It hasn’t been a great season so far for Alpine’s F1 team. Currently sitting sixth in the constructor’s championship, both Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon failed to finish in the last two races.

Oh, and the now ex-CEO described his own team as “amateurish” back in May.

It was perhaps no surprise that Laurent Rossi was removed from the top job last week, but today’s announcement comes as more of a shock: team principal Otmar Szafnauer will leave the team after the Belgian GP this weekend. We’re told it was a ‘mutual agreement’.

And that’s not all, because sporting director Alan Permane will also depart after the weekend’s no-doubt-rain-soaked race. Also, chief technical officer and ex-McLaren and Ferrari engineer Pat Fry will be leaving to take up the same role at Williams. Good grief, it really is a clear-out.

We’re told that Bruno Famin – who was only hired as Alpine’s VP of motorsport a week or two ago – will become interim team principal for the time being, with the current boss of the Alpine Academy Julian Rouse named as the interim sporting director.

STORY Greg Potts