Alpine dreams big with Flavio Briatore: three senior figures hired from Ferrari and Red Bull

Alpine dreams big with Flavio Briatore: three senior figures hired from Ferrari and Red Bull. Alpine has announced the arrival of three senior figures from Ferrari and Red Bull.

After a dreadful start to the season, which led to unprecedented upheaval at the top levels and the subsequent removal of almost all the key figures from the previous structure, Alpine now intends to break ties with the recent past and start afresh with a long-term project aimed at making the French team competitive again, contending for podiums and victories against the three top teams currently at the forefront.

Alpine pushes on recruitment
“I will win races in 2026,” Flavio Briatore declared a few days ago, having returned to Formula 1 with his former team in the role of executive consultant, with full powers granted by Renault Group president Luca De Meo.

“In 2026, the team will be on the podium. I don’t know how many podiums we will get, but in 2026, we will be on the podium. I have been given full powers by President De Meo, and when I have powers, I use them, I don’t let others use them.” – he explained.

Thanks also to the arrival of former Ferrari Chief Engineer David Sanchez, appointed as the new executive technical director last May, Alpine has begun a slow but progressive growth in recent weeks, which has seen Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon reach the points zone in the last three races.

In addition to David Sanchez, the French team can now count on the experience of Michael Broadhurst, formerly of Red Bull and McLaren, who will oversee the aerodynamics department as chief aerodynamicist.

The second acquisition is Vin Dhanani, also from the Milton Keynes team, appointed as the new head of vehicle performance.

The third senior figure comes from Ferrari, with Jacopo Fantoni, who worked closely with David Sanchez in Maranello as head of simulations, now taking on the role of deputy chief engineer.

“It is a pleasure to see an increasing number of high-level talents joining the team as we continue to improve our technical structure through our three key pillars: aerodynamics, performance, and engineering,” a spokesperson for the Enstone team said regarding the new hires. “The team is developing winning potential to fight for the championship on all fronts, to be at the forefront once again.” – he concluded.