Alpine team principal Otmar Szafnauer will leave the team after this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix in a shock announcement. Szafnauer joined the French team from Aston Martin at the start of last season but has seen his former team and McLaren leapfrog Alpine in the standings at the halfway stage of the 2023 campaign. Sporting director Alan Permane, who has been associated with Renault - the parent company of the Alpine brand - for 34 years, will also depart. An Alpine statement read: “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. “After 34 distinguished years at Enstone, the team extends its thanks to Alan and wishes him the best in his future endeavours.” Bruno Famin, currently vice-president of Alpine Motorsports, will take up the role of interim team principal after the summer break from the Dutch Grand Prix onwards. Current academy director Julian Rouse will take the role of interim sporting director. Pat Fry has also left the team to join Williams as chief technical officer. The shake-up follows Laurent Rossi leaving his role as CEO of the F1 team last week, with Philippe Krief replacing him. Alpine finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship last season but lost Fernando Alonso to Aston Martin and test driver Oscar Piastri to McLaren. The French duo of Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly have endured a tricky first half of the season, though Ocon did claim a podium in Monaco. Read More F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and FP1 lap times at Spa-Francorchamps F1 grid: Starting positions for Belgian Grand Prix Carlos Sainz interview: ‘All of us at Ferrari expected more – we haven’t done the best job’ F1 Belgian Grand Prix LIVE: Qualifying updates and times at Spa-Francorchamps Max Verstappen receives penalty for Belgian Grand Prix What time is qualifying at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday?

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Mercedes chief Andrew Shovlin admits the team won’t be “nipping at the heels” of Red Bull at the Canadian Grand Prix - with the Montreal circuit offering a “bigger challenge” than last time out in Spain. The Silver Arrows brought highly-anticipated upgrades to the Monaco Grand Prix last month, with their full impact seen at the traditional testing circuit in Barcelona last time out. Lewis Hamilton and George Russell finished second and third respectively, securing Mercedes’ first double podium of the season. Yet Toto Wolff has moved to downplay suggestions Mercedes can compete with runaway leaders Red Bull and trackside engineering director Shovlin echoed those thoughts when speaking in the team’s debrief video. “The fact is that the update kit works very well around circuits like Barcelona with a lot of high-speed performance,” Shovlin said. “The car itself would have still been okay there because we’ve been better at the fast circuits and the front-limited tracks. We ended up with a really good balance and really good race pace. “Now, where we are going to go next, Montreal, it’s a very different circuit. There are more low-speed corners, quite a lot of straight-line full throttle and we would expect more of a challenge there. “We are not thinking that we are going in nipping at the heels of Red Bull. We are going in there prepared for a battle with Ferrari, Aston Martin, and maybe even Alpine.” Hamilton finished on the podium last year in Canada, behind Max Verstappen and Carlos Sainz, and Shovlin added that behind Red Bull the performance gap is close with other teams this season. “It will be good fun and we are certainly going to be fighting to find every little bit of performance we can,” he added. “Because the way the grid stacks up now you can be P2 or you can be P10, and there are only a few tenths in it,” he added. “We are looking forward to more exciting racing but certainly we are aware that Canada is likely to be a bigger challenge than the Sunday we just had in Barcelona.” Verstappen currently has a 59-point lead in the championship from Red Bull team-mate Sergio Perez and has won the last three races in Miami, Monaco and Barcelona. Read More Lewis Hamilton contract update provided by Mercedes boss Toto Wolff Christian Horner reveals how close Fernando Alonso was to joining Red Bull Lewis Hamilton, an 18-month drought and an eighth world title further away than ever

In February a pet dog in Hong Kong tested ‘weak positive‘ for coronavirus and was placed into quarantine. The Agriculture, Fisheries and Conservation Department (AFCD) in Hong Kong confirmed that repeated tests suggested the dog had a “low-level” of the virus and that it was likely to be the case of human-to-animal transmission. The dog, a Pomeranian, had not shown any symptoms for the illness but its owner was confirmed as being infected with Covid-19. Now pet owners are becoming increasingly concerned they could catch the deadly disease from their animals - but is that scientifically possible? Can I catch coronavirus from my pet? On 2 April a Chinese study showed that cats are "highly susceptible" to coronavirus and it can easily be passed between them. But only five cats were involved in the experiment. This follows the news that a cat reportedly contracted coronavirus in Belgium but health authorities in the country said it was an "isolated case" and not "the rule". There are still no reports of animals in the UK with coronavirus. On 13 March the World Health Organisation said "at present there is no evidence that companion animals/pets such as dogs or cats can be infected with the new coronavirus". Several global health organisations have issued advisories saying there is no any evidence that pet animals can spread coronavirus or indeed be infected with it in the same way as humans. “Therefore, there is no justification in taking measures against companion animals which may compromise their welfare,” the World Organisation for Animal Health has said. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concurred that “there is no reason to think that any animals including pets in the United States might be a source of infection with this new coronavirus”. Raymond R.R. Rowland, a veterinarian who specialises in swine viruses at Kansas State University, said that “weak positives” frequently show up in testing pigs, where a farmer’s livelihood can be at stake. “I’ll tell you what I tell them,” he told The New York Times. “Wait and see.” Even if the Pomeranian has a low-level infection, he said: “that doesn’t say the animal is sufficiently infected that it can spread the virus.” The dog could simply be a host for the illness that neither becomes unwell or infects other people or animals. Should I change my behaviour with my pet? The World Health Organisation says: "It is always a good idea to wash your hands with soap and water after contact with pets. “This protects you against various common bacteria such as E.coli and Salmonella that can pass between pets and humans.” To protect yourself from catching coronavirus, the WHO advises the following: Cover your mouth and nose while sneezing, with a tissue or your elbow Put the tissue straight into a closed bin Wash your hands afterwards, and then frequently, with soap or sanitiser Keep your distance from people who are coughing and sneezing (at least one metre) [[Updated UK government advice also says people should stay at home and practice social distancing]. You can read more about the WHO’s advice on coronavirus here. Read More What are symptoms of coronavirus – and where has it spread? Latest travel updates as coronavirus continues to spread Can face masks really protect you against coronavirus or flu? The dirty truth about washing your hands Greg Rutherford had mystery allergy left him ‘screaming and clawing at his skin’ What is Lyme disease? Bella Hadid reveals ’15 years of invisible suffering’ Study reveals how muscle cells deteriorate with age, hampering injury recovery

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