Matt Harman, the technical director, and Dirk de Beer, the head of aerodynamics, have resigned from the Alpine F1 Team.
According to RacingNews365, the two are the most recent important employees to depart the Enstone and Viry-based team, joining Otmar Szafnauer, Alan Permane, Davide Brivio, and Laurent Rossi as recent departures. Pat Fry, the chief technical officer, departed the team as well last year and joined Williams Racing, a competitor squad.
Although the reasons for their breakup with Alpine are somewhat varied, it is evident that key members of the team cannot agree on anything and that their ideals do not align. There are rumors of a tight and unpleasant atmosphere in the engine and chassis factories, located in Viry and Enstone, respectively. Read more
Prior to the 2024 Formula One World Championship, both Harman and de Beer submitted their resignations. They are They are presently serving their notice periods. While de Beer has been employed by the Enstone facility since 2019, Harman has been with Alpine for more than five years.
The team’s 2024 rival, the A524, put up a poor on-track showing in Bahrain during the season’s opening round, so they’ll both probably be glad to be off a sinking ship.
A terrible first weekend for Alpine
A low bar was set for the Bahrain Grand Prix. Independently, drivers Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon acknowledged that they might be toward the rear of the pack.
The Alpine pair did indeed qualify on the back row of the grid in positions 19 and 20, despite their overweight vehicle and erratic driving. Not only did things not get better during the race, but Only Ocon and Gasly finished ahead of drivers who had significant problems during the 57-lap competition. The French outfit get no points.
With less than a week to go before Alpine heads to Jeddah for the Saudi Arabian Grand Prix, there won’t be much time for learning and definitely not for upgrading. However, the team will persevere through the anticipated storm for the first few rounds in order to produce a considerably better package in the long run.
There are still going to be things to play for this year, as Ocon stated to motorsport.com. And I have to keep going. Because I can give up and just walk away if you start that low and the way you people are speaking Get out of the paddock quickly. However, that isn’t my identity.