Laurent Rossi replaced as Alpine CEO by Philippe Krief

Laurent Rossi has been replaced as at the helm of Alpine by Philippe Krief, the French manufacturer's vice president of engineering and product performance.

Krief, who only joined Alpine last March, will take over Rossi's responsibilities as the brand's chief executive officer while the latter will now focus on "special projects" within the Renault group.

A graduate of the Ecole Nationale Supérieure de Techniques Avancées, Krief previously held the positions of Vehicle Department Director at Maserati and Technical Director of the Alfa Romeo brand respectively after which he became Director of Engineering at Ferrari.

"I would like to thank Laurent for his unwavering commitment over the last two years at the helm of Alpine," said Luca de Meo, Renault Group CEO.

"Laurent has set out a clear and ambitious strategy for the brand. He has put Alpine in the best possible position to achieve its long-term goals.

• Read also: Alpine puts Famin in charge of all motorsport activities

"Alpine is now ready to enter a new phase of its development and to become a brand of the future.

"Philippe combines a long industry experience, great technical knowledge with the leadership qualities that are key to the success of our project, including the launch of the brand’s new vehicles starting next year.

"I fully trust Philippe and his team to take Alpine to new heights."

Alpine latest executive changes follow the recent promotion of Bruno Famin to Vice President of Alpine Motorsports which includes overseeing the brand's Formula 1 team.

Alpine F1 team principal will now report directly to Famin.

Alpine's sporting track record in F1 under Rossi's stewardship includes Esteban Ocon's upset win in the 2021 Hungarian Grand Prix.

Since however, the team has only scored two additional podiums, in 2021 in Qatar with Fernando Alonso and this year in Monaco, again with Ocon.

This year, Alpine has so far failed to fulfill its target of finishing fourth in the Constructors' standings while inching closer to the front of the grid. The team currently sits sixth in the championship.

Rossi's tenure was also marked by last year's saga involving junior driver Oscar Piastri who was believed to be tied to Alpine on a long-term contract. But the covenant's technicalities allowed for the Aussie to be snatched up by McLaren, much to Alpine's embarrassment.

Rossi also made the headlines back in May when he publicly criticized Alpine for its underperformance, denouncing the team's "poor execution" and "amateurish" approach.

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