(Paris) Frenchman David Sanchez has been appointed executive technical director of the Alpine Formula 1 team, a newly created position in the organization chart, the French team announced Thursday.
He will be based in Enstone (England) where Alpine’s chassis department is located. “In this newly created role, David will oversee Enstone’s technical department and have overall responsibility for the team’s performance, engineering and aerodynamics matters,” Bruno Famin, Alpine F1 director, said in a statement.
The French team is going through a difficult time and has yet to score any points in the world championship with its two drivers, the French Pierre Gasly and Esteban Ocon, after five Grands Prix. Several reshuffles at its head have taken place in recent months.
“David will lead key areas of the recently revealed three-pillar technical structure, with Ciaron Pilbeam (Technical Director Performance), Joe Burnell (Technical Director Engineering) and David Wheater (Technical Director Aerodynamics), all reporting to him,” said the CEO. communicated.
Sanchez, 44, previously worked for Alpine when the team was called Renault F1. He began his career there in 2005, when he won the constructors’ and drivers’ world championships with Spaniard Fernando Alonso.
He then joined Ferrari for 10 years and then, very briefly, McLaren.
“It is obvious that the car’s performance and development trajectory have not evolved at a sufficient pace in relation to our collective ambitions. We look forward to welcoming David and working hard together to achieve ultimate success,” said Bruno Famin, quoted in the press release.