Famin replaced Otmar Szafnauer on an interim basis after last year’s Belgium Grand Prix before being named permanent team principal ahead of the current season. He will move on to focus on overseeing all other motorsport activities of the Renault Group at Viry-Chatillon.
Alpine has announced that a new team principal will be named in due course. Oliver Oakes, founder and team boss of the British-based Hitech Grand Prix team, is rumored to be the leading candidate for the position.
Famin’s departure follows several significant changes at Alpine during a challenging 2024 campaign. Earlier this year, technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer left the team as part of a restructuring effort that brought in David Sanchez, Michael Broadhurst and Vin Dhanani. In June, Flavio Briatore was appointed as an executive advisor and driver Esteban Ocon announced his exit from the team.
Commenting on his departure, Famin said, “We are at a very interesting moment for the Alpine brand, where we have a project that is even stronger than one year ago. The reallocation of resources from the Formula One power unit to developing high-end technologies for the brand itself is a key focus.”
Additionally, Famin confirmed that Alpine is in discussions with other engine manufacturers, potentially moving away from their own Renault works engine starting from the 2026 season when Formula 1’s new power unit regulations come into effect.
“We will dedicate the resources to develop new technologies for the brand’s new products. If the project is accepted, one consequence would be for the Alpine F1 team to buy a power unit instead of developing its own,” said Famin. “This would allow us more resources to develop the brand and a different power unit for the F1 team.”
