In Bahrain, Alpine began the season by trailing behind the rest of the field.
Alpine have confirmed the departure of stalwart Rob White as the turmoil inside the F1 2024 strugglers continues.
White spent 20 years at the Renault-owned team, playing a crucial part in the team’s triumph in the World Championship alongside Fernando Alonso in 2005/06.
Alpine sack another long-serving F1 stalwart
The BBC reported that team principal Bruno Famin informed White of his dismissal earlier this week, and the decision was relayed to the Enstone workforce on Wednesday.
White is the latest senior figure to leave Alpine, who publicly fired team principal Otmar Szafnauer and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane over the Belgian Grand Prix weekend in July 2023.
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According to the BBC, a representative from Alpine stated that Rob White’s departure has been confirmed as part of the team’s broader operational reorganization.
Rob’s efforts throughout his lengthy career, at both Enstone and Viry-Chatillon, where he spearheaded the engine project that secured championship victories in 2005 and 2006, are greatly appreciated by the team.
“May he find success in all his future endeavors.”
Alpine’s confirmation of White’s dismissal arrives as they currently stand in ninth place in the F1 2024 Constructors’ standings. They have only managed to secure two points in the first eight races of the season.
Finishing 10th at the Monaco Grand Prix last weekend, Pierre Gasly not only doubled the team’s points for the season but also became part of a dramatic first-lap clash with his team-mate Esteban Ocon.
As Ocon tried to make a bold overtake on Gasly at Portier, his car was catapulted into the air, causing Gasly to retire after a forceful landing.
It was the latest in a series of flashpoints between Gasly and Ocon, who are known to have had an uneasy relationship since their junior careers, with previously unseen footage from the opening lap showing the pair briefly making contact on entry to Massenet just moments before they came to blows.
Famin is reportedly contemplating benching Ocon for the upcoming Canadian Grand Prix as a consequence for instigating the clash with his teammate, eliciting a furious response from him.
Famin expressed his sadness over witnessing this type of incident during an interview with French television station Canal+.
Esteban’s attack was completely unexpected, which is precisely what we hoped wouldn’t happen.
We were faced with the very thing we had hoped to avoid, and we are now prepared to accept the consequences. We are resolved to make a difficult choice.
Despite the possibility of contending for a podium finish in the race, it was not the appropriate time nor location to launch an offensive move against his teammate, especially on the first lap at Le Portier.
It is uncertain if Jack Doohan, Alpine’s reserve driver, will substitute for Ocon in Montreal next weekend.
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