Former Suzuki MotoGP boss Davide Brivio will be the Alpine Formula 1 team’s racing director as part of a shake-up likely installing Marcin Budkowski as team principal, and including the exit of Cyril Abiteboul.
Brivio’s exit from Suzuki, just a few months after leading it to its first championship since returning to MotoGP, was announced last week.
He has now been confirmed as Alpine’s racing director for the team’s first year of its Renault rebrand.
Brivio’s senior role, the responsibilities of which will be announced “in the coming weeks”, comes without formal confirmation of executive director Budkowski assuming the team principal position.
However, with Abiteboul, long-time managing director and team boss, leaving the company and Brivio not taking up the team management job, Budkowski is the logic appointment.
Budkowski has also been named a director of the team’s official UK-based company, in place of outgoing Renault Sport president Jerome Stoll.
Brivio will report to new Alpine CEO Laurent Rossi, who appears to have been parachuted into the role Abiteboul was expected to take.
Alpine said: “Davide joins Alpine F1 Team with a wealth of experience and success following more than 20 years in the MotoGP World Championship, most recently sealing the world championship crown for rider Joan Mir, and the Teams’ Championship title for his former team.
“We look forward to welcoming Davide as we start the next stage of our Formula 1 journey.”
Alpine is expected to pick up where Renault and attempt to establish itself as the biggest threat to Mercedes and Red Bull ahead of 2022.
As Renault, the Enstone-and-Viry-run operation fought for third place in the constructors’ championship in 2020 but had to settle for fifth for the second season in a row.
However, it did finally end its wait for a first podium since rejoining the grid as a works team in 2016, with Daniel Ricciardo recording two third-place finishes in the latter half of 2020.
Two-time world champion Fernando Alonso will race for the team alongside Esteban Ocon this year.
