Alpine executive director Marcin Budkowski is to leave the team with immediate effect. The reshuffle has been decided by Alpine chief executive officer Laurent Rossi, who was appointed before the start of last season. A team statement said Rossi would “temporarily ensure the team’s management to allow everyone to focus on the next season’s preparation”. Alpine won one race last season, with Esteban Ocon in Hungary, while Fernando Alonso scored a podium in Qatar. Ocon’s win was the team’s first victory under Renault ownership since Alonso won the 2008 Japanese Grand Prix, although Kimi Raikkonen won a race in each of the 2012 and 2013 seasons for the same outfit under different ownership.

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