In a daring move, Alpine F1 overhauls its technical team structure to reverse disappointing results and ignite championship ambitions.
Official, Alpine F1 Confirms Departures of Harman and de Beer. Alpine F1 has confirmed the news we brought to you last night. Matt Harman (pictured), Technical Director at Alpine F1, and Dirk de Beer, Head of Aerodynamics, have decided to leave the team to pursue new challenges. Effective immediately, the team is implementing a series of organizational changes within its technical departments to adopt “a new three-pillar approach.”
The team has created three specialized technical positions: Technical Director (Performance), Technical Director (Aerodynamics), and Technical Director (Engineering) to replace the previous structure under a single Technical Director.
The reason cited for these changes is “a period of disappointing results in the World Championship, where the team fell from fourth to sixth in the Constructors’ Championship between 2022 and 2023, missing several key targets in its ambitions to compete at the forefront.”
It announces the appointments of Joe Burnell as Technical Director (Engineering), David Wheater as Technical Director (Aerodynamics), and Ciaron Pilbeam as Technical Director (Performance). All three are working with immediate effect in close collaboration and report to Bruno Famin, Team Principal.
The sports directors announced in February are in place
On the engine side, the technical team at Viry-Châtillon is led by Éric Meignan, Technical Director (Power Unit), who continues to work on the PU 2026 project. The team also confirms the start of the terms of John Woods as Operations Director at Enstone and Audrey Vastroux at Viry-Châtillon to further the development of the Formula 1 project factories.
Bruno Famin explained these appointments and Alpine’s desire to evolve its structure: “We have decided to make organizational changes, as it’s clear that we are not where we want or need to be in terms of performance.”
“It’s time to take a new step in terms of organization and personnel. This new three-pillar structure with three technical directors, each specializing in different areas, will bring better work and collaboration in our technical fields to contribute to the performance of our factories at the track.”
“I have full confidence in Joe, David, and Ciaron’s ability to work closely together to deliver the performance and improvements the team needs. Finally, I want to thank Matt and Dirk for their efforts over the past few years and wish them the best in the next chapter of their respective careers.”
Alpine Structural Overhaul. Alpine Structural Overhaul
- Clash Over F1’s Soul: Team Alliances and Governance Under Fire
- Following us on Facebook and Twitter.
