Alpine will have another team principal change after confirmation of Bruno Famin’s exit to take a different role within the company.
As expected to be announced, Alpine confirmed a change in its team principal post the Belgian GP with the exit of Famin in the summer break. The Frenchman will not leave the Renault family, though, as he will head the Motorsport activities at Viry-Chatillon.
His exit comes one year after Alpine announced the departure of Otmar Szafnauer from the same role at the same event in 2023. Famin took the interim work which he will vacate with his replacement to be named in due course of time.
Hitech GP chief Oliver Oakes is his rumoured replacement. “BWT Alpine F1 Team can confirm that Bruno Famin will move away from his current role as Team Principal of the F1 division by the end of August,” said the team in a short note.
“Bruno will be in charge of all other Motorsport activities of the Renault Group at Viry-Chatillon. A new Team Principal will be announced in due course.” In addition to his exit, Famin also confirmed the intention of Alpine to go the customer route.
There were rumours of the same that Alpine will ditch the Renault power unit from 2026 onward and take up the customer route amid difficulties in getting the engine regulation right. But Famin notes that it isn’t an easy decision due to laws in France.
“The latest is that, we have presented a project,” said Famin. “The problem is not the project that is provided. The project is much bigger than that, it’s a transformation at the level of the Alpine brand. The brand is developing…it is a huge project of development, still new models in the coming years, new technologies, very ambitious to build this new sporting brand, to make it known outside of France, everywhere in the world.
“The project which has been presented at the beginning of the week to the staff representative in Viry-Chatillon was to reallocate the resources from one side to another, one side being the development of Formula 1 power unit which is being made in Viry, to dedicate those resources in use to developing new technologies for the new product of the brand.
“And then one of the consequence of this project if it is accepted would be then for Alpine F1 Team, to buy power unit, instead of developing our own power unit, and then we will have more resources to develop brand under different power unit to race for the Formula 1 team. The project which has been presented to staff in Viry and to different organisations, is talking about 2026 onward on the power unit clearly.
“And of course we are talking to different manufacturers and for the time being, nothing is done because again it is project, we have to follow France union, there is strict process to follow, and we have to follow that very strictly. And we cannot take any decision until having reached the end of that process. Until then, we are talking to few manufacturers but we cannot sign anything until this process is over,” summed up Famin.
Here’s Esteban Ocon getting his race-winning Alpine
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