Key Technical Personnel Quit Alpine F1 Team After Disappointing Bahrain Grand Prix

• Alpine F1 drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly qualified as the two slowest drivers, in 19th and 20th places for this past weekend's season-opening Bahrain Grand Prix.

• On race day, the only two cars they beat suffered in-race repair delays.

• On Monday Alpine announced that technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer have tendered their resignations.

The Alpine Formula 1 team has restructured its technical department in the wake of key resignations following its disappointing start to the 2024 season.

Alpine overhauled its design concept with its A524 but cautioned at its season launch that it was likely to be a subdued start before bringing updated components. But the stark reality of the situation was emphasized at Formula 1’s opening Grand Prix of the year in Bahrain this past weekend.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly qualified as the two slowest drivers, in 19th and 20th places, and raced to 17th and 18th respectively, ahead only of drivers who suffered significant in-race delays. It means Alpine is one of five teams without a point but it occupies last place in the championship on best overall results.

On Monday Alpine announced that technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer have tendered their resignations.

Harman had been with the team since 2018 while de Beer joined in early 2019.

Alpine has now restructured its technical department with a three-pronged approach mirroring the system applied by McLaren after its own troublesome start to 2023.

Joe Burnell has been appointed as technical director (Engineering), David Wheater as technical tirector (Aerodynamics) and Ciaron Pilbeam as technical director (Performance).

The trio will report to team principal Bruno Famin.

Alpine has also announced that new chief operating officers John Woods (at Enstone) and Audrey Vastroux (at Viry-Chatillon) have begun their tenures.

Alpine has its chassis development at Enstone and its engine base at Viry-Chatillon, with Power Unit technical director Eric Meignan continuing to front the 2026 power unit project.

“We have decided to make these organizational 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 organization and people,” said Famin. “The new three-pillared structure with three technical directors, each specializing in different areas, will bring better work and collaboration across our technical areas and contribute to delivering performance from the factories to the race track.”

The latest departures come amid an ongoing period of extensive upheaval at a team that has been regularly underwhelming in Formula 1.

Renault launched its full-scale return to Formula 1 in 2016 before rebranding as Alpine for 2021, a season in which it claimed a race victory in Hungary courtesy of Ocon.

Alpine improved to fourth in 2022, suggesting it was in the process of extricating itself from the midfield, but slumped to sixth in 2023.

Alpine fired CEO Laurent Rossi, axed team principal Otmar Szafnauer—who only joined in 2022—and long-serving sporting director Alan Permane mid-season while chief technical officer Pat Fry also left to take up the same role at Williams. Permane has since found employment in the same position at RB. Racing director Davide Brivio, who joined in 2021 and whose skills were under-utilized, left at the end of 2023 to return to MotoGP.

Alpine also sold a 24% stake in its team in 2023 to a group of investment firms that include actor Ryan Reynolds and sports stars Travis Kelce, Patrick Mahomes and Rory McIlroy among several high-profile names.