Bruno Famin to leave Alpine F1 team principal role

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium — Alpine team principal Bruno Famin will leave his role at the end of August as the team’s parent company, Renault, prepares to put an end to its Formula One engine programme.

Famin took over the role of team principal just under a year ago when Alpine parted ways with Otmar Szafnauer following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix.

The 62-year-old Frenchman will move into a new role overseeing the Renault Group’s other motorsport activities, with a replacement Alpine team principal set to be announced “in due course.”

Speaking ahead of this weekend’s Belgian Grand Prix, Famin also confirmed that Alpine is in the process of negotiating a new engine partner for 2026 as Renault prepares to cease the production of its own power units ahead of the introduction of new regulations.

Alpine is in talks with Mercedes about a customer engine deal from 2026, but Famin said nothing could be signed before the process of shutting down the engine project meets French labor laws.

Famin also said no jobs were being made redundant at the team’s engine facility in Viry-Châtillon, France, as Renault looks to shift its resources at the factory to different projects.

“The project, which has been presented at the beginning of the week to the staff representative in Viry, is to reallocate the resources from one side to another; one side being the development of the Formula One power unit, which is already made in Viry, to dedicate those resources and skills to developing new technologies for the new project of the brand,” Famin said.

“Then one of the consequences of this project, if it is accepted, would be for the Alpine F1 team to buy power units instead of developing its own power unit, then will have more resources to develop the brand, and a different power unit to race for the Formula One team.

“The project which has been presented to the staff rep at Viry and to different governance bodies is talking about 2026 onwards on the power unit, clearly, and of course we are talking to different power unit manufacturers.

“Nothing is done because we have a social process in France [which is] very strict to follow, and we cannot take any decision until having reached the end of that process.

“But for the time being we are talking to some power unit manufacturers but we cannot sign anything until this process is over.”

The news follows the arrival of former Renault team principal Flavio Briatore as Alpine’s executive advisor, but Famin said his own change of role was not due to any conflict between the two.

“We have a new executive advisor since some time, I have no problem with Flavio the little time we spend together, no issue no problem,” Famin said.

“Everyone knows him he has his own way and goal but I think it will be clearer if I step down from the team principal role of Alpine F1 and will step down by the end of August and be fully dedicated to the Viry activities from the Sept. 1.”

Renault has struggled for performance since the introduction of turbo-hybrid engine regulations in 2014 and Famin admitted the current power unit is down on power compared to its rivals.

The Alpine team, which was rebranded from the Renault name in 2021, has also struggled and currently lies eighth in the constructors’ standings.