Alpine F1 has officially confirmed the departure of its key technical figures, Matt Harman and Dirk de Beer, following a disappointing performance at the Bahrain Grand Prix, where their 2024 contender was notably the slowest. Despite the setback, L’Equipe reports that team principal Bruno Famin is not pointing fingers at the pair for the team’s current competitive woes. Instead, Famin is “taking responsibility for the technical choices” related to the car’s development.
With Harman and de Beer stepping down, Alpine has announced the promotion of Joe Burnell, David Wheater, and Ciaron Pilbeam to lead the technical department. This change is part of a broader shakeup aimed at revitalizing the team’s performance and strategy.
In addition to these changes, new chief operating officers have been appointed at Alpine’s facilities in Enstone, UK, and Viry, France, signaling a significant overhaul in the team’s approach to its Formula 1 project. Famin stated, “We have decided to make these organisational changes as we can clearly see that we are not where we want nor need to be in terms of performance level and it is time to take another step in terms of organisation and people.”
Amidst these shifts, there’s been speculation about Alpine’s, and by extension, Renault’s commitment to Formula 1, especially after a tumultuous season last year. However, Kleine Zeitung’s Matthias Janisch suggests that the sport’s growing popularity and the implementation of budget caps mean teams are now “more than profitable,” hinting at a likely continuation of Alpine’s presence in F1. Janisch added, “The brand will probably stay in Formula 1…Just a few more well-known faces could say goodbye in the coming months,” hinting at possible further departures from the team.
