Alpine F1 car designers quit after poor performance in Bahrain Grand Prix

ENSTONE, England — Two executives in charge of designing a new car for Formula One team Alpine have quit after a disappointing performance in the Bahrain Grand Prix, the first race of the season.

Alpine said Monday that technical director Matt Harman and head of aerodynamics Dirk de Beer had both “chosen to leave the team to seek new challenges.”

On Saturday, Alpine drivers Esteban Ocon and Pierre Gasly started at the back of the grid after finishing last in qualifying for the Bahrain GP. They finished 17th and 18th, respectively, with no points.

Alpine said it was going to restructure its technical setup following Harman and de Beer’s departures to create three new positions instead of two.

Joe Burnell was appointed technical director (engineering), David Wheater as technical director (aerodynamics) and Ciaron Pilbeam as technical director (performance).

“The new three-pillared structure with three technical directors, each specializing in different areas, will bring better work and collaboration across our technical areas and contribute to delivering performance from the factories to the race track,” Alpine team principal Bruno Famin said.

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