SILVERSTONE, England (AP) — Alpine is bringing back a figure from its glory days to help the struggling Formula 1 team out of a disastrous season.
Steve Nielsen is rejoining the team as managing director from September ahead of the Italian Grand Prix. He was sporting director for its title-winning seasons with Fernando Alonso in 2005 and 2006, when it was known as Renault.
He is “one of the most long-standing and well-respected figures in the sport,” Alpine said in a statement.
Nielsen will oversee the day-to-day running of Alpine and report to executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who also led the team in those mid-2000s title-winning years. Briatore took over more duties when Oli Oakes suddenly resigned as team principal in May after less than a year. Nielsen moves from a senior role with F1.
Alpine is last in the constructors' standings with only 11 points all season, less than half of any other team. Those were all scored by Pierre Gasly. Alpine started the year with Jack Doohan in the second car and replaced him with Franco Colapinto in May, but neither has finished a race above 13th place.
Nielsen's arrival marks yet another change of management after a turbulent few years for the Renault-owned team. It started the decade with a “100-race plan” to become a podium contender again, but has instead slipped toward the back of the field.
Alpine was largely off the pace last year, too, though a double podium finish in Brazil late in the season lifted the team, which finished sixth in the constructors' standings.
Appointing Nielsen is the first major change at the team since it was announced last month that Renault Group chief executive Luca de Meo, who oversaw the team's 2021 rebrand from Renault to Alpine, would leave his post.
Alpine faces another major change when it switches to Mercedes engines for a new era of F1 regulations in 2026. That follows parent company Renault's decision last year to shutter its long-running program developing F1 engines.
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AP auto racing: https://apnews.com/hub/auto-racing
James Ellingworth, The Associated Press
