Formula 1: Alpine sack team principal Szafnauer, sporting director Permane after poor performances in ongoing 2023 season

Spa [Belgium], July 28 (ANI): Alpine F1 team have sacked their team principal Otmar Szafnauer and sporting director Alan Permane after the French racing team could secure only a sixth-place finish in the F1 Constructors Championship after 11 rounds of the ongoing 2023 season, reported Sky Sports on Monday. 
Chief Technical Officer Pat Fry has also left to join the F1 rivals, Williams. 
Alpine's run also includes successive double 'Did Not Finish' (DNFs) for Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly at the British and Hungarian Grands Prix. 
Szafnauer and Permane will remain in their respective roles for this Sunday's Belgian Grand Prix. The announcement about their sacking was made moments after the practice ended at the Spa circuit on Friday. 
Alpine Motorsports' vice-president Bruno Famin will be the interim team principal, while academy director Julian Rouse has been named interim sporting director and technical director Matt Harman will take over the leadership of the "technical team". 
Fry, the only member of trio who appears to have chosen to exit, will work for Williams in November. 
Fry will be replacing Francois-Xavier Demaison, who departed from Williams in December amid a shake-up as a part of which, James Vowles replaced Jost Capito as team principal. 
"BWT Alpine F1 Team announces today it will part ways with Team Principal Otmar Szafnauer by mutual agreement following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix," a team statement said as quoted by Sky Sports. 
"Otmar will continue his duties as normal for this weekend's race in Belgium, before leaving the team ahead of the summer break. The team would like to thank Otmar for his hard work over the past 18 months and for leading the team in achieving fourth place in the 2022 Constructors' Championship. The team wishes him the best for the future." 
"The team can also confirm it will part ways with Sporting Director Alan Permane by mutual agreement. Alan will also continue his role this weekend in Belgium before departing ahead of the summer break. After 34 distinguished years at Enstone, the team extends its thanks to Alan and wishes him the best in his future endeavours." 
"The team also announces that Pat Fry will leave the team to continue his career in Formula 1 elsewhere," concluded the statement.
In the constructor's standings, Alpine is in sixth position with 47 points, with Red Bull Racing leading the charts with 452 points, followed by Mercedes (223 points) and Aston Martin Aramco Mercedes (184 points) at second and third respectively. (ANI)