scraps-key-personnel-including-team-principal-ahead-of-summer-break"
categories:
  - "F1"
  - "News"
  - "Racing"
---

# Alpine F1 Scraps Key Personnel Including Team Principal Ahead of Summer Break

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/28/GettyImages-1252048871.jpg>)
*\<em\>Getty\</em\>*

Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer, Sporting Director Alan Permane, and Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry will be concluding their employment with the Alpine [Formula 1](<https://www.thedrive.com/category/f1>) Team this weekend. The French squad confirmed it will be parting ways with the three staffers at the conclusion of Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix.

Reports claiming that the team's upper management had been sacked ahead of F1's summer break surfaced Thursday night, with the news becoming [official](<https://www.formula1.com/en/latest/article.breaking-alpine-confirm-team-principal-otmar-szafnauer-and-sporting-director.13bpB2bdAZnfQCpbv3BZGL.html>) Friday morning. Besides the usual "we wish them luck in future endeavors," the team did not elaborate on the departure of the three executives, only claiming that the decisions were made by "mutual agreement."

![](<https://www.thedrive.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/07/28/GettyImages-1559961667.jpg>)
**Getty**

Szafnauer joined Alpine from Aston Martin and led the team for the last 18 months, in which he managed to secure fourth place in the Constructors' Championship in 2022. Permane, however, had spent the last 34 years of his career at the Enstone-based team, working various roles through the many ownerships and iterations of the squad.

Fry, a key figure in F1 across many teams for decades, joined Renault in 2020 for a second time in his career, then stuck around through the transformation into Alpine. Following the announcement of his departure from Alpine, however, Fry was confirmed to be joining [Williams F1](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/new-williams-f1-boss-says-facilities-and-tech-20-years-out-of-date>) as its new chief technical officer; the same role he held at Alpine.

This big management shakeup comes in the footsteps of yet another recent executive shakeup at Alpine HQ. Former [Alpine boss Laurent Rossi](<https://www.thedrive.com/news/alpine-sports-cars-coming-to-the-us-in-2027>) was replaced as brand chief executive by Philippe Krief following turmoil in the brand's management and performance.

Alpine confirmed these three positions will be filled by interim staffers in the meantime, though it's likely the team will make a more formal announcement during the summer break. Who Alpine will be poaching remains to be seen.

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## Author
Jerry is responsible for upholding The Drive's ethos as an audience-first, enthusiast-driven car blog that serves up industry-leading news, reviews, culture, and motorsport coverage. Overseeing a staff of writers and editors from his home base in Indianapolis, he helps curate the site's daily rundown, as well as its medium- and long-term content strategies. Jerry joined The Drive in 2018 as a writer and worked as news editor and managing editor before becoming the deputy in 2023. As a lifelong car enthusiast and racing fan, Jerry believes that all cars are cool, but the people behind the machines are even cooler. This belief often gives The Drive a slightly different focus from most other car sites, where we explore the humanity behind the machines. When he's not obsessing over the day's biggest stories or hanging out at a race track, Jerry can be found behind the wheel of a car, most likely sharing a laugh with his teenage son or daughter.

### Author social links  
[Instagram](<https://www.instagram.com/drive_jerry/>)