Bruno Famin to depart as Alpine F1 team principal amid Renault's engine program changes

Red Bull Racing/Red Bull Content Pool

Bruno Famin's departure marks significant changes at Alpine F1 team.

SPA-FRANCORCHAMPS, Belgium -- Significant changes are afoot for the Alpine Formula One team as Bruno Famin, the team principal, is set to step down at the end of August. This announcement comes as Renault, Alpine's parent company, is poised to conclude its Formula One engine program.

Famin's time at Alpine began just under a year ago when he replaced Otmar Szafnauer following the 2023 Belgian Grand Prix. The 62-year-old Frenchman will transition to a new role, where he will oversee Renault Group's broader motorsport activities. Alpine has yet to announce Famin's successor, promising that the appointment will be made "in due course."

In a statement ahead of this weekend's Belgian Grand Prix, Famin revealed that Alpine is actively negotiating a new engine partnership for the 2026 season, a decisive move as Renault plans to cease production of its own power units in anticipation of upcoming regulatory changes. Talks are underway with Mercedes for a customer engine deal, although Famin emphasized that formal agreements are contingent on meeting the stringent requirements of French labor laws.

Famin reassured that there would be no job losses at the Viry-Châtillon engine facility, with Renault aiming to redirect its workforce towards other 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," Famin explained. "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."

"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, which will allow us to allocate more resources to develop the brand and a different power unit to race for the Formula One team."

"The project presented to the staff rep at Viry and to different governance bodies is discussing the power unit for 2026 onwards. We are talking to different power unit manufacturers, but nothing can be finalized due to the strict social process in France that must be followed."

The announcement comes in the wake of Flavio Briatore's appointment as Alpine's executive advisor, though Famin was quick to dispel any notion of conflict between them.

"We have a new executive advisor for some time now, and I have had no problems with Flavio during the time we’ve spent together," said Famin. "Known for having his own style and goals, I think it will be clearer for everyone if I step down from the team principal role and dedicate myself fully to the activities at Viry from September 1st."

Renault has faced challenges since the introduction of turbo-hybrid engine regulations in 2014, with its power units trailing behind its competitors. The Alpine team, rebranded from Renault in 2021, is also struggling and is currently placed eighth in the constructors' standings.

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