Alpine restructures technical department to boost competitiveness

Alpine F1 Team announces organizational changes, introducing a three-pillared technical structure led by Joe Burnell, David Wheater, and Ciaron Pilbeam to address performance issues after a disappointing start to the 2024 season.

In response to a bad start to the 2024 Formula 1 season, Alpine has decided to shake up its technical department with a major restructuring effort.

The move comes after the impending departures of two key figures, technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer.

Three-Pillared approach

Taking inspiration from McLaren's organizational structure, Alpine has introduced a new three-pillared system for its technical operations.

This approach aims to foster better collaboration and synergy across various technical areas, ultimately translating to improved performance on the track.

Under this reorganization, Joe Burnell assumes the role of technical director (engineering), David Wheater becomes technical director (aerodynamics), and Ciaron Pilbeam is appointed as technical director (performance).

All three will report directly to team principal Bruno Famin.

Addressing underperformance

Alpine's decision to restructure its technical department was driven by the team's disappointing form in the opening round of the season in Bahrain.

Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly qualified 19th and 20th, respectively, and finished the race in 17th and 18th positions, ahead of only those cars that had encountered delays.

Seizing opportunity

The departures of Harman and de Beer presented a timely opportunity for Alpine to reevaluate its approach. As Famin explained:

"We can clearly see that we are not where we want nor need to be in terms of performance level, and it is time to take another step in terms of organization and people."

Famin expressed confidence in the abilities of Burnell, Wheater, and Pilbeam to work closely together and deliver the necessary improvements.

"I trust fully in their abilities to bring the team the performance and improvements that it needs."

While changes have been made to the chassis department, the Viry engine team remains stable, led by technical director (power unit) Eric Meignan, whose focus is on the 2026 project.

Complementing the technical restructuring, Alpine has also welcomed John Woods as the new COO at Enstone, while Audrey Vastroux takes on the same role at Viry.

Moving forward

With these organizational changes in place, Alpine hopes to address its performance shortcomings and regain its competitive edge on the F2 grid.

The team's ability to translate this restructuring into tangible results will be closely watched as the 2024 season.