Alpine Formula 1 team announced Thursday that Steve Nielsen will join as managing director on September 1, tasked with overseeing daily operations at the team's Enstone headquarters as the struggling outfit seeks stability after years of leadership upheaval.
The appointment marks Nielsen's return to the team he helped guide to back-to-back championships in 2005 and 2006, when he served as sporting director under Fernando Alonso during the Renault era. Nielsen will report to executive advisor Flavio Briatore, who has been running the team since Oliver Oakes' sudden resignation in May.
Nielsen, 60, brings four decades of Formula 1 experience to Alpine, having worked across multiple teams including Lotus, Tyrrell, Honda, and Williams1. His most recent role was with the FIA as sporting director, a position he left at the end of 20231.
"Nielsen will oversee the day-to-day running of the team at Enstone," Alpine said in its announcement2. The role partially replaces responsibilities previously held by Oakes, though no official team principal will be named2.
Alpine also announced two other key appointments: Kris Midgley as head of aerodynamic development and Guy Martin as global marketing director1. Midgley previously worked at the team between 2007 and 2013 before stints at Ferrari1.
Alpine's leadership search comes as the team sits last in the constructors' championship with just 11 points after 11 races1. The French outfit has endured a difficult 2025 season despite promising pre-season testing, with driver Pierre Gasly acknowledging the team must "fight with this car" as no major upgrades are planned1.
According to The Race, Nielsen becomes "the team's seventh different manager in five years"2. Since the Renault rebrand to Alpine in 2021, the team has cycled through various leadership structures, including stints under Otmar Szafnauer, Bruno Famin, and Oakes3.
Nielsen's appointment reunites him with Briatore, under whom he worked during the Benetton era. Racing News 365 reports that Nielsen held senior roles at Williams before joining the FIA in 20171.
The team's current struggles extend beyond leadership, with Briatore telling media after the Austrian Grand Prix that Alpine's "level of performance is increasingly concerning"2. The team's car shows promise in qualifying but struggles with race pace, hampered by an underpowered engine and tire degradation issues2.
Nielsen's hire represents Alpine's latest attempt to find stability in a sport where the team has struggled to match its championship-winning past.
