Alpine is closing in on a decision over a new de-facto team boss – with Formula 1 veteran Steve Nielsen now the leading contender despite having initially turned down the role.
The French manufacturer has been on the look out for a replacement for team principal Oliver Oakes, who resigned from the squad immediately after the Miami Grand Prix because of personal reasons.
Flavio Briatore, who is Alpine’s executive advisor, has taken over Oakes’s responsibilities on an interim basis but does not want to fulfil this expanded role for the long term.
That is why he has been on the search for someone to slot in alongside him to help lead the push to move Alpine up the grid - with Nielsen having emerged as his key target.
Speaking recently about the kind of person that he was looking for, Briatore said: “There's a lot of people it is possible to be doing this kind of job. But we’re looking for somebody good, somebody who understands, somebody who wants to be part of the team.
“I know a few people who want to be part of this new trip with Alpine. We decide quick.”
Briatore's preference has always been to work alongside people he understands well and especially those he trusts.
This is why he has been focused on personalities that have a track record of success with him, especially from the era when he delivered world titles for Benetton and Renault.
With Nielsen having enjoyed a decade-long spell at Benetton/Renault in the 2000s as sporting director, Briatore knows his capabilities well.
Nielsen is a well-respected figure in the paddock, having also enjoyed periods during his lengthy career at Team Lotus, Tyrrell, Honda, Arrows, Caterham, Toro Rosso and Williams – either in team manager or sporting director roles.
Most recently he has worked in a senior sporting role for F1 management, with a brief spell at the FIA in 2023 as its sporting director.
Having moved to France, however, it appeared that Nielsen was well-settled with his current life and with no desire to return to the intensity of a team role.
Indeed, it is understood that when first approached last month by Briatore about the role he initially turned it down – insisting he did not want to take on an all-encompassing position like team principal.
However, with Briatore eager to get Nielsen (pictured below next to Alpine F1 racing director Dave Greenwood) on board and not accepting the refusal, negotiations recently restarted for a tweaked role and are now at an advanced stage.
Briatore’s idea is to bring Nielsen into a job that will focus on running operations but without him being a direct team principal replacement for Oakes. It is not clear what his exact title could be.
No final agreement has yet been reached, but Alpine is hoping that it can get the situation cleared up before the summer break.
Should a deal be reached, then one of the issues that will need resolving is the length of any gardening leave that Nielsen will need to serve as the result of privileged information he may have due to his current role with F1.
Alpine’s competitors may prefer it if Nielsen does not make an immediate switch, but a final decision would likely be made by F1 itself.
