Bruno Famin has announced that he will stand down as Alpine Formula 1 team principal at the end of August, with Hitech F2 and F3 boss Oliver Oakes expected as his replacement.
Famin was originally hired by Alpine to oversee its engine division in early 2022 before he stepped up to become its motorsport vice president in mid-2023 and then its interim team principal when former squad boss Otmar Szafnauer was let go from the team a year ago. Famin carried on in the role in 2024.
But speculation about his position amid the many changes enacted by new team special advisor Flavio Briatore intensified as this weekend’s Belgian GP kicked off, with Autosport reporting that a change of team principal at Alpine was now coming.
Famin confirmed that situation in the team principals’ press conference at Spa on Friday, although he did not name his replacement.
Shortly afterwards, Alpine released this statement confirming the news: "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.
“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.”
Famin will continue to work for Alpine – returning to overseeing its Viry-Chatillon F1 engine plant as Renault assesses whether to press on with its plan to make Alpine a customer engine squad, as well as being in charge of its World Endurance Championship Hypercar class and Formula E [as Nissan] projects.
“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,” Famin said.
“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.”
Famin also insisted he had “no problem” with Briatore that had led to this development in his role with Alpine.
“We have a new executive advisor since some time. I have no problems with Flavio.
“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 dedicated to the Viry-Chatillon activities from 1 September.”
Famin also suggested that the plan to make Alpine a customer F1 team and dedicate additional resources to its Enstone base could only proceed once an agreement had been made with the works that are part of the powerful French unions at Viry-Chatillon.
