Alpine team principal Bruno Famin to step down from role at F1 team

The Renault-owned Alpine Formula One team is set for its fifth boss in four years after announcing the departure in August of principal Bruno Famin.

The team confirmed at the Belgian Grand Prix on Friday that the Frenchman would leave the role by the end of next month with a replacement named in due course.

Famin, who will be in charge of all other Renault Group motorsport activities at the Viry-Chatillon factory, took over a year ago as a replacement for Otmar Szafnauer.

American Szafnauer took over from Laurent Rossi in February 2022, with the latter appointed in January 2021 after the departure of Cyril Abiteboul.

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The turmoil at the Enstone-based team compares to the stability at champion Red Bull, which has been run by Christian Horner since January 2005, and Mercedes which has had Toto Wolff in charge for more than a decade.

Media reports tipped Briton Oliver Oakes, founder of the Hitech GP teams that compete in Formula Two and Three, as a possible replacement for Famin.

Formula One starts an August break after this weekend’s race at Spa-Francorchamps with the Dutch Grand Prix at Zandvoort next up on August 25.

Alpine, a team that won titles as Benetton and Renault in the 1990s and 2000s, has struggled this season with only nine points from 13 races.

It is eighth overall after finishing sixth in 2023 and fourth in 2022.

Renault is known to be assessing its future as an engine manufacturer, with a new era starting in 2026 and requiring hefty investment, and has been linked to a Mercedes supply.

The return of former Benetton and Renault F1 boss Flavio Briatore as executive adviser to Renault chief executive Luca de Meo was announced last month.