Former Mercedes Formula 1 technical chief Mike Elliott has joined Alpine as chief technical officer, returning to the Enstone-based team more than a decade after his first spell there.
The 52-year-old will oversee Alpine’s technical and engineering operations as the team continues a major rebuild aimed at restoring its competitiveness after dropping to the rear of the Formula 1 field in 2025.
Elliott is due to begin work at Alpine’s Enstone factory in Oxfordshire next week. He will sit above executive technical director David Sanchez within the team’s engineering structure.
The appointment also reunites Elliott with Flavio Briatore and Steve Nielsen, both of whom were involved with the organisation during his previous period at Enstone. Briatore currently serves as Alpine’s executive adviser and effectively leads the operation, while Nielsen is managing director.
Elliott previously worked for the team between 2008 and 2012, when it competed first as Renault and later as Lotus. During that period, he held the position of principal aerodynamicist.
He later moved to Mercedes, where he spent more than a decade and became a senior figure during one of the most successful periods in Formula 1 history. Elliott progressed from head of aerodynamics to technical director and eventually chief technical officer, contributing during an era in which Mercedes collected multiple constructors’ and drivers’ championships.
His time as technical director became closely associated with Mercedes’ difficult transition into Formula 1’s ground-effect regulations introduced in 2022.
Mercedes pursued an unusual aerodynamic approach featuring extremely narrow sidepods and a car designed to operate very close to the track surface. Although the concept produced strong theoretical downforce, the team struggled badly with porpoising and bouncing, particularly during the opening stages of the 2022 season.
While Red Bull established itself as the benchmark with a different aerodynamic philosophy, Mercedes continued developing its concept into 2023. The team again failed to consistently challenge at the front, prompting a technical reshuffle in which Elliott exchanged positions with James Allison.
Elliott left Mercedes later in 2023, and the Alpine appointment represents his first Formula 1 role since that departure.
His arrival forms part of Alpine’s wider effort to strengthen its technical leadership and reduce the gap to Formula 1’s leading teams. The team has undergone several management and engineering changes in recent seasons as it attempts to rebuild its performance.
Briatore and Nielsen are expected to discuss Elliott’s appointment publicly during the Azerbaijan Grand Prix weekend, scheduled for 24-26 September.