Alpine has been making headlines for all the wrong reasons recently. The last positive headline they made was when Ryan Reynolds and Co. invested in the team. But since that time, their racing performance has dived headfirst into the garbage. And the latest news is the team betraying their Team Principal, Otmar Szafnauer – the man who snatched millions of dollars from Fernando Alonso and Co. and gifted it to Alpine.

When Szafnauer left Aston Martin to join Alpine, he brought along BWT, a sponsor that signed a $25 million-a-year deal with the Enstone outfit. And the Romanian boss even helped the team finish P4 in his 1st year with the team in 2022. But things took a turn after he was asked to report to Bruno Famin instead of directly to the CEO. Szafnauer said that Famin’s appointment “shouldn’t have an impact whatsoever” on his management of the team. How was he to know he would stop working for the team altogether?

It is not just Szafnauer but also Alan Permance, the Sporting Director, who the team will part ways with after the Belgian GP. In their press statement, Alpine said that both of these were based on “mutual agreement”. But it doesn’t seem so. And on his YouTube channel, Peter Windsor couldn’t understand why such stalwarts have been axed.

Windsor said, “Otmar Szafnauer, the Team Principal, who moved to Alpine from Aston Martin; and to my mind, kind of brought with him BWT – one of the sponsors of Alpine, is leaving the team after this race. As is Alan Permane, one of the great stalwarts of Benetton, let alone of Renault and Alpine. One of the top guys in the pit lane, in my opinion – really, really good racing brain.”

Windsor was very shocked and couldn’t make head or tails of the “serious drama” unfolding in Alpine.

Amid Mattia Binotto Rumors, Alpine Breaks Promise to Stab Otmar Szafnauer in the Back

Peter Windsor Left Dumbfounded After Alpine Parts Ways with Otmar Szafnauer and Alan Permane

Peter Windsor is a brilliant analyst because he has worked as an F1 manager at Ferrari in the past. And he was also very good friends with Permane, in particular. So, when he came to know that Alpine has taken such a decision, he was very perplexed.

Windsor said, “If I bump into him, I can talk to Alan Permane for forty-five minutes about everything under the sun. So, for both Otmar and Alan Permane to be leaving, and Pat Fry for that matter who’s leaving to go to Williams as Technical Director. Obviously, some serious drama is going on there now politically. I have respect for both, Otmar, and for Alan Permane. So, all I can say is – Wow!”

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Alpine really seems to be undergoing huge transformations. This year, the entire senior management has changed. But their performance is going from bad to worse. Their drivers can’t seem to even get a chance at being in the Top 10. If the new management can turn things around quickly, only then can they hope for a good position in the Constructors’ championship. Otherwise, 2023 is as good as over for them.

WATCH THIS STORY | Ryan Reynolds & Rob McElhenney Invested $0 to Acquire 24% Stake in Alpine F1 as Wrexham Masterplan Continues to Pay Dividends