Alpine announces major reshuffle as old ally makes a return

The Alpine F1 project has reportedly been in shambles, according to some, after the departure of its team principal, Oliver Oakes, in May. Since then, the team has worked under the leadership of Flavio Briatore, but the Italian would soon be aided in the team's day-to-day operations by former Enstone man Steve Nielsen, as per their latest press release.

Alpine once appeared as a threat to become a front-running team as the Enstone-based squad finished the 2022 season best of the rest, in fourth. However, the team's hopes soon derailed in the upcoming championship campaigns as they witnessed an exodus of high-ranking officials.

The French team has been working with its fourth different team principal since 2022, as the head of the project ran through revered figures from the paddock to save the project. Moreover, with Oakes' departure, Briatore had acted as the de facto team principal.

The 75-year-old would soon receive assistance in handling the team, as Nielsen would leave his existing Chief Motorsports Operations Officer role at F1 to reunite with the Enstone-based squad ahead of the Italian Grand Prix weekend. He would join the team as the Managing Director and command the French team along with Briatore.

The Briton has worked at team Enstone for various lengths over the years and was the Sporting Director during the team's 2005 and 2006 championship-winning campaigns. Meanwhile, the team also announced the arrival of Kris Midgley as Head of Aerodynamic Development and Guy Martin as Global Marketing Director to help Alpine get back on track.

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Would Steven Nielsen's arrival put an end to Alpine's crisis?

Steven Nielsen (L) and Alpine's Flavio Briatore (R) at the F1 Grand Prix of Austria - Sprint - Source: Getty

Renault's F1 team transitioned to Alpine in 2021. Though the squad secured a single victory in its first season with the blue machine, it was unable to achieve a similar feat again.

After its one-off victory at the 2021 Hungarian GP, the Enstone-based squad has scored five more podiums in the following years. Moreover, the team lost crucial driver assets in the form of Fernando Alonso leaving for Aston Martin and Oscar Piastri jumping ship to McLaren.

With such a torrid run for the team in its last few years and the Renault engine being deemed as the slowest on the grid, even after a decade of maturing, the senior figures in Boulogne-Billancourt decided to axe the engine plans for 2026. This would strip the team of its work outfit status.

So, Nielsen's arrival at the Enstone-based squad could not solely save the team as the French outfit sits at the bottom of the Constructors' championship table with almost half of the 2025 season left.