Yahoo Autos Bell leaves Alpine role to become Aston Martin executive director
Bob Bell has become the latest figure to leave Alpine during a turbulent start to the Formula 1 season, joining Aston Martin as executive director.
The former Mercedes technical director was in an advisory role at Alpine, working with the team where he made his name as technical director for Fernando Alonso’s two world championships back in 2005 and ’06. Bell will now move to rejoin Alonso at Aston Martin and becomes part of the team’s senior leadership group.
“I have been impressed by the progress Aston Martin Aramco has made in recent years,” Bell said. “The opportunity to play my part in that journey is incredibly exciting and I look forward to working with the great technical leaders at Silverstone.
“The scale and ambition of this project is highly motivating. I am a racer, and I see the hunger and determination powering this team. I look forward to playing my part with Mike [Krack, team principal] and the rest of the team.”
Aston Martin says Bell will take on “overall responsibility for the technical, engineering and performance functions” within the team.
“I am delighted to welcome Bob Bell to Aston Martin Aramco,” Krack said. “This is a key appointment to ensure we are optimizing everything we do as a team and focusing on the right performance areas. Bob’s track record in the sport speaks for itself and his experience will help us continue to make steps forward on the exciting journey we are on.”
Although his previous role was advisory, the departure of Bell from Alpine comes just days after the team confirmed both technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer had resigned, with the Enstone-based team opting for a three-pillared technical leadership approach moving forward.
