Alpine F1 has confirmed that current team principal Bruno Famin will relinquish his position at the helm of the Enstone squad by the end of August.
Famin initially joined Alpine in early 2022 to manage the engine division. His role expanded to motorsport vice president in mid-2023, and eventually he became interim team principal after Otmar Szafnauer's exit a year ago.
Though he continued in his team boss role for 2024, speculation surrounding his position intensified as the Belgian Grand Prix approached.
Confirming these rumours at Friday's Spa press conference, Famin announced his departure but did not disclose his successor. All signs point towards Hitech boss Oliver Oakes as the frontrunner to take over the management of the Alpine team.
"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,” read a statement from the team on Friday afternoon.
“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 Friday’s team principals’ press conference, Famin justified the change of leadership.
“For the last year, I’ve been doubling my activities with the VP motorsport role, where I am managing Viry-Chatillon with all the [World] Endurance, Dakar, Formula E projects we are managing there,” he explained.
“And on top of that acting as the managing director of the Alpine F1 team. And I’m considering the stakes of the new project – about Viry.
“I think it would be much more useful for the company to dedicate my time, to concentrate my time to the Viry activities.
“I mean all the other motorsport activities and to the transformation project – if it is confirmed – because it will be a huge impact for all the Viry people.
“Let’s not forget that the guys in Viry are making an amazing job.
“We all know that since 2014 we don’t have the best engine in Viry, but it’s one of the engines that improved the most since 2014 and now we’re still not exactly at the top, but the improvement had been very good and the job which is being done in Viry to prepare the 2026 engine is incredible.
“We fixed very high targets and I am confident that we can reach that target. The figures we had from the dyno are very good.
“All the people are very involved, very professional, very skilled – and it’s a very difficult situation there.
“And I think all the people there [are] worth that we dedicate the necessary time to be with them in this project, which is huge.”
The change at the helm of Alpine has come under the direction of the team’s recently appointed executive advisor, Flavio Briatore.
“We have a new executive advisor since some time. I have no problems with Flavio," commented Famin.
“The little time we spent together, I have absolutely no issue, no problem. Everybody knows him. He has his way, he has his own goals. I have no problem.
“But I think it will be clearer on that side if I step down from the team principal role at Alpine F1 and I will dedicate my time and I will step down from the team principal role by the end of August.
“And be fully dedicate to the Viry-Chatillon activities from 1 September.”
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